grammar - What is the difference between saying "I wasn't knowing" and "I didn't know"?



I was wondering what is the difference between I wasn't knowing and I didn't know? If I say, I wasn't knowing, I am talking about something unknown in past, the act of not knowing is finished, it means that I know it now, but before it was unknown to me.



Answer



The main difference would be that any continuous tense of know will be frowned upon. "I am knowing", "I was knowing", "I will be knowing" all make little sense, as we don't perceive the act of knowing as a feasible thing. Knowing something is a state, not an action.


I can say I am biking, I am painting, I am thinking.


But when I describe a state, a static property which does not describe any action, a continuous tense is confusing. At any moment in time, I either know or I do not know. But in neither case am I actively performing an action of knowing.


So the correct sentence would be:



I didn't know.



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