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Il a parlé ainsi pendant une heure.

Il a parlé ainsi pendant une heure.
He spoke this way for an hour.
From Lesson 202:Consequence connectors (c'est pourquoi, par conséquent)·French

Questions & Answers about Il a parlé ainsi pendant une heure.

I know ainsi can mean 'thus' or 'therefore' like the consequence connectors in this lesson. Is that what it means here?
Not quite. While ainsi often acts as a consequence connector (meaning 'thus' or 'therefore'), in this specific sentence it describes the manner of speaking, meaning 'this way' or 'like this'. If it were showing a consequence, it would usually appear at the beginning of a clause.
Why do we use pendant for 'for' here instead of pour or depuis?
Pendant is used for a completed, fixed duration of time in the past (the hour of speaking is over). You would use depuis for an action that started in the past and is still happening, and pour is mostly used for planned future durations.
Since he was speaking continuously for a whole hour, why do we use the passé composé instead of the imparfait?
The imparfait is used for ongoing past actions where the exact start and end aren't the focus. Because this sentence gives a specific, completed timeframe (pendant une heure), the action has a clear, finished boundary. This requires the passé composé (a parlé).
Why is ainsi placed after parlé?
When ainsi means 'this way', it usually goes right after the verb it modifies. If you were using it as a consequence connector meaning 'therefore', it would typically go at the very beginning of the sentence instead.

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