Breakdown of В продолжение сильного шторма судно не могло плыть.
не
not
мочь
to be able to
сильный
strong
плыть
to swim, to sail (one direction)
в продолжение
throughout
шторм
storm
судно
vessel
Questions & Answers about В продолжение сильного шторма судно не могло плыть.
Why does the preposition в продолжение end in -е rather than -и?
When в продолжение acts as a compound preposition meaning 'during' or 'throughout', its form is fixed and always ends in -е. If it ended in -и (в продолжении), it would literally mean 'in the continuation' (like in the phrase 'in the continuation of the novel'), where it is just a standard noun in the prepositional case.
What case follows в продолжение in this sentence?
Like most derivative prepositions of time, в продолжение requires the genitive case. That is why the nominative phrase сильный шторм (severe storm) becomes сильного шторма.
Could we use в течение instead of в продолжение here? What is the difference?
Yes, you could say в течение сильного шторма without changing the core meaning. Both mean 'during' or 'over the course of'. В продолжение is slightly more formal and often emphasizes that the action (or inability to act) lasted for the entire, uninterrupted duration of the event.
Why is the imperfective verb плыть used here rather than a perfective verb?
The imperfective плыть pairs naturally with the prolonged time frame set by в продолжение. It shows that for the entire length of the storm, the vessel was in a continuous, ongoing state of being unable to sail.
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