Puzzling use of progressive form In this sentence: > **** > > I had to kill time in the park until my parents came home. Why does need to be in the progressive form? Why can I not write ... I'm assuming is progressive here. It certainly isn't habitual and I can't see how it would work as change of state. Thanks.

It doesn't need to be progressive, works as well.

There's not really big difference between and here. I think it's parallel to "had to be killing time" and "had to kill time".