When I went out, it was raining. -- correct
While I went out, it was raining. -- incorrect
When it was raining, I went out. -- correct
While it was raining, I went out. -- also correct
When it was raining, I was going out.-- questionable
While it was raining, I was going out. -- questionable
Comments:
When and while are very often used in sentences that have both the past
progressive and simple past tenses. When this happens, while refers only to a
(comparatively) long action, but when can refer to either a (comparatively)
long or short action. In these situations, the short action interrupts the long
action (which began before the short action happened).
In the second example, went out is a shorter action than was raining, so when
should be used, not while.
In the third and fourth examples, both when and while are possible, since when
can refer to both (comparatively) long actions and (comparatively) short
ones and while is appropriate with (comparatively) long actions only.
The last two examples are grammatical, but probably not logical. They mean
that for the entire period of time that it was raining, you were going out.
It's much more logical that "go out" is short, while "rain" is long. For that
reason, having two past progressive verbs doesn't seem logical.
Dennis Oliver
Estrella Mountain Community College
Avondale, Arizona U.S.A.
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