Question

1. She was listening to the radio, and she was writing a letter.

2. She listened to the radio, and she was writing a letter.
(Are both ok? Which one is the better of the two?)

1-1. While she was listening to the radio, she was writing a letter.

2-1. While she listened to the radio, she was writing a letter.
(Are both ok? Which one is the better of the two?)

3. He was sitting on his chair, with his legs crossed.
4. He was sitting on his chair with his legs crossed.
(Which one is the better of the two? Do we need to put a 'comma' before 'with'?)

Answer 1

1 and 2 are wordy, but basically correct.

1-1 is correct.

2-1 is correct and slightly better than 1-1 -- less wordy.

The wording in 3 and 4 is fine, but no comma is needed.