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What does the 'contuative' form add to the meaning in the sentence?

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[名前を書いたつもりだったが、書いていなかったようだ。] So 書いていなかった is saying that "it was not written"

I.e. the speaker is saying they meant to write it, but the paper was blank.

書かなかった would say= I meant to write it, but I did not (write it).

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  • You mean, in the original sentence, the verb 書く is conjugated in the passive form?
    – raruna
    Commented Jul 24, 2020 at 18:55
  • YES, that is it, the second instance of 書く is passive.
    – Reed Day
    Commented Jul 26, 2020 at 0:11

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