This document provides an overview of the past simple and past continuous tenses in English. It explains how to form and use each tense, including their structures, common uses, and how they are combined in sentences. Examples are provided to illustrate different uses of the past simple and past continuous tenses. The key difference between the tenses is that the past simple is used for completed actions while the past continuous describes ongoing actions in the past.
This document provides an overview of the past simple and past continuous tenses in English. It explains how to form and use each tense, including their structures, common uses, and how they are combined in sentences. Examples are provided to illustrate different uses of the past simple and past continuous tenses. The key difference between the tenses is that the past simple is used for completed actions while the past continuous describes ongoing actions in the past.
This document provides an overview of the past simple and past continuous tenses in English. It explains how to form and use each tense, including their structures, common uses, and how they are combined in sentences. Examples are provided to illustrate different uses of the past simple and past continuous tenses. The key difference between the tenses is that the past simple is used for completed actions while the past continuous describes ongoing actions in the past.
This document provides an overview of the past simple and past continuous tenses in English. It explains how to form and use each tense, including their structures, common uses, and how they are combined in sentences. Examples are provided to illustrate different uses of the past simple and past continuous tenses. The key difference between the tenses is that the past simple is used for completed actions while the past continuous describes ongoing actions in the past.
learn the past continuous ■ Learn the difference between the past simple and the past continuous ■ Practise using the conjunctions when and while
www.lingoda.com 2 I travelled to Paris to attend a conference.
It was raining in Paris while I
attended the conference.
Let‘s learn how to use the past simple
and the past continuous.
www.lingoda.com 3 Past simple
When do we use the past simple
in English? What might this tense be useful for?
Discuss with your teacher.
www.lingoda.com 4 Review: past simple
We use the past simple when we want to say that an action occurred in the past. It is the basic form of the past tense in English. ■ For regular verbs add -ed. ■ Irregular verbs have their own forms – these need to be memorised.
Jules lived in Paris last year.
We attended the meeting yesterday.
www.lingoda.com 5 Past continuous: structure
■ The table below shows how the past continuous is constructed.
■ The auxiliary verb is to be in past simple.
aux verb: -ing form of the verb +
subject to be (past simple) remainder of sentence
I was practising my English.
You were giving a presentation.
He/she/it was standing in the hallway.
We were talking to our boss.
You were driving down the road.
They were participating in a meeting.
www.lingoda.com 6 Transform the past continuous sentences into past simple
1. Julie was writing a report. Julie wrote a report.
_______________________________________________________________ 2. Wilfred was making a cup of _________________________________________ coffee.
5. We were working from home. _________________________________________
www.lingoda.com 7 Past continuous with past simple
The table below shows the structure of the past continuous when it is used together with the past simple. ■ We use the following structure: ■ subject + auxiliary verb + -ing form of verb + conjunction + past simple
■ I was working when you came to
my desk.
■ He was eating when the phone
rang.
■ They were already sitting in the
room before the meeting started.
www.lingoda.com 8 Past continuous: use
■ The past continuous is commonly used to talk about something that was happening at a particular time in the past. ■ Past continuous sentences often include the past simple tense. The past simple describes the action while the past continuous describes the longer activity in the background. ■ Often, the action in the past simple part of the sentence interrupts the action described in the past continuous tense.
■ I was just opening the door when the cat leapt on the mouse.
In this sentence the past continuous describes what was happening in the background (opening the door) as the main action happened (the cat leapt on the mouse).
■ The cat was leaping on the mouse when David opened the door.
The focus of this sentence is different. The main action in this sentence is David opening the door, which is in past simple.
www.lingoda.com 9 Past continuous: examples
■ Read more examples of the past continuous below.
■ I was walking to the station when the message came through.
■ John was eating an apple while we talked.
■ I was working on my computer when the power went off.
■ I was downloading new software when my computer broke.
■ In 2014 I was working at a different company.
■ At 8 p.m. last night I was working overtime.
www.lingoda.com 10 Complete the sentences
Complete the sentences with a past continuous construction.
E.g. I _______________ [listen]. I was listening.
1. John _______________ [walk] home when he received a phone call.
2. I _______________ [leave] the gym when it started to rain.
3. At 8 a.m., Jane _______________ [drive] to work.
4. They _______________ [have] a meeting when she walked into the room.
5. I _______________ [wait] for the train when I got offered the job.
www.lingoda.com 11 Categorise
Categorise the phrases below.
I was just cleaning When Tom was I was driving to I was eating my my shoes… getting a haircut… work… lunch…
…when something …while I was living …he decided to tapped on the I met Sally… abroad. quit his job. window.
past continuous past simple
www.lingoda.com 12 Negative form
■ The negative form of the past continuous adds the word not between the auxiliary verb (in this case to be) and the main verb. ■ subject + auxiliary verb + not + -ing form of the verb + rest of sentence ■ Remember that: ■ was not can contract to wasn’t ■ were not can contract to weren’t
■ I wasn’t working when you came to
my desk.
■ He was not eating when the phone
rang.
■ They were not sitting in the room
before the meeting started.
www.lingoda.com 13 Rewrite these sentences in the negative form
1. Jean was eating her breakfast ________________________________________
when her boss rang. ________________________________________
2. The restaurant was closing as ________________________________________
Andrew arrived. ________________________________________
3. The meeting room was emptying ________________________________________
when she walked in. ________________________________________
4. They were presenting when the ________________________________________
fire alarm went off. ________________________________________
5. She was designing a process for ________________________________________
■ To form a question in the past continuous, you need to switch the auxiliary verb and the subject. ■ auxiliary verb + subject + -ing form of the verb + rest of sentence
■ Were you working when I came to
your desk?
■ Was he eating when the phone
rang?
■ Were they sitting in the meeting
room?
www.lingoda.com 15 Now rewrite the sentences from p. 14 in question form
1. Jean was eating her breakfast ________________________________________
when her boss rang. ________________________________________
2. The restaurant was closing as ________________________________________
Andrew arrived. ________________________________________
3. The meeting room was emptying ________________________________________
when she walked in. ________________________________________
4. They were presenting when the ________________________________________
fire alarm went off. ________________________________________
5. She was designing a process for ________________________________________
■ The conjunctions when and while are useful when forming sentences with the past continuous. ■ Introducing a clause with when can indicate the past simple part of the sentence.
■ I was eating my lunch when my
boss decided to talk to me.
Alternatively, we can invert the
sentence so the past simple part comes first.
■ When my boss decided to talk to
me, I was eating my lunch.
www.lingoda.com 17 Complete the sentences
Complete these sentences with your own ideas.
I was leaving He arrived at
the office the meeting when... when…
I was applying I was meeting a
for a new job new client when… when…
She was eating I was writing an
lunch when… e-mail when…
www.lingoda.com 18 Long actions and interruptions
■ The past continuous is useful when describing a long action in the past. ■ It helps us to specify when the action starts and ends. For example: ■ Yesterday at 3 p.m., I was preparing my presentation. I started preparing before 3 p.m. and finished sometime after.
The past continuous can
■ I was sleeping soundly when the doorbell woke me up. also be used to describe a long action that was In this example, the past simple part of the interrupted by a shorter sentence (the doorbell woke me up) interrupts the action. past continuous action (I was sleeping soundly).
www.lingoda.com 19 Inverting and the use of while and when
These sentences can also be inverted or switched around.
■ I was eating my lunch when I received the news. This sentence can be inverted: ■ When I received the news, I was eating my lunch.
We can also use the
conjunction while to introduce the past ■ I really got into cycling while I was working at continuous part of a a bike-sharing startup. sentence. ■ While I was working at a bike-sharing startup, These sentences can also be I really got into cycling. inverted or switched around.
www.lingoda.com 20 Adding conjunctions
Connect the sentences below using while or when.
1. I was visiting Sydney. I had to participate in meetings via video call.
2. Jane was dancing. David laughed.
3. Sally was presenting. The CEO walked into the room.
4. Richard was working in London. Chloe moved to Shanghai.
5. Samuel went to the office. His wife was resting at home.
www.lingoda.com 21 Negativity
The past continuous can also be used with always to describe a repeated action in a negative way. ■ Always can be used to describe negative or annoying habits or actions. ■ It is passing judgement on someone or something when it is associated with negativity.
Examples:
■ Jane was always running late for work.
■ My boss was always talking to me rudely.
■ Meetings with the Head of Operations were always running over time.
www.lingoda.com 22 Talk to the teacher
Your former colleague David had a few
annoying habits.
Use the past continuous to tell your teacher
what annoyed you about David.
Remember that this structure is negative and
passes judgement on another, so be aware of the context you use it in.
David was always running late for meetings.
www.lingoda.com 23 Uses of past continuous
In which situations might it be
useful to use the past continuous?
Discuss your ideas.
www.lingoda.com 24 Two actions at the same time
Think about your day so far. Try to write some sentences about two actions happening at the same time, and make these related to your day. Use the past continuous and past simple in your sentences.
www.lingoda.com 25 Reflect on the goals
Go back to the second slide of the lesson and check
– _______________________________ _______________________________ If you have time, go over the most difficult slides again
www.lingoda.com 27 28 www.lingoda.com Exercise p. 7 2. Wilfred made a cup of coffee. 3. You did really well! 4. I organised a business trip. 5. We worked from home. Exercise p. 11 1. was walking, 2. was leaving, 3. was driving, 4. were having, 5. was waiting Exercise p. 12 Past continuous: I was just cleaning my shoes…, When Tom was getting a haircut…, I was driving to work…, I was eating my lunch…, …while I was living abroad. Past simple: …when something tapped on the window., I met Sally…, …he decided to quit his job. Exercise p. 14 1. Jeanie was not eating her breakfast when her boss rang. 2. The restaurant was not closing as Andrew arrived. 3. The meeting room was not empty when she walked in. 4. They were not presenting when the fire alarm went off. 5. She was not designing a process for booking meeting rooms. Answer key (1/2) 29 www.lingoda.com Exercise p. 16 1. Was Jean eating breakfast when her boss rang? 2. Was the restaurant closing as Andrew arrived? 3. Was the meeting room empty when she walked in? 4. Were they presenting when the fire alarm went off? 5. Was she designing a process for booking meeting rooms? Exercise p. 21 Example correct answers include: 1. While I was visiting Sydney, I had to participate in meetings via video call. 2. David laughed when Jane was dancing. 3. While Sally was presenting, the CEO walked into the room. 4. Richard was working in London when Chloe moved to Shanghai. 5. Samuel went to the office while his wife was resting at home. Answer key (2/2) Homework
www.lingoda.com 30 Matching
Match the following sentence parts to make them whole.
1. I was walking through the park… a. …when the phone rang.
2. When I remembered I’d forgotten b. …my girlfriend was already getting
my swimsuit… ready for work.
c. …when I spotted a family of
3. James was eating his dinner… squirrels.
d. …it was too late to go home and
4. When I woke up this morning… get it.
www.lingoda.com 31 Structure practice
Write sentences using the connectors when and while to
