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The Past Continuous Means That at A Time in The Past We Were in The Middle of An Action

The document compares and contrasts the past simple and past continuous tenses in English. It provides examples of how to form each tense and the types of actions each describes. Specifically, it notes that the past simple is used for completed actions while the past continuous describes ongoing actions that were interrupted or happened at the same time as something else in the past. It then provides a series of sentences for the reader to practice filling in the blanks with the correct verb forms.

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101 views2 pages

The Past Continuous Means That at A Time in The Past We Were in The Middle of An Action

The document compares and contrasts the past simple and past continuous tenses in English. It provides examples of how to form each tense and the types of actions each describes. Specifically, it notes that the past simple is used for completed actions while the past continuous describes ongoing actions that were interrupted or happened at the same time as something else in the past. It then provides a series of sentences for the reader to practice filling in the blanks with the correct verb forms.

Uploaded by

ElisabeteRibeiro
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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PAST SIMPLE PAST CONTINUOUS

Form: we add “ed” to all regular verbs, Form: was/were + verb + ing
Irregular verbs must be learnt by heart. The Past Continuous means that at a time in the past we
were in the middle of an action.
We use the Past Simple for something in the past which is
finished.  We were playing tennis at 4 p.m. yesterday.
 They were eating when we arrived.
 He played tennis yesterday.
 The children went to the park this morning. We use: wasn’t/weren’t + verb + ing for negatives:

We use “did” to make questions and “didn’t” for negatives.  John wasn’t reading a book when we arrived.
The verb stays in the base form.
 Did you see Bob yesterday? We use: was/were + subject + verb + ing for
 They didn’t come to the party on Sunday. questions:
 Was she making dinner when you got home?

Complete the sentences using the correct form of the verbs:


1. He _______________ (wait) for half an hour before they _________ (arrive).
2. Where _____________ (he/go) when you _________ (see) him?
3. He ____________ (phone) me to say they would be late.
4. She _____________ (talk) to John on the phone when I _________ (walk) in.
5. _________________ (she/know) they ____________ (come) to the party?
6. How many people ___________ (sit) in the waiting room when you __________ (arrive)?
7. I __________ (meet) them in the street while I _____________ (shop).
8. The postman ___________ (arrive) while I _________ (leave) the house.
9. The children ______________ (make) so much noise that I __________ (not/hear) the
phone ring.
10. We ____________ (walk) down by the river when it _________ (start) to rain.
11. The storm ____________ (start) while we __________ (drive) back from London.
12. They ________ (meet) when they _________________ (work) in Paris.
13. What time ______________ (she/arrive) last night?
14. He _________ (break) his foot while he ___________ (play) football on Saturday.
15. I ___________ (not/like) to disturb her because she _____________ (study).
16. I ______ (cut) my finger while I ______________ (chop) vegetables.
17. The plane ____________ (leave) over an hour late.
18. I _____________ (drive) fast when I was flashed by the speed camera.
19. What ________________(you/do) at 8 p.m. yesterday?
20. My parents _____(go) to several concerts while they __________ (stay) in Paris.
KEY

1. He was waiting for half an hour before they arrived.


2. Where was he going when you saw him?
3. He phoned me to say they would be late.
4. She was talking to John on the phone when I walked in.
5. Did she know they were coming to the party?
6. How many people were sitting in the waiting room when you arrived?
7. I met them in the street while I was shopping.
8. The postman arrived while I was leaving the house.
9. The children were making so much noise that I didn’t hear the phone
ring.
10. We were walking down by the river when it started to rain.
11. The storm started while we were driving back from London.
12. They met when they were working in Paris.
13. What time did she arrive last night?
14. He broke his foot while he was playing football on Saturday.
15. I didn’t like to disturb her because she was studying.
16. I cut my finger while I was chopping vegetables.
17. The plane left over an hour late.
18. I was driving fast when I was flashed by the speed camera.
19. What were you doing at 8 p.m. yesterday?
20. My parents went to several concerts while they were staying in Paris.

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