Programa de Acceso Inclusivo, Equidad y Permanencia PAIEP U. de Santiago PAST CONTINUOUS ENGLISH DEPARTMENT

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1 PAST CONTINUOUS ENGLISH DEPARTMENT Objetivos Conocer el uso del pasado continuo. Operar las diversas formas verbales del pasado continuo. Contenidos 1. Past Continuous / Pasado Continuo Materiales A paperback or online dictionary. Past Continuous Past continuous is another past form. The main feature of past continuous is that it is used to express that someone was in the middle of doing something at a certain time. The action or situation had already started before this time but it hadn t finished. Let s check an example: - Yesterday Tom and Jim played tennis. They began at 10 o clock and finished at 11 o clock. What were they doing at 10.30? They were playing tennis (at 10.30). - They were playing means that they were in the middle of playing tennis. They had started playing but they hadn t finished. - This time last year, I was living in Brazil. - What were you doing at 10 o clock last night? The past continuous does not tell us whether an action was finished or not. Perhaps it was finished, perhaps not. Compare: - Tom was cooking the dinner (past continuous) = He was in the middle of cooking the dinner and we don t know whether he finished cooking it. - Tom cooked the dinner (past simple) = he began and finished it. 1

2 In the case of verb be (am / is / are) the past form is was / were. - I was angry because Carlos and Sofia were late. - She was happy because she won a scholarship. The past continuous is made by the word was or were and the main verb + ing. The use of was and were depends on who the subject of the sentence is. Use was for I he she it and were for you we they. - I was playing videogames yesterday at 10:00 o clock at night. - They were having breakfast when you arrived. - He was sitting on the grass and reading a book. Whenever you want to know when to use past continuous or simple past, you must use the following reasoning. Past continuous is used to indicate the longer action, while simple past is used to indicate the action that interrupts the longer action and as a result is the shortest action. Check the examples below and compare. - Tom burnt his hand when he was cooking the dinner. - I saw Jim in the park. He was having a picnic with his friends. - It was raining when I got up. - While I was working in the garden, I hurt my back. In the examples above, it can be seen that all the longer actions are interrupted by a shorter action. In the first example the longer action is that the person was cooking and the shorter action is that he burnt his hand. As a result, past continuous is always used to indicate the longer action. In the case of the negative, the only thing we must do is to add the word not after the words was or were. These can be contracted in wasn t or weren t. - I wasn t cleaning the house when you called me. - They were not reading the newspaper last night. 2

In the case of questions, we must include the words was or were at the beginning of each question. After these words you must use the subject and then the verb in ing.

3 In the case of questions, we must include the words was or were at the beginning of each question. After these words you must use the subject and then the verb in ing. In every single modality of past continuous, it is necessary to use the verbs in ing. - Was Matias working yesterday? - Were you playing football last night? - Were they studying for the test? - Was she reading a paper in her house? Exercises 1. Here is a list of some things that Camila did yesterday. (and the times at which she did them) had breakfast read the newspaper cleaned her flat had lunch washed some clothes watched television Now write sentences saying what she was doing at these times: 1. At 9 o clock she was having breakfast_. 2. At 9.30 she. 3. At 11 o clock. 4. At 1o clock. 5. At 3 o clock. 6. At 5 o clock. 2. A group of people were staying in a hotel. One evening the fire alarm rang. Use the words in brackets to make sentences saying what each person was doing at the time. Example (Don / Have / a bath) Don was having a bath. 3

4 1. (Ann / write / a letter in her room) Ann. 2. (George / get / ready to go out) George. 3. (Carol and Dennis / have / dinner) Carol and Dennis. 4. (Tom / make / a phone call) Tom. 3. Make sentences from the words in brackets. Put the verbs into the correct form, past simple (I did) or past continuous (I was doing). Examples: (I / fall / asleep when I / watch / a shower) 1. (The phone / ring / when I / have / a shower) The phone. 2. (It / begin / to rain when I / walk / home). 3. (We / see / an accident when we / wait / for the bus). 4. Put the verb into the correct form, past continuous or past simple. Example: While Tom was cooking (cook) the dinner, the phone rang (ring). 1. George (fall) off the ladder while he (paint) the ceiling. 2. Last night I (read) in bed when suddenly I (hear) a scream. 3. (you / watch) television when I phoned you? 4. Ann (wait) for me when I (arrive). 5. I (not/drive) very fast when the accident (happen). 6. I (break) a plate last night. I (do) the washing up when it (slip) out of my hand. 7. Tom (take) a photograph of me while I (not/look). 8. We (not/go) out because it (rain). 9. What (you/do) at this time yesterday? 10. I (see) Carol at the party. She (wear) a really beautiful dress. 4

5 Answer Key 1. Here is a list of some things that Ann did yesterday (and the times at which she did them): 1. She was having breakfast. 2. She was reading the newspaper. 3. She was cleaning her flat. 4. She was having lunch 5. She was washing some clothes. 6. She was watching television. 2. A group of people were staying in a hotel. One evening the fire alarm rang. Use the words in brackets to make sentences saying what each person was doing at the time. 1. Ann was writing a letter in her room. 2. George was getting ready to go out. 3. Carol and Dennis were having dinner. 4. Tom was making a phone call. 3. Make sentences from the words in brackets. Put the verbs into the correct form, past simple (I did) or past continuous (I was doing). 1. The phone rang when I was having a shower. 2. It began to rain when I was walking home. 3. We saw an accident when we were waiting for the bus. 4. Put the verb into the correct form, past continuous or past simple. 1. Fell was painting 2. Was reading heard 3. Were you watching 4. Was waiting arrived 5. Wasn t driving happened 6. Broke was doing slipped 7. Took wasn t looking 8. Didn t go was raining 5

6 9. Were you doing 10. Saw was wearing 6

7 Sources - Raymond Murphy. English Grammar in Use; A self study reference and practice book for intermediate students. (1985). 7

Programa de Acceso Inclusivo, Equidad y Permanencia PAIEP U. de Santiago SIMPLE PRESENT ENGLISH DEPARTMENT

Programa de Acceso Inclusivo, Equidad y Permanencia PAIEP U. de Santiago SIMPLE PRESENT ENGLISH DEPARTMENT SIMPLE PRESENT ENGLISH DEPARTMENT Objetivos Conocer el uso del presente simple. Operar las diversas formas verbales del presente simple. Contenidos 1. Simple Present / Presente Simple Materiales A paperback