Simple past vs. past continuous GRAMMAR LEVEL NUMBER LANGUAGE Intermediate B1_1022G_EN English
Goals Learn the past continuous and review the past simple Learn the difference between the past continuous and the past simple Practise using the past continuous and the particles when and while 2
I learned a great deal when I attended my English lesson. The students were confident when they began their class. Let s learn how to use the simple past and the past continuous. 3
Past simple When do we use the past simple in English? What might this be useful for? Discuss with your teacher. 4
Review: past simple We use the past simple when expressing 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 should be memorised. Jules lived in Paris last year. We attended the film screening yesterday. 5
Simple past and the verb to be The table below gives the example of the verb to be in simple past. The past tense of to be in English has two forms: was and were. Knowing the past simple thoroughly is necessary in order to learn the past continuous. In this case we refer to the verb to be as the auxiliary verb. Subject Aux verb: to be (past) -ing form of the verb + remainder of sentence I was practising my English. You were practising your English. He/she/it was practising his/her/its English. We were practising our English. You were practising your English. They were practising their English. 6
Transform the sentences into past simple. 1. Julie is riding her bicycle. Julie rode her bicycle. 2. Wilfred is watering the garden 3. You are doing really well! 4. I am having the most marvelous time. 5. We are still at work. 7
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 incorporate the past simple tense. They work together, with the past simple describing the action while the present continuous describes the longer activity in the background. I was just opening the door when the cat leapt on the mouse. In this sentence the present continuous describes what was happening in the background as the main action was occurring (the cat leapt on the mouse). I was just leaping on the mouse when David opened the door. The main action in this sentence is David opening the door, which is the past simple. 8
Past continuous: structure The table below presents the structure of a past continuous sentence. We are using the past form of the verb to be as our auxiliary verb. We use the following structure: Subject + auxiliary verb + -ing form of the verb + connector + past simple I was sleeping when you came to my house. They were laughing when you told the joke. She was reading when the door bell rang. 9
Past continuous: examples Observe the examples of the present continuous below. Past continuous sentences can be useful to describe two actions which happened at particular times. Often the action in the past simple fragment of the sentence interrupts the action described in the past continuous tense. I was walking to the station when the message came through. John was eating an apple while we talked. I was cleaning my shoes when the power went out. When I was cooking breakfast when my mother woke up. In 2004, I was living by the sea. At 8pm last night I was at the gym. 10
Complete the sentences. Use your understanding of past continuous structure to complete these sentences. 1. John walking home when he saw the cat in the tree. 3. Yesterday at 8pm Jane was. 5. when I was living in Australia. 7. They were dancing at the bar. 2. When I turned 30. 4. Felix was very happy. 6. The elephant let out a deafening bellow. 8. I when I remembered my date. 11
Categorise Categorise the sentence fragments according to whether they are past continuous or past simple. I was just cleaning my shoes When Tom was getting a haircut I was driving to work when the when something tapped on the window. I met Sally while I was living abroad. he decided to quit his job. past continuous past simple 12
Negative form The negative form of the past continuous simply 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 + remainder of sentence I was not sleeping when Jane called. They were not watching the TV. She wasn t reading the newspaper. 13
Question time! 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 + remainder of sentence +? Was I sleeping when Jane called? Were they watching the TV? Was she reading the newspaper? 14
Rewrite these sentences in the negative form and then the question form. 1. Jeannie was eating her breakfast when her grandmother knocked on the door. 2. The detective was close to cracking the case when new information came to light. 3. Ivan was leading the horses to the stream when he was startled by the howl of the wolf. 4. The professor was marking the papers when the ink pot spilled over the desk. 5. The exhibition was closing when Andrew arrived. 15
Connecting with when The connectors while and when are extremely useful tools when forming sentences with the past continuous. Introducing a clause with when will indicate the past simple part of the sentence. I was much stronger when I was working at the docks. I wanted to be a doctor when I was young. Alternatively, we can invert the sentence so the past simple fragment comes first. When I was working at the docks I was much stronger. When I was young I wanted to be a doctor. 16
Complete the past continuous sentences Add a clause beginning with when to these sentences to add a past simple fragment. I was leaving the party I arrived at my yoga class The sun was setting I was traveling in Peru It was after midnight Sharon was watering the garden 17
Long actions and interruptions The present 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 9pm, I was watching TV. I started watching TV before 9pm and finished sometime after. The past continuous can also be used to describe a long action that was interrupted by a shorter action. I was sleeping soundly when the doorbell woke me up. In this example, the past simple fragment of the sentence (the doorbell woke me up) interrupts the past continuous action (I was sleeping soundly). 18
Inverting and the use of while These sentences can also be inverted or switched around. I was eating my lunch when I got the bad news. This sentence can be inverted for a different meaning: When I got the bad news I was eating my lunch. We can also use the connector while to introduce the past continuous fragment of a sentence. These sentences can also be inverted or switched around. I really got into coffee while I was living in Melbourne. While I was living in Melbourne, I really got into coffee. Again, while can be easily switched to the beginning of the sentence. 19
Practice adding connectors Connect the sentences below using while or when. 1. I was living in Sydney. I met Irene. 2. Jane was opening the door. David jumped in surprise. 3. Sabine bought an ice cream. The children played in the park. 4. Richard stayed in London. Chloe moved to Shanghai. 5. Samuel went to the beach. His wife had a nap. 20
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 it is associated with negativity. Examples: Jane is always late for work. My doctor always dismisses me rudely. That beach is always full of rubbish. You can also pass judgement on yourself. I am always falling asleep in class! 21
Talk to the teacher Your friend David has a few annoying habits. Use the past continuous to tell your teacher what annoys 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 is always smoking in the kitchen! 22
Setting the scene The past continuous can also be used to set a scene or describe the background in the story. The past simple fragment of the sentence does the work of describing the action. Observe how the past continuous can be used to set the scene below. The monks were walking in the park and the sun was shining. This sentence sets the scene for the story. It is in past continuous. Suddenly an elephant appeared behind them In the sentence above the real action begins. For this we use past simple. 23
Setting the scene Set the scene in each of these stories using the past continuous. 24
Setting the scene Use the present continuous to set the scene for this story. Think about what might happen next. 25
Story Try to continue writing your short story. Remember to use past simple to describe the action, and past continuous to describe the background and set the scene. 26
Uses of past continuous What situations might it be useful to use the past continuous? Discuss your ideas. 27
Interrupted! Practise forming past continuous sentences using the scenarios below. 1. You were just cooking your dinner when 2. Something surprised you as you were going to bed. 3. Your brother was interrupted by a loud sound. 4. You remembered you left your bag on the seat as the train doors closed behind you. 5. You ran into an old friend as you were boarding the flight. 28
Recount Write a recount of your day so far. Use the past continuous form learned in the lesson to connect the activities of your day. Ensure it is a chronological recount. 29
Reflect on the goals Go back to the second slide of the lesson and check if you have achieved all the goals of the lesson. yes no 30
Reflect on this lesson Think about everything you have seen in this lesson. What were the most difficult activities or words? The easiest? + + If you have time, go over the most difficult slides again 31
Answer key Activity p. 7 2. Wilfred watered the garden. 3. You did really well! 4. I had the most marvelous time. 5. We were still at work. Activity p. 11 Answers may vary. Accept any correct answer. 32
Homework 33
Matching Match the following sentence fragments to make them whole. 1. I was walking through the park 2. when the visitors arrived. 3. When I remembered I d forgotten my swimsuit 4. my girlfriend was getting ready for the show. 5. James was painting in the studio 6. when I spotted a family of squirrels. 7. When I woke up this morning 8. it was too late to turn back. 34
Structure practice Write sentences using the connectors when and while to practise using these structures. I met her unexpectedly when I went to the supermarket. 35
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