Past continuous and past simple combined IREP

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• vwo
• Leerjaar 1

The past continuous and the past simple combined

Aim:

• I can combine the past continuous and the past simple in a sentence.

Let's see how well you know this already.

Helen ___ (do) her weekly shopping when she ___ (meet) her old friend.

It ___ (rain) very hard, so the referee ___ (decide) not to play the match.

Hank ___ (cook) in the kitchen, his sister ___ (offer) to help but Hank ___ (refuse).

When do we combine the past continuous and the past simple?

•  To show that something was happening (past continuous) during another action (past simple).

Example: I
was sitting in a café when you called.

• We often use these tenses to show an action (past simple) interrupting another action (past continuous).

Example: I broke my leg when I was skiing.

What is the difference between these two sentences?

1. When the guests arrived, Jane was cooking dinner.
2. When the guests arrived, Jane cooked dinner.

Keep in mind!

• It is possible to have multiple past continuous clauses in one sentence. This happens when the two actions both continued for a longer period of time.

Example: Father was smoking his pipe while mother was reading a magazine.

Example: It was pouring with rain and she was wondering what to do.

Let's try again

When I ___ (leave) the house, it ___ (snow).

He ___ (live) in Russia when the revolution ___ (start).

When her train ___ (get) to the station, we ___ (wait) on the platform.

He ___ (work) in a bank when he ___ (meet) his wife.

He ___ (take) a shower when the telephone ___ (ring).

We ___ (play) tennis when John ___ (hurt) his ankle.

While I ___ (work) in the hospital I ___ (decide) to give up smoking.

You've reached the end.

If you want to practise more then go to the links on the following slides.

https:

https: