Past continuous and Past simple

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• vmbo t, havo
• Leerjaar 2

Past and present continuous

Chapter 3 grammar part 1

Goals this lesson

- Being able to see the difference between the past continuous and past simple.

- Being able to make a past simple sentence in the postive, negative and question forms.

-Being able to make a past continuous sentence in the postive, negative and question forms.

Past simple

Used to express:

1. A finished action in the past.

I brushed my teeth this morning.

2. A past situation or habit.

We used to live in a smal house.

Every day I walked for miles on the beach with my dog. 

Past simple form:

Same for all people.

Difference between regular and irregular:

Regular: walked, played, stopped, liked, shouted, talked.

Questions and negatives

She didn't have....?

Did she have.....?

Past continuous use

Used to express:

1. activities in progress in the past.

At seven o'clock I was having breakfast.

2. descriptions of things in the past.

She was wearing a blue sweater.

3. something that got interrupted.

I was having a shower when the phone rang.

4. an incomplete activity.

I was trying to finish that assignment yesterday.

Past continuous form

was / were + verb + ing.

Was: I, she, he, it.

Were: they, you, we

I was learning to speak Chinese.

They were doing the dishes when mom got home. 

Questions and negatives

Was he looking out the window when you saw him?

Were they watching tv when you came home?

She wasn't learning Spanish when she was 15. 

They weren't doing the dishes when mom came back.

Time expressions

At: a specific time. For example: at six o'clock.

In: during a time. for example: in the summer.

On: mostly used for days. For example: on Saturday. on the 14th. 

Past simple or Past continuous?

I was having a shower yesterday.

1. Past simple
2. Past continuous

Was Andrew playing computer games?

1. Past Continuous
2. Simple Past

We ______
(watch) TV when we ______
(hear) a loud noise.

1. were watching - heared
2. was watching - heared
3. were watching - heard
4. was watching - heard

Last year I _____
(visit) Paris and Rome.

1. was visiting
2. visited
3. were visiting
4. visitted

He ____
(work) in the garden when he _____
(find) the money.

1. were working - finded
2. worked - was finding
3. was finding - works
4. was working - found

We sang that song yesterday.

1. Past Simple
2. Past continuous