Spot the Difference: Past Simple vs. Past Continuous

Spot the Difference: Past Simple vs. Past Continuous

Learning Objective

At the end of the lesson, you will be able to notice the difference between the past simple and the past continuous tense.

Introduce the learning objective to the students and explain what they will be able to do by the end of the lesson.

What do you already know about using the past tense in English?

Past Simple

The past simple is used for an action that happened in the past and is now finished. Example: I walked to the store.

Explain the past simple tense and provide an example. Encourage students to think of their own examples.

Past Continuous

The past continuous is used for an action that was happening in the past, but was not finished. Example: I was walking to the store.

Explain the past continuous tense and provide an example. Encourage students to think of their own examples.

Forming the Past Simple

To form the past simple, add -ed to the base verb. Example: walk > walked.

Explain how to form the past simple tense and provide an example. Encourage students to think of their own examples.

Forming the Past Continuous

To form the past continuous, use the verb 'to be' in the past tense and add the present participle (-ing) of the main verb. Example: I was walking.

Explain how to form the past continuous tense and provide an example. Encourage students to think of their own examples.

Using the Past Simple

Use the past simple to talk about completed actions in the past. Example: I ate dinner last night.

Explain when to use the past simple tense and provide an example. Encourage students to think of their own examples.

Using the Past Continuous

Use the past continuous to talk about actions that were in progress in the past. Example: I was eating dinner when the phone rang.

Explain when to use the past continuous tense and provide an example. Encourage students to think of their own examples.

Spot the Difference

Read the sentences carefully and decide if they use the past simple or past continuous tense. Example: I was cooking dinner when the phone rang. (Past continuous)

Provide sentences using both past tenses and ask students to identify which tense is being used. Encourage students to make their own sentences and share with the class.

Write down 3 things you learned in this lesson.

Have students enter three things they learned in this lesson. With this they can indicate their own learning efficiency of this lesson.

Write down 2 things you want to know more about.

Here, students enter two things they would like to know more about. This not only increases involvement, but also gives them more ownership.

Ask 1 question about something you haven't quite understood yet.

The students indicate here (in question form) with which part of the material they still have difficulty. For the teacher, this not only provides insight into the extent to which the students understand/master the material, but also a good starting point for the next lesson.