past simple and past continuous

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• vwo
• Leerjaar 1

Past simple- past continuous

past simple

What is the past continuous?

The past continuous

Past continous

• an action happened in the middle of another action

• someone was doing something at a certain time (in the past) 

- you don't know whether it was finished or not

form?

To be (was/were) + infinitive + ing

example

I was working on my essay when my mother came in.

We _____
(eat) dinner at 8pm last night when the power went out.

1. are eating
2. were eating
3. is eating
4. was eating

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

When I _____
(call) Julie, she _____
(work).

1. calls - worked
2. called - worked
3. Called - was working
4. Called - were working

Mr Black ______
(not/work) in the garden at 10pm last night.

1. wasn't working
2. didn't work
3. weren't working
4. don't work

what is the difference between past simple and past continous?

Write down a sentence in the past continuous tense.