past simple and past continuous

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• vwo
• Leerjaar 2

Hey Deltas!

Welcome!

You'll need your laptop & pen/pencil

Settle down and talk to each other about what you did over the break. Try to give as much detail as possible.

• To Do: recap the past simple

and past continuous

Let's identify the past simple and past continuous together

Past Simple

= completed actions, facts in the past

It was winter. I needed to go to London. 

Ms. D watched The Crown last weekend. 

= yesterday , last week, last year, five minutes ago, last Monday...

• Past Continuous
  
  = longer actions/situations in progress at a time in the past
  
  
• It was snowing and the traffic was moving really slowly. 
  
  Ms. Dangerfield was watching the show and eating popcorn at the same time. 

Past simple

Past continuous

also: to describe the background to a story.

What was the last movie you watched?

Answer with a full sentence (past simple)

What TV show were you binging a month ago?
Answer with a full sentence (past continuous)

Past continuous with the past simple

You can use the 2 together to talk about 2 actions that happened at/around the same time

Past continuous = longer action in progress

Past simple = short action (that interrupts the long action)

Ms. Dangerfield was watching the show in the dark when somebody knocked on the door.

While or when ? = to join the 2 actions in the past

while + long action => past continuous

when + short action => simple past

I was walking past the car when it exploded.

When the car exploded, I was walking past it.  -> let op: comma

The car exploded while I was walking past it.

While I was walking past the car, it exploded.  -> let op: comma

activity 1

activity 2

Practice

Complete each sentence with 1 past simple and 1 past continuous verb form.

e.g.

My parents were studying (study) at Uni when they met (meet).

My computer ... (crash) while I ... (do) my homework last night.

Yesterday I ... (watch) a film when my mum ... (get) home.

Practice - do the activities on the worksheet:

1. choose 'was, were, weren't, wasn't'

2. pick between past simple or past continuous

3. complete the story with the past simple and continuous