Past grammar tenses

• Foreign language
• Vocational Education

Past grammar tenses

Intermediate 1: Unit 2 - p.18

I was shopping.

I saw the news on TV.

Look at the sentences. What is the grammar tense in each?

past simple

past continuous

"I was walking with my parents and my favourite aunt appeared."

What do we use the past continuous for?

past continuous

past simple

Past continuous

the main event of the story

an ongoing action in the past

Remember

Notice that we don't usually use the Past continuous to describe states or repeated actions.

She had dark hair and she always wore a lot of make up.

NOT

She was having dark hair and she was always wearing a lot of make up.

Now let's practice.

I _____ (read) a book on the plane, but I didn't finish it.

1. was reading
2. read

I _____ (hate) vegetables when I was young.

1. was hating
2. hated

I _____ (see) someone famous yesterday.

1. was seeing
2. saw

They _____ (talk) about something and then they started to shout.

1. were talking
2. talked

At 7.30 I _____ (have) breakfast in the kitchen.

1. had
2. was having

The exam _____ (last) for nearly three hours.

1. was lasting
2. lasted

Well done.

Now go back to google classroom and click 'Mark as done'