Past Continuous Tense

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• havo, vwo
• Leerjaar 1-3

Past Continuous Tense

Table of Contents:

*  Lesson Aims

* Past Continuous Form

* Usage

* Spelling Rules

* Differentiation Past Simple - Past Continuous

* Past Continuous Exercises

* Video explanation (in Dutch)

Lesson Aims:

* To use the past continuous tense in both a grammatical and communicative manner. 

* To differentiate between the past simple and past continuous tenses.

Past Continuous Form:

Subject + to be (past tense)+ V + -ing

Usage:

Examples:

Spelling Rules:

Spelling rules for Past Continuous Tense:

Verbs ending with -e: Ex: make - making / drive - driving

Verbs ending with -ee: Ex: agree - agreeing / see - seeing

Verbs ending with a consonant preceded by a vowel: Ex: hit - hitting / let - letting / put - putting

Two-syllable verbs: the last consonant is doubled when the last syllable is stressed:

Ex: forget - forgetting / prefer - preferring / upset - upsetting 

Verbs ending with -ie: Ex: lie - lying / tie - tying

Verbs ending with -c: Ex: picnic - picnicking 

Verbs ending with -y: Ex: carry - carrying / hurry - hurrying / enjoy - enjoying 

Exceptions!: age - ageing -aging / dye - dyeing / enter - entering 

Differentiation Past Simple - Past Continuous:

Past Continuous Exercises:

Julia (to sleep) at three o'clock.

1. has been sleeping
2. slept
3. was sleeping
4. has slept

Mrs. Brown (not/ to walk) in the garden when the murder happened.

1. walked not
2. had not been walking
3. has not walked
4. was not walking

When you arrived at the party, John and Ann( to sing)?

1. singing
2. sang
3. were .... singing
4. had .... already sung

When I saw you and Lucy last night, what .... you (to carry)?

1. were .... carrying
2. did ... carry
3. have .... carried
4. was .... carrying

The protestors (to storm) the US Capital when VP Mike (to speak) to Congress.

1. is storming ... spoke
2. were storming ...was speaking
3. stormed ...was speaking
4. had stormed ... spoke

Write down the correct form.

David (to read) in his room when the murder happened.

Donald Trump (to sit) in the bunker at the White House when the protestors (to attack) the US Capital police officers.

During the Olympics, the African marathon runners (to run) at a good pace from start to finish.

During vacation, the family members (to picnic) close to the beach.

James (to drive) home from work during a thunderstorm when a tree was struck by lightning and fell on the road.