Past continuous IREP

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• vwo
• Leerjaar 1

Past continuous tense

Lesson aim:

• I know what the past continuous is.
  
• I can use the past continuous in a sentence.

Let's see how well you know this already.

The police stopped Willis as ___ to the airport.

1. he is driving
2. he was driving
3. was driving
4. he were driving

Julie ___ (sleep) at three o'clock.

When I phoned my friends, they ___ (play)

The kids ___ (play) in the garden when it suddenly began to rain.

Let's look at the rules and uses

How do we make a past continuous?

• How do we make the past continuous?
  
• The past tense of to be + -ing form of a verb
  

Example: We were making dinner when she arrived.

Example: My head was aching.

Example: The town was changing quickly

When do we use the past continuous?

• We generally use the past continuous to talk about something that started and ended in the past. 

Example: At 6 o'clock, I was eating dinner.

• It is often used together with the past simple to explain that something happened while something else was going on.

Example: As I was going to work, I saw an old friend.

When do we use the past continuous?

• For something that that was going on during another action.

Example: The children were doing their homework when I got home.

• For something that was going on during a specific time.
  

Example: At 8 o' clock, I was writing a letter.

• To show that something continued for some time.
  

Example: My head was aching.

• for something that happened again and again.

Example: I was practising every day, three times a day.

Keep in mind!

• It is possible to have multiple past continuous clauses in one sentence. This happens when the two actions both continued for a longer period of time.

Example: Father was smoking his pipe while mother was reading a magazine.

Example: It was pouring with rain and she was wondering what to do.

Let's try again

When I arrived, they ___ (play) cards.

We ___ (sleep) when the police came.

Somebody threw a shoe at him while he ___ (speak).

I ___ (read) a detective story when I heard a noise.

When I came into the living room, the cats ___ (sit) on the table.

Helen ___ (listen) to the radio when she heard a strange noise in the garden.

You've reached the end

If you want to practise more then go to the links on the following slides.

www.adelescorner.org

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