Past Continuous vs Past Simple

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• vwo
• Leerjaar 1

Past Simple vs. Past Continuous

When something was going on for a period of time in the past (ongoing action). 

We were doing the dishes yesterday.

Past Continuous 

Past tense of the verb 'to be' and verb + ing

I was playing

You were playing

He was playing

We were playing

You were playing

They were playing

Past Continuous 

Past Continuous

Quiz time!

Choose the correct form of the past continuous

Boris ... English

1. was learning
2. is learning
3. has learned
4. will learn

They ... swimming in the lake

1. are swimming
2. were swam
3. were swimming
4. have swum

Your father ... the car

1. will have been repairing
2. is repairing
3. repaired
4. was repairing

I ... a magazine

1. read
2. was reading
3. am reading
4. will read

You ... your bag

1. am packing
2. were packing
3. packed
4. will have packed

My friends ... the match on TV

1. have been watching
2. watched
3. were watching
4. are watching

Past Simple AND Past Continuous 

I was walking yesterday.

I fell off my skateboard.

Past Continuous

Past Simple

Past continuous vs. past simple

Past continuous vs. past simple

Past Simple = Something that has already happened. 

Past Continuous = Something that is going on. 

Past continuous vs. past simple

 'when':

''When the phone rang, she was writing a letter.''

'' What were you doing when the earthquake started?''

 'while' 

''What were you doing while you were waiting?''

''I was studying while my father was making dinner.''

Past continuous vs. past simple

''I was cooking dinner when my mother called.''

The activity that was going on is the past continuous.

The activity that 'happened after' is the past simple

Present simple: always / every / sometimes / often / regularly / ..

Present continuous: (right) now / at the moment / Listen! / Look!

Past simple: yesterday / last / ago / in 1492 / the other day / ...

You have to know this BY HEART

Fill in the past simple: I .............. to my neighbour yesterday.

1. talk
2. talks
3. talked
4. were talking

What are the signal words for the past simple?

1. for, yet, never, ever
2. yesterday, last year, ago, when
3. always, often, usually, never
4. right now, at the moment

Fill in the past continuous: We ................... a good movie when the phone rang.

1. watched
2. have watched
3. were watching
4. are watching

What are the signal words for past continuous?

1. when, while
2. always, never, ever, often
3. right now, at the moment
4. yesterday, last week

Past continuous vs. past simple

You use the past continuous in combination with the past simple to indicate that something happened (short action = past simple) while something was already going on 

(long action = past continuous).

 I was reading a book when the phone rang. 

I was washing my car when the accident happened. 

Make a sentence with the Past Continuous

Make a sentence with Past simple

Make a sentence with the Past Continuous AND Past Simple

Past Continuous vs. Past Simple

I understand the difference between the Past Simple & Past Continuous ....

1. Perfectly!
2. Quite well, need to study a bit more
3. Not really, I need to study a lot
4. Not at all! Can you help me?