Past simple vs past continuous

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• havo, vwo
• Leerjaar 2

Past simple vs past continuous

Past continuous

Iets wat in het verleden bezig was

Example:

Dan was doing a Maths test, when his phone rang

Past simple

Iets wat deze actie onderbrak

Example:

when his phone rang

I ...(break) my arm while I ...(climb) a tree.

The police ...(catch) the thief while he ...(jump) over the wall.

When my mum ...(get) home, we ...(not do) our homework.

Could

We use could/couln't to talk about ability and possibility in the past.

Example:

When I was five, I could swim 20 metres.

I ... when I was five. (read)

She ... very fast because she was tired. (not run)

Sam ... the board because he wasn't waring his glasses. (not see)

... the piano when he was small? (Tony, play)