10978 past simple vs past continuous

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PAST SIMPLE IS USEDTO TALK:
about a completed event or action in the past:
He died five years ago.
about something that happened repeatedly in the
past:
She came to visit me every Tuesday.
about a past state: I felt a bit lonely.

PAST CONTINUOUS IS USED TO TALK
- about an action in progress at a certain
time in the past:
The man was having a bath yesterday at
7,30pm.
- about a past action which another action
interrupted: Tony was talking on the
phone when his mother arrived

WRITE SENTENCES IN PAST CONTINUOUS
TENSE USING THESE WORDS

CHOOSE THE CORRECT ANSWER
a) Alice lived/was living in Iraq when the war was
breaking /broke out.
b) Hector didn’t get up/ wasn’t getting up on time

a) not talk/ David/ with his mother’s phone
b) explain/my mum / Julio/ his chores.

last Tuesday.p

c) ring/ the doorbell/ at Henry’s flat.

c) While the girl waited/was waiting in the queue, a

d) walk/Helen/ along the street

man stole/was stealing her bag.
d)What did he do/were you doing at 11pm last night?
e) Sonia studied/was studying while she worked/was

e) pay/the man/ the bill/at the restaurant.
f) have/the children/ a birthday party.

working part-time as a journalist.

g) light/ the candles/Sally /in the hall

f) Where did you live/were you living when your

h) dream /Adrian/ with his girlfriend.

sister was born?
g) The models were standing/stood on the catwalk
while the audience was looking/looked at them.
h) The photographers took/were talking pictures

i)

wear/black dress/ Jennifer/a.

j)

move/ Mr Harris/ to San Francisco.

k) tidy/ Bernard/ his bedroom.

when the top models appeared/were appearing.

l)

i) It began to rain/was beginning to rain when the

m) talk/ Samuel/ to his grandfather.

theatre play finished/was finishing.
j) Mary slept/was sleeping when her husband
returned/was returning from work.

clean up/ Anne and Tim/ the house.

n) choose/ Sally/ a present/for you.
o) look for/my grandmother/her glasses.


ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS. USE PAST CONTINUOUS TENSE
a) What was the boy doing in the picture? ……………………..
b) Was the old woman wearing glasses? ……………………….

c) Was the boy giving her something? …………………………
d) What was it?

……………………………………………

e) Was the woman standing up? …………………………………

COMPLETE THE SENTENCES USING PAST SIMPLE OR PAST CONTINUOUS TENSE.
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)
g)
h)
i)
j)

His parents ………………………. (immigrate) to USA four years ago.
The film was terrible so we ………………………. (not stay) until the end.
Jocelyn ………………….. (not work) at 9.00 pm last Sunday.
As the woman ………………….... (leave) her house, the phone rang.
Lucy ………………………. (wear) a lot of make-up when she was younger.
She …………………….. (meet) her boyfriend every weekend at the discoteque.
The mechanic ………………… (look for) a better job the whole month.
While I ……………………. (wait) for the shop to open, I …………………… (speak) to a friend on my
mobile
Margaret ……………………. (study) at London university when she ……………. (meet) her husband.
When the man …………………….. (wake) up yesterday, the baby …………………….. (cry) loudly.