Class VII: Past Simple and Continuous

For this class we have the following goals:

• To apply the Past Simple and Continuous when expressing interrupted actions.

Use of Past Simple and Continuous together

(EXTRACT FROM LAST CLASS)

Use the past continuous to indicate that a longer action in the past was interrupted. The interruption is usually a shorter action in the simple past. Remember this can be a real interruption or just an interruption in time.Examples:

• I was watching TV when she called.

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

• While we were having the picnic, it started to rain.

• What were you doing when the earthquake started?

• I was listening to my iPod, so I didn't hear the fire alarm.

• You were not listening to me when I told you to turn the oven off.

• While John was sleeping last night, someone stole his car.

• Sammy was waiting for us when we got off the plane.

• While I was writing the email, the computer suddenly went off.

• A: What were you doing when you broke your leg?

• B: I was snowboarding.

1.  The most common use of the past continuous tense is to talk about something that was happening around a particular time in the past.

What were you doing at 8 o’clock last night? I was watching television.

I started watching television before 8 o’clock and I continued watching it after 8 o’clock.

In 1994 he was working in a small town in Poland.

At 6 o’clock on Saturday morning we were travelling to the airport.

2. We often use the past continuous and the past simple tense together. When this happens, the past continuous describes a longer, ‘background’ action or situation and the past simple describes the action or events.

When I woke up this morning it was raining and my father was singing in the kitchen.

I was walking home, whistling happily, when I saw two masked men run out of the bank.

Often, the ‘action’ described by the past simple tense interrupts the ‘situation’ described by the past continuous tense.

I was playing a computer game when the doorbell rang.

Notice that the past continuous describes ‘situations’ that go on for some time – ‘skiing’ and ‘playing’ but the past simple describes ‘actions’ that happen quickly – ‘broke’ and ‘rang’.

When they arrived, Jeff was cooking dinner. 
Jeff started cooking before they arrived. 

When they arrived, Jeff cooked dinner. 
Jeff started cooking dinner after they arrived.

Exercises

• Reading activity using past simple and continuous. 

• Simple Past or Past Continuous?

• Past Simple/Simple or Past Simple/Continuous?

• Past Simple/Simple or Past Simple/Continuous 2?