DESCRIBE EVENTS IN THE PAST.

(Past simple & Past continuous)

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 DO YOU REMEMBER THE PAST SIMPLE?
Write the past tense of these verbs.
PRESENT PAST SIMPLE
WORK WORKED
GO WENT
HAVE HAD
KNOW KNEW
DRIVE DROVE
BUY BOUGHT
PLAY PLAYED
GET GOT
TAKE TOOK
RING RANG

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 DESCRIBE EVENTS IN THE PAST.
(Past simple & Past continuous)
Look at these examples to see how the past continuous and past simple are used.

She was cleaning a window, when the telephone rang.

Past Continuous Past simple

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 DESCRIBE EVENTS IN THE PAST.
(Past simple & Past continuous)
Look at these examples to see how the past continuous and past simple are used.

While Kate was reading a book, the dog came.

Past Continuous Past simple

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 EXPRESSING PAST TIME: THE SIMPLE PAST

We graduated from college in 2019.

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 EXPRESSING PAST TIME: THE SIMPLE PAST

(a) Our family ate lunch outside yesterday.

(b) Adrianna studied for six hours last night.

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 EXPRESSING PAST TIME: THE SIMPLE PAST

(a) Our family ate lunch outside yesterday.

(b) Adrianna studied for six hours last night.

activities or situations
SIMPLE PAST began and ended in the past
(yesterday, last night, in 2019)

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 EXPRESSING PAST TIME: THE SIMPLE PAST

(c) They watched the movie last night.

(d) Alexandra answered the question yesterday.

watch + ed = watched
answer + ed = answered

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 EXPRESSING PAST TIME: THE SIMPLE PAST

(e) We slept in tents at camp last summer.

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 EXPRESSING PAST TIME: THE SIMPLE PAST

(e) We slept in tents at camp last summer.

(f) I understood most of the directions yesterday.

Irregular past:
sleep slept
understand understood
eat ate
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 EXPRESSING PAST TIME: THE SIMPLE PAST

(g) I was a lifeguard last summer.

(h) They were in Bogota last month.

Simple past forms of be was and were

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 EXPRESSING PAST TIME: THE SIMPLE PAST

REGULAR VERBS
STATEMENT I-You-She-He-It-We-They started
school last week.

NEGATIVE I-You-She-He-It-We-They did not start

school last week.

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 EXPRESSING PAST TIME: THE SIMPLE PAST

REGULAR VERBS
QUESTION Did I-you-she-he-it-we-they start
school last week?

SHORT Yes, I-you-she-he-it-we-they did.

ANSWER No, I-you-she-he-it-we-they didn’t.

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EXPRESSING PAST TIME: THE SIMPLE PAST

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EXPRESSING PAST TIME: THE SIMPLE PAST

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 EXPRESSING PAST TIME: THE SIMPLE PAST

BE- VERB
STATEMENT I-She-He-It was home last week.
We-You-They were home last week.

NEGATIVE I-She-He-It was not home last week.

We-You-They were not home last week.

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 EXPRESSING PAST TIME: THE SIMPLE PAST

BE- VERB
QUESTION Was I-she-he-it home last week?
Were we-you-they home last week?

SHORT Yes, I-she-he-it was.

ANSWER Yes, we-you-they were.
No, I-she-he-it- wasn’t.
No, we-you-they weren’t.

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 EXPRESSING PAST TIME: THE SIMPLE PAST

They were at the movies last

night at 8:00. ?
is

NEGATIVE STATEMENT:
weren’t at the movies last night at 8:00.
They _______

ACCURATE, AFFIRMATIVE STATEMENT:

They ____
were at the grocery
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store last night at 8:00.
 EXPRESSING PAST TIME: THE SIMPLE PAST

This airplane was made

in 1625. ?
is

NEGATIVE STATEMENT:
wasn’t made in 1625.
This airplane ______

ACCURATE, AFFIRMATIVE STATEMENT:

This airplane was

___ made in 1943.
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 EXPRESSING PAST TIME: THE SIMPLE PAST

Did Carla get a bad grade

on her test?
get

NEGATIVE STATEMENT:

didn’t get a bad grade on her test.

Carla ________

ACCURATE, AFFIRMATIVE STATEMENT:

Carla ________
got an excellent grade on her test.
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 EXPRESSING PAST TIME: PAST CONTINUOUS

Yesterday at 7P.M.,
Alexis was shopping.

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 EXPRESSING PAST TIME: PAST CONTINUOUS

(a)We were cleaning the house all morning.

(b) Three years ago, we were living in my home

town.
The past continuous shows us that the action
was already in progress at a certain time in the
past.

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SUBJECT + WAS / WERE + MAIN VERB + ING + COMPLEMENT

(a) I WAS EATING PASTA.

(b) THEY WERE WATCHING THE GAME.

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I was eating pasta.

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You were drinking a coffee.

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She was working there in 2019.

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We were sitting in a meeting.

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I was eating pasta.
I wasn´t eating pasta.

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You were drinking a coffee.
You weren’t drinking a coffee.

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She was working there in 2019.
She wasn’t working there in 2019.

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We were sitting in a meeting.
We weren’t sitting in a meeting.

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They were talking on the phone.
They weren’t talking on the phone.

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ACTIVITY

1. Which sentence is in the Past Simple?

A) I have gone to school.

B) I went to school on Friday.

C) I have been going to school for 5 years.

D) I was going to school while you were studying.

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ACTIVITY

1. Which sentence is in the Past Continuous?

A) I cooked dinner yesterday.

B) I haven't cooked dinner yet.

C) I was cooking dinner yesterday.

D) I have been cooking dinner for 2 hours.

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ACTIVITY

1. They ________ TV when I arrived.

A) were watching.

B) were watched.

C) Watched.

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ACTIVITY

1. At 8.30am today I _____ driving to work.

A) Was.

B) Am.

C) were.

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 ACTIVITY

1. My brother and sister _____ playing tennis at 11am yesterday.

A) Was.

B) Are

C) were.

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 PAST SIMPLE & PAST CONTINUOUS (WHEN – WHILE)
The past continuous and the past simple help us to show how two past actions or situations are connected.

She was cleaning a window, when the telephone rang.

Past Continuous Past simple

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 PAST SIMPLE & PAST CONTINUOUS (WHEN – WHILE)
The past continuous and the past simple help us to show how two past actions or situations are connected.

While Kate was reading a book, the dog came.

Past Continuous Past simple

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He was running when the bus drove by.

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 Use Past Continuous with Simple
Past to describe an action that
was interrupted by another action.

I was playing a computer game when the doorbell rang.

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I WAS WATCHING TV WHEN JIM KNOCKED THE DOOR

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Mary came home while I was studying.

When Mary came home, I was studying.

main clause + comma + time clause

time clause + comma + main clause

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 Complete the sentence with when and while.

While
1. ___________ I was making dinner, my sister was watching television.

2. We were watching the movie called "King Kong“ __________

WHEN a friend came over.

WHEN
3. What were you doing ___________ you heard about 9/11?

WHILE
4. Nick became sick ____________ he was travelling in Texas.

WHILE
5. Cindy broke her leg _____________ she was snowboarding.

WHILE we were standing outside the cinema, someone picked my pocket.

6. _________

WHILE
7. __________ Luisa was washing her hair, I did my homework.

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Choose the correct verb forms. Use Simple Past or the Past Progressive.

were sitting
1.We _______________ rang
at the breakfast table when the telephone ___________

(SIT – RING)

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Choose the correct verb forms. Use Simple Past or the Past Progressive.

1.He _______ was working

met a lot of friendly people while he ________________ in California.

(MEET– WORK)

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Choose the correct verb forms. Use Simple Past or the Past Progressive.

left
1.When they ________ was shining
the museum, the sun ______________.

(LEAVE– SHINE)

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Choose the correct verb forms. Use Simple Past or the Past Progressive.

1.The students _______________ came

were playing cards when the teacher __________ in.

(PLAY– COME)

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Choose the correct verb forms. Use Simple Past or the Past Progressive.

started to rain while she _________________

1.It _________ was watering the flowers in her garden.

(WATER– START)

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Choose the correct verb forms. Use Simple Past or the Past Progressive.

opened
1.When I ___________ was raining
the door, it ______________.

(RAIN– OPEN)

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