Past Continous Tense - 3
Past Continous Tense - 3
Past Continous Tense - 3
Read the excerpt and pay attention to the past tense and past continuous verbs
Most Canadian children have experience building forts with chairs and blankets in their living
rooms or basements. This is a common activity for children and known as blanket fort building.
Last Saturday, it was snowing and the wind was blowing hard all day. Sam was playing
inside his house, but he really wanted to go outside. His mom said it was storming too hard
to play outside. She said that after the storm finished, he could play outside. However, while
the wind was blowing and the snow was falling, it was too dangerous to go outside. Sam was
feeling bored. He was watching TV and trying not to watch the snow through the window.
Suddenly, the strong winds caused the electricity to go out. There were no lights and no TV.
Everything was dark inside the house. Sam’s mom got the
flashlights and told him to gather some blankets. They were
going to build a fort. Sam was excited when he heard about
building a fort. They started building a big fort out of chairs
and blankets. While they were still building the fort, the lights
came back on. However, Sam did not notice. He was having a
great time building the fort with his mom. He even forgot
about the snow outside.
Photo Source: How to Make a Blanket Fort: 12 Steps (with Pictures) - wikiHow
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Analyzing Form
Read the sentences and answer the questions:
A. This morning I went for a run and then took a shower.
B. At 7am this morning, I was running and my husband was sleeping.
➔ Which sentence shows two past activities in progress at the same time. A or B
➔ Which sentence shows two completed past activities? A or B
1a) The past continuous is used to talk about activities that were happening in the past. It
could be an exact moment in the past or during a longer period in the past.
The past continuous is used to talk about a number of activities that were happening at the
same time. (Simultaneous activities)
● Last night after supper, the children were doing their homework, the mother was
finishing some work on the computer, and the father was cleaning the kitchen.
The past continuous tense combines past actions in progress with a sudden action which
interrupted the progressive action.
1d) The past continuous expresses an activity in the past that may or may not be finished or
complete. In contrast, the simple past usually expresses a completed activity.
● Last Thursday at 5pm, Sue was working late. She was trying to finish an important
report. (The past continuous shows that the work was still in progress at 5pm.)
● At 4pm last Friday, Sue finished work early and went home. (The simple past
shows that work is complete and Sue went home.)
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2. The past continuous and simple past often occur together in a story or a description. The
past continuous is used to describe and give the background events and the simple past is
used to state the finished main events. See the example below:
The beach was beautiful. The sun was shining, the children were playing in the water, and I
was lying on my towel reading a book. Suddenly, a swimmer yelled for help. A child was too
far out in the water. They were struggling to keep their head above water. The lifeguard dove
into the water and swam quickly towards the child.
● I knew her when I was young. I was knowing her when I was young.
● They owned an apartment building. They were owning an apartment building.
1b) Some stative verbs can be used in the past continuous, but they are used as action verbs
with a different meaning. Have, think, taste and weigh are common examples for stative
verbs that can take the past progressive form with an active verb meaning.
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FORM - Past Continuous Tense
Affirmative Statements Negative Statements
No, I wasn’t.
they weren’t.
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Information Questions
A. Look at the pictures and answer the questions about last Saturday.
play soccer wash the car wash the dishes do the laundry play with the dog
prepare / make play computer go for a swim in play the guitar get up / wake up
breakfast games the pool
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1. What was Jake doing at 8:00 a.m.? He was getting up or waking up.
The past continuous and simple past are often used together in sentences. For these sentences,
we need to use time clauses. These time clauses include: BEFORE, AFTER, WHEN, WHILE
While they were building the fort, the lights came back on.
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➔ Past time clauses are dependent clauses. They begin with before, after, when and while.
➔ The verbs in a past time clause and main clause can be in the simple past OR in the past
continuous tense.
➔ The position of the past time clause can be first or second, but when the past time
clause comes first, it is separated from the main clause by a comma.
When the lights went out, they built a fort with blankets and chairs.
They built a fort with blankets and chairs when the lights went out.
I had a terrible experience last night when my roommate was out of town. A thief came into
our apartment while I was asleep. While I was sleeping peacefully someone broke the glass in
the sliding door and entered. The sound woke me up. After I saw the sliding door open I called
911. My voice was shaking while I told the 911 operator there was an intruder in my home. I hid
in the closet of my bedroom while the thief was sneaking around my apartment. I could hear
his footsteps. Through the crack in the closed door, I saw him take my laptop from my desk.
Before the police arrived the thief escaped out the sliding door. I left my hiding spot in the
closet after the thief escaped. The police are still looking for the intruder.
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B) Change the position for the Past Time Clause in the following sentences
2. Before the children went to bed, they watched TV and had a snack.
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
6. When Helen finished her final exam, she celebrated with her friends.
______________________________________________________
➔ Which sentence shows two past activities happening at the same time. A or B or C
➔ Which sentence shows that one event interrupted the other event. A or B or C
➔ Which sentence shows that one event happened after the other event. A or B or C
● While the mother was making dinner in the kitchen, the children were watching TV in
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the living room.
● The children were watching TV in the living room while the mother was making dinner
in the kitchen.
In A, Jane started cooking dinner before the guests arrived. We know that because it uses the
past continuous. This is an example of an interrupted event. In B, the guests arrived first and
then Jane started cooking. This is an example of a sequence of events; one event happens after
another event.
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Practice 1: Talking about Simultaneous, Interrupted and Sequential Events
Complete each sentence and indicate if it is a simultaneous, interrupted or sequential event.
1. My roommate and I made dinner together on Saturday night. While she was making the
spaghetti, I was baking the dessert. Both the main course and the dessert were
delicious. simultaneous events
3. I’m sorry I did not answer the door. The doorbell rang while _______________________
2. I am so sorry about your mug. I was dropping it as I took it out of the dishwasher.
6. When he was tripping over his cat, his cat was sleeping.
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4. I (have) ___________________ dinner when I suddenly (hear) ______________ a loud bang.
interrupted action
5. When my father (work) ___________________ in the garden, an old friend (come)
___________________ by to see him. interrupted action
6. After she (go) ___________________ to school, she (take) ___________________ out her
textbook and (begin) ___________________ to learn. sequence of events
7. When it (start) ___________________ to rain, our dog (want) ______________ to come
inside. sequence of events
8. While Jane (take) ___________________ a language course in England, she (visit)
___________________ Buckingham Castle. interrupted action
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