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ENG_B1.1.

0502G

Past Continuous
Past Events
Grammar & Structure
Level B1

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Past Continuous Outline

Content
In this lesson you will learn about the past continuous and how it differs from
other past tenses.

Learning Outcomes
• Learn when to use the past continuous
• Learn to differentiate various forms of the past
• Learn to make sentences using the past continuous

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Grammar

Please note

There various past tense forms in English. How


do these sentences differ?

Past Simple
He played guitar

Past Continuous
He was playing guitar

Present Perfect
He has played guitar

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Grammar

Please note

The past continuous is used for a long action in


the past.

Past Continuous Examples:


He was playing guitar for an hour.

He was playing guitar so badly all


day.
He was playing guitar while I
listened.

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Grammar

Please note

Review the past tense and present perfect

If it’s a simple, short action then use the Past Simple


Ex) I ate a sandwich yesterday.

If it’s an action in the past happening before ANOTHER


action in the past, then use the Present Perfect

EX) I have eaten twenty sandwiches


this week.

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Grammatical Structure

Please note
The past continuous is formed with this
structure:
Subject + Was/Were + Verb-ing

I was waiting
You were waiting
He/She/It was waiting
We were waiting
They were waiting

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Grammar

Please note

We can also use the past continuous in


negative statements and questions.

Positive Form
Subject + (to be) + (verb)-ing
They were sleeping when we came home
Negative Form
Subject + (to be) + not + (verb)-ing
I wasn’t listening when she was speaking.
Question Form
(To be) + Subject + (verb)-ing
Was she working when you called her?
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Grammar

Please note

The past continuous is used if it’s a long action


in the past that is interrupted.

Examples:
Jess was eating ice cream
when we ran into her.

“when we ran into her” is


an interruption to the
action of “Jess eating ice
cream”
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Exercises

Writing
Write three sentences in the past
continuous

Ex) I was taking a shower when the pizza delivery man came.

1) __________________________________

2) __________________________________
3) __________________________________

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Exercises

Speaking
It‘s common to use the past continuous to
describe what you were doing at specific
times.
What were you doing......?
EX) At 9 PM yesterday. I was watching a basketball game.

1) Today at 6 AM? _______________________

2) Yesterday at 11 PM? _________________________

3) Last Tuesday Evening? __________________

4) Last Friday Night? __________________


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Signal words

Please note

“When” and “While” are signal words for the


past continuous

While
I was laying down while they
were playing soccer

When
She was sleeping when the
delivery man came.

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Exercises

Writing
Write sentences in the past continuous
using “when“ and “while“

Ex) She was working while you were sleeping.

When
__________________________________

While
__________________________________

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Function

Please note

For two long actions that happen at the same


time, we use the past continuous

Examples:
She was cooking while you were sleeping.

Cooking and sleeping are both long


actions that are happening at the
same time.

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Exercises

Writing
Write two sentences in the past continuous
using parallel actions.

Ex) It was raining while we were hiking.

1) __________________________________

2) __________________________________

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Exercises

Speaking

Identify and correct the mistakes

EX) She were dancing all night ---> She was dancing all night.
1) I was walk when I saw her.

2) I slept while the postman was arriving.

3) Jenny were not eating earlier.

4) You were sleeping?

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Storytelling

Please note

When telling a story, it’s very common to mix


the past continuous with the past simple.

Examples:
I dropped my food while I was walking in my new heels.

Past simple Past continuous

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Exercises

Speaking
Tell us a story of something recent using both
the past continuous and the past simple.

EX) My phone rang while I was sleeping.

__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________

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Grammar

Please note
“For” is commonly used for explaining
durations of time when used with the past
continuous

Examples:

She was dancing for hours!

I was waiting for about ten minutes.

They were studying for weeks.

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Exercises

Writing
Write two sentences using the past
continuous and “for“

Ex) They were winning for most of the game, and then
lost.

1) __________________________________

2) __________________________________

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Exercises

Speaking
Ask a partner any two questions using the past
continuous

Example:

A) What were you doing last night at 2 am?

B) I was sleeping, of course!

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Grammar

Please note

What were you doing when (past simple


verb)?

Examples:
What were you doing when the president got shot?
I was eating at a restaurant and saw it on TV.

What were you doing when I got home?


I think I was painting, I can’t remember.

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Exercises

Writing
Answer the questions using the past
continuous.

1) What were you doing when Michael Jackson died?

2) What were you doing when the Berlin Wall came down?

3) What were you doing when Germany won the world


cup?

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Exercises

Speaking
Look at the image. Write two sentences using
the past continuous.

Ex) The baby was laughing


when he talked to him.

1)

2)

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Thank you

We would like to thank


the following sources for their content
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Thank you
for choosing to learn
with

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