PAST SIMPLE VS PAST PROGRESSIVE

PAST PROGRESSIVE

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.

Examples:

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.

Examples:

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.

Examples:

I broke my leg when I was skiing.

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’.

Notice too the important difference between these two sentences.

Examples:

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:

1) I _________ (sit) in a cafe when you _________ (call).

2) When you _________ (arrive) at the party, who _________ (be) there?

3) Susie _________ (watch) a film when she _________ (hear) the noise.

4) Yesterday I _________ (go) to the library, next I _________ (have) a swim, later I _________ (meet) Julie for coffee.

5) We (play) tennis when John _________ (hurt) his ankle.

6) What _________ (they/do) at 10pm last night - it was really noisy?

7) He _________ (take) a shower when the telephone (ring).

8) He _________ (be) in the shower when the telephone_________ (ring).

9) When I _________ (walk) into the room, everyone _________ (work).

10) It _________ (be) a day last September. The sun _________ (shine) and the birds (sing). I _________ (walk) along the street when I _________ (meet) an old friend.