SECTION 4 past tenses l D

grammar summary

SIMPLE PAST: | worked, she worked, he didn't work etc

PAST PROGRESSIVE (OR“PAST CONTINUOUS"): | was working, she was working, he wasn't working etc

English has two ‘past’ tenses.

* We use the simple past for complete finished actions. We often use it in stories.
Iwrote ten letters yesterday. A man walked into a police station and asked ...
e Weusethe past progressive to talk about actions which were unfinished at a past time.
‘What were you doing at 10.00 last night?' | was writing letters.”

past progressive* What were you doing at 8

1was working you were working he/she/it was working we/theywere working
was | working? were you working? was he/she/it working? were we/they working?
El | !was notworking — youwerenot working — he/she/itwas notworking etc
Contractions: wasn't, weren't

We make the past progressive

with was/were + ...ing. (For spelling rules, see page 23)
At 8 o'clock | was waiting for a train. What were you doing?
We use the past progressive to say what was (not) happening around (before, at and perhaps after) a past time.
‘What were you doing at 8.00? Were you watching TV? (NOT Whet did ye de ...)
‘At 8.007 No, | wasn't watching TV. | was playing cards: (NOT+pleyed ...)
U What were the people
doing yesterday evening?
Look at the pictures and complete the sentences — ” 1 "
with words from the box. . »
Use past progressive verbs. = «

cooksupper dance drive home

notwatchTV — playcards/

At9.15 Sarah .2 Playino cards.

At 10.30 Fred and Alice . .were dancing
BuN-y

At8.20 Keith was cooking supper

At7.50 Mary was driving
At 11.00 Oliver . wasnt watching tv

éwm:q…s.
» “At 10.00 | was reading: (a newspaper) . Were you reading a newspaper?
» ‘When |saw Peter he was eating” (what)
1 “When | went into Alesha's office, she was writing" (/etrers) When I went into Alesha's office, was she writing letters?
2 “At lunchtime Richard was shopping!(where) . At lunchtime, where was Richard shopping?
3 'At8.30 Anna was cooking’ (what) ..... At 8:30, what was Anna cooking?
4 ‘When | arrived, all the children were crying: (why) When I arrived, why were all the children crying?
5 “At midnight, Liz and Jack were driving! (to Scotland) At midnight, were Liz and Jack driving to Scotland?

) What were you doing at 10 o’clock last night?

I was at home watching TV at 10 o'clock last night.

simple past or past progressive? / walked / | was walking

6 Simple past or past progressive?

{ivedywas living in France for eightyears.
Sue lived in France when her uncle died.
OLEsNAULEWN-Y

At6.15, when you phoned, | had/ was having a shower.

We watched / were watching TV all evening.
Matt watched/ was watchingTV when Anita came in.
My father worked / was working hard all his life.
Theygot married while they studied/
were studying at London University.
Yesterday we drove/ were driving from Oxford to Edinburgh and back.
It was a nice evening, so she walked
/ was walking home from work.
1 met Sylvie while | worked /was working in Japan.
At university | studied / was studying physics.
When | last saw him he talked /was talking to a policeman.
º Complete the sentences with past progressive verbs.
» When | got home (the children watch TV ES)
» (youcycle Ed) when you broke your leg
» When | saw Joan (she look EN) happy
1 At seven oclock on Friday (we play cards E3) 1. we were playing cards.
2 When | saw him he was holding the phone but (talkEl 2. but wasn't talking
.
3 When Mary got up (it snow 3.it was snowing.
4 Whenl
saw Alice, (shemlkHverylasa 4. she wasn't walking very fast.
What (you
do [H at ten o'clock yesterday evening
5. What were you doing at ten o'clock yesterday
u

evening?
6. were they talking about me?

7. How fast were you driving when you

had the accident?

8. when I wasn't expecting anybody.

9. I don't know what I was doing at 10.00

on January 13th, 2005.

10. weren't running when I left home.

» While | .. down the road, | . - Bill (walk; see)

1 Whilel ... was reading .. the newspaper, the cat ....jumped .. on to the table.
(read; jump)
2 Alanmet Helen while he was traveling in Morocco. (meet; travel)
3 sally broke her leg while she was skiing - (break; ski)
4 Whilel was shopping . . ,somebody . stole . my car. (shop; steal)
5
phoned me eight times yesterday while | was working .. (phone; work)
6 stopped ... me while | was driving . home. (stop; drive)
71 heard an Imevemng report on the radio Vel was having breakfast.

8 went .. to sleep again while he ... was watching . . TV. (go;watch)

9 was watching up
T o broke glass. (washupzbreah
101 cut my hand while | . was working in the kitchen.
(cut; work)
left the house | took my coat because it was snowing

opened were talking . about me. (open; talk)

rang was cooking lunch. (ring; cook)
heard was working . in Portugal. (hear; work)
© Correct (7) or not (x)?
1 This morning | listened to the news before | was going out. x
2 I walked up to the policeman and asked him the way to the station. .
3 When Ann arrived | was writing letters.
4 The cat was bringing in a mouse while | was having breakfast. .
5 | didn't go out because when | looked out of the window it rained.
6 When | went to sleep the teacher was talking about grammai
7 The teacher was still talking about grammar when | woke up.
8 Jenny and Takashi got married while she worked in Tokyo.

º Put in words from the box, in the simple past or past progressive.

drive open pass pull run shine/ sing start - turn — turn — wait
Itwas a beautiful morning. The sun » %! . .. andbirds 1.. were singing... About five thousand
were waiting in front of the palace. At 10.00, the guards 3. opened . . the Palace gates,
drove turned . leftinto Democracy Street.
began .. to sing lhe National Anthem. The President's car 7 turned -
right into Constitution Square. Then suddenly, just as it s... passed ... the Ritz Hotel, a man
... ran out in front of it and 10 pulled .. a gun from his pocket.

past tenses: more practice

o Simple past. Make sentences.
the train / stop / at every station E ..] stoppe
» when / my letter / arrivell .. \¥hen did my Letter arrive?
» the doctor / remember / my name .
1 what / all those people / want l .
2 all your brothers / send you / birthday cardsEl What did all those people want?
All your brothers sent you birthday cards.
the baby / eat / some toothpastethis morning E Did the baby eat some toothpaste this morning?
the teacher / answer / my question El The teacher didn't answer my question.
1/ lose / my keys again yesterday I lost my keys again yesterday.
aua

anybody / phone / while | was out " Did anybody phone while I was out?
The Prime Minister / tell / us that things were getting better The Prime Minister told us that things were getting
better.
My friends and 1 / believe / the Prime Minister El My friends and I didn't believe the Prime Minister.
®

Richard / give / me a birthday present El Richard didn't give me a birthday present.

Whattime / you / get up/ today What time did you get up today?
º Past progressive. Complete the sentences with pas( progressive verbs.
When | walked in (the children fightE3) . were fial
v What (you do El ) inmy office when | came in
When | had the accident (1 drive EEN) fast
At 9.00 on Sunday (we watch TV ES) ... At 9.00 on Sunday, we were watching TV.
When I saw him he was holding a paper, but he wasn't reading.
ERAN

When | saw him he was holding a paper, but (read l) When you heard them, were they speaking English?
When you heard them, (they speak English B .
When you got home, what (the children do When you got home, what were the children doing?
Anna arrived when | (expectB) her ... Anna arrived when I wasn't expecting her.
1 don't know what | (do) at 6.00 on February 18th I don't know what I was doing at 6.00 on February 18th.
When I 1ooked out of the window it (snow EB) again When I looked out of the window, it was snowing again.
1 had to driveto work because the trains (run l I had to drive to work because the trains weren't running.
How fast were you driving when the police caught you?
How fast (you drive EA) when the police caught you
When | saw Peter, he (stand EB) and looking up at my window When
... I saw Peter, he was standing and looking up
at my window.
o Simple past and past progressive. Put in the correct verb forms.
told... the police that they . Were PLAYEND cards at 10.00. (tell; play)
1 When | went out of the house | took my umbrella becauseit was
. raining (go; rain)
2 Thismorning | . was reading... the newspaper before | went out. (read)
3 did YOO watch the football match last night? (watch)
4 Whenl walked into the room they
.....
were talking. - about clothes. (walk; talk)
5 At 8 olclock yesterday morning | . .was swimming the sea. (swim)
6 | walked up to the classroom window and ......... .looked menase in.The teacher .....was talking
nobody ....was listening . . (look; talk; listen)
7 The telephone . rang as usual, while | . i was having - abath. (ring; have)
8 This time last Friday | .
was lying - on the beach. (lie)
did
9 Why ............ YOU . go home early yesterday? (go)
met
10 Whenl first ............ Johnhe ...was traveling ... round the world. (meet; travel)