Past Continuous (Tarea 1)

PAST CONTINUOUS ( I WAS DOING)
AFIRMATIVE	NEGATIVE	INTERROGATIVE
I was driving You were driving He was driving She was driving It was driving We were driving You were driving They were driving	I wasn’t driving You weren’t driving He wasn’t driving She wasn’t driving It wasn’t driving We weren’t driving You weren’t driving They weren’t driving	Was I driving? Were you driving? Was he driving? Was she driving? Was it driving? Were we driving? Were you driving? Were the drive?

1. We use the past continuous to say that someone was in the middle of foing something at a certain time. The action or situation had already started before this time but hadn’t finished:

• This time year I was living in Brazil.
• What were you doing at 10:00 last night?

2. The past continuous (I was doing) and the simple past ( I did) together to say something happened in the middle of something else:

• Dan burned his hand while he was cooking dinner.

3. To say that one thing happened after another, use the simple past:

• Last night Sue was taking a bath when the phone rang. She got out of the bathtub and answered the phone.

EXERCISES

1/ Here is a list of some things that Ann did yesterday:

8:45 – 9:15 Had breakfast                                  12:45 – 1:30  Had lunch 9:15 – 10:00 read the newspaper                        2:30 – 3:30 washed some clothes 10:00 – 12:00 cleaned her apartment                  4:00 – 6:00 watched TV

Now, write sentences saying what she was doing at these times:

• At 9:00 ______________________________________
• At 9:30 she ___________________________________
• At 11:00 _____________________________________
• At 1:00 ______________________________________
• At 3:00 ______________________________________
• At 5:00 ______________________________________

2/ A group of people were staying in a hotel. One evening the fire alarm went off. Use the words in parentheses to make sentences saying what each person was doing at the time:

• ( Don/ take/ a bath) ________________________________
• (Ann / write/ a letter in her room ) ______________________________
• (George / get /ready to go out ) _______________________________________
• (Carol and Dennis / have /dinner )_______________________________
• (Tom / make / a phone call) __________________________________________

3/ Put the verbs into correct form: simple past or past continuous.

• ( I / fall/ asleep when I / watch / TV) __________________________________
• (George / get / ready to go out ) ______________________________________
• (Carol and Dennis / have / dinner) ____________________________________
• (Tom /make / a phone call) ________________________________________

4/ Put the verbs in the correct form: Past continuous or simple past.

• While Tom ________(cook) dinner, the phone ________(ring).
• Last night I ___________(read) in bed when suddenly I ________(hear) a scream.
• __________(you/watch) TV when I called you?
• Ann ____________(wait) for me when I ___________(arrive).
• I ____________(not/drive) very fast when the accident ___________(happen).
• I __________(break) a plate last night. I __________(wash) the dishes when it ___________(slip) out of my hand.
• Tom _________ (take) a picture of me while I _____________(not/look).
• We _____________(not/go) out because it __________(rain).
• What ____________(you/do) at this time yesterday?
• I ____________(see) Carol at the party. She ____________(wear) a new dress.

5/ Complete the sentences with the Past Continuous of the verbs in brackets.

• The children____________(run) in the garden.
• Debbie ____________(repair) her moped?
• Dad _____________(try) to repair the car.
• Grandpa ______________(sleep) in his chair.
• Mum ____________(put) the baby to bed.

6/ Answer the questions about your activities yesterday. Use short answers,

• What were you doing at 6.30 yesterday morning?_________________________
• What were you doing at 5 o’clock yesterday afternoon?_____________________________________
• Were you watching the news at 9 o’clock last night? __________________________________________
• Were your parents sleeping when you went to bed? ____________________________________
• What were you doing at 11 o’clock last night? ___________________________________________ 

7/ Complete the sentences with the Past Continuous of the verbs in brackets.

• We ______________(sit) next to the door.
• ___________ the baby ____________(cry) for long?
• Jack _____________(write) a letter when I left.
• He _____________(not help) the fire fighters.
• ________they _________ (eat) when you arrived at the restaurant?
• I ___________(not talk) loudly.

8/  Put the words in the correct order. Then match the questions with the answers.

Under the bed Yes, they were. No, she wasn’t. Being rich. Prison! Yes, there were.

• Planning/ Sid and Cindy/were/ a robbery?__________________________

• Sid and Cindy/ about before the robbery?/ what/ were /talking _______________________________________

• Sid/ was / where /hiding?______________________________________

• Laughing /were / the detectives / at Sid’s plan? _____________________

• Sid / was / what / about in the interview? / thinking ____________________