Past Continuous

FORM:

was/were + gerund (vb.+-ing)

My father (cut) _______ the grass at weekend.

My father was cutting the grass at weekend.

Clara and Joe (eat) _______a hamburger and an ice – cream.

Clara and Joe were eatinga hamburger and an ice – cream.

USE 1: Interrupted Action in the Past

USE 2: Specific Time as an interruption

USE 3: Parallel Actions

USE 1: Interrupted Action in the Past

Use the Past Continuous to indicate that a longeraction in the past was interrupted.

The interruption is usually a shorter action in the Simple Past.

EXAMPLES:

• I was watching a film when she opened the door.

• When the bell rang, she was writing a poem.

• While we were having a sandwitch, it started to snow.

USE 2: Specific Time as an interruption

In USE 1 the Past Continuous is interrupted by a shorter action in the Simple Past.

However, you can also use a specific time as an interruption.

EXAMPLES:

Last night at 6 PM, I was eatingdinner.

At midnight, we were still drivingthrough the desert.

Yesterday at this time, I was sitting

at my desk at work.

IMPORTANT: Time complements

In the Simple Past, a specific time is used to show when an action began or finished. In the Past Continuous, a specific time only interrupts the action.

Last night at 6 PM, I ate dinner.(I started eating at 6 PM)

Last night at 6 PM, I was eating dinner.(I started earlier; and at 6 PM, I was

in the process of eating dinner)

USE 3: Parallel Actions

When you use the Past Continuous with two actions in the same sentence, it expresses the idea that both actions were happening at the same time. The actions are parallel.

EXAMPLES:

• I was studying while he was making dinner.

• While Ellen was reading, Tim was watching television.

When Simple Past

While Past Continuous

Study the examples below. They have similar meanings, but they emphasize different parts of the sentence.

I was studying when she called. While I was studying, she called.

Let’s gopractice!!!

Make a compound sentence for each picture using

WHILE / WHEN

Sarah and Paul were reading

when the telephone rang

KNOCK

Arguiñano was cooking

when Ronaldo knocked at the door

Villa was playing football while Casillas was reading a newspaper

The cat was sleepingwhile the monkey

was painting

He was skiing when he broke his leg

She was watching TVwhile the monkey

was writing a letter

Winnie and his friends were having a picnic when it started to rain

They were havinga

meeting/workingwhen the phone

rang

Nadal was biting the trophy

while Federer was crying

Fernando Alonso was driving

when Hamilton crashed his car

Elsa pataki was having an ice-cream while “El Duque”was dinking a glass of wine

He was listening tomusic when an

earthquake started

He was watchingTV while eating

chicken legs and drinking coke

The sheep was watchingTV when the alligartors

appeared through a hole on the ground

They were writing a letter while the Teddy

Bear was wateringthe plants

The end