past simple and past continuous
TRANSCRIPT
Past Simple and Past Continuous
Pepa Mut
Form
• Past simple:I worked I didn’t workDid you work?
-ed spelling:Loved, stopped, planned,
studied, played
• Past continuous:I was workingI wasn’t workingWere you working?
-ing spelling:Dancing, planning,
studying, playing, lying (lie)
Use 1: Used separately• One short action
happens after another.
She knocked on the door and came in.
• Two long actions happen at the same time.
She was doing her homework while her
brother was playing on the computer.
Use 2: Both tenses together• Past simple: new action that interrupts another action• Past continuous: an action already in progress.
While I was sitting in a meeting my mobile suddenly rang.
Use 3: Emphasis on time
• Past Simple: just to mention something that happened in the past.
We went to the movies last Sunday.
• Past Continuous: to emphasize progress and that an action was taking place at a specific time.
We were watching TV at eight this morning.
The following verbs are usually only used in Simple Past (not in the progressive form).
-state: be, cost, fit, mean (They were on holiday.)-possession: belong, have (I had a cat.)-senses: feel, hear, see, smell, taste, touch (He felt the cold.)-feelings: hate, hope, like, love, prefer, want (I loved pizza)-brain work: believe, know, understand (I didn’t understand)
They had a dog.
Time expressionsI was going down when I fell off the stairs. While we were shopping Susan was talking on the
phone.We were having dinner when the bell rang.While she was washing the dishes, he was ironing.