- We use past simple to talk about an action which started and finished in the past.

Tom didn´t stay at home last night.

- Some words we can find in past tense are: last night, yesterday , last year, ago.

He left the school some years ago.

- We use past continuous to talk about ant action which started and finished in the past but it had a certain duration in time in the past.

Olivia was escaping from a dog.

- Also we can find in the same sentence the past simple and continuous .

He was taking a bath when the telephone rang.

While Sharon was eating a brownie Eddie took the dog for a walk.

- Verbs that end in –e, drop the –e and add –ing.

take takinggive giving

- Verbs that end in two consonants, add –ing.

spend spending hurt hurting

- Verbs that end in two vowels and a consonant, add –ing.

leave leavingkeep keeping

- Verbs that end in a consonant – 1 vowel – consonant combination, and that are only one syllable double the last consonant and add –ing.

swim swimming get getting - Verbs that end in a consonant – 1 vowel

– consonant combination, and that are two syllables, double the last consonant and add –ing when the stress is on the second syllable.

upset upsetting begin beginning

1. Complete the sentences using a suitable past tense:

1. My brother and sister____________ (be) ________(play) tennis at 11 am yesterday.

2. _______(Be) you still _______(work) at 7pm last night?

3. I _______(meet) John in town yesterday evening, he was very kind.

4. Mariah ________ (not buy) rice and carrots to make a vegetable soup on Saturday night.

5. While Peter _____________ (read) Don Quijote, Tina_________ (arrive) home.

6. Rose and his father _________________ (not drive) until that hill.

7. I______________(not know) what to say.

8. Someone _____________(steal) my handbag in the tube.

9. Mark _____________(write) an email to his daughter who is in Australia.

10. Alicia______________(type) when his boyfriend___________ (kiss) her.

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Complete the following exercise. 1. A: What____________ (you, do) when the accident occurred?

B: I ____________(try) to change a light bulb that had burnt out.

2. After I___________ (find) the wallet full of money, I (go, immediately) to the police and (turn) it

in.

3. The doctor _________(say) that Tom ___________(be) too sick to go to work and that he

________(need) to stay at home for a couple of days.

4. Sebastian ________(arrive) at Susan's house a little before 9:00 PM, but she _______(be, not)

there. She _________(study), at the library for her final examination in French.

5. Sandy is in the living room watching television. At this time yesterday, she ______(watch, also)

television. That's all she ever does!

6. A: I ____________(call) you last night after dinner, but you ___________(be, not) there. Where

were you?

B: I _____________(work) out at the fitness center.