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English Grammar > Past Simple and Past Continuous > Flashcards

Past Simple and Past Continuous Flashcards

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1
Q

Past Continuous

was/were + Ving

Past Continuous is used:

1) when something was happening at a certain time in the past and you were in the middle of doing something

A
  1. At 3 pm yesterday I was playing tennis with my friend. (I started at 2:30 and finished 3:30).
  2. What were you doing yesterday at 10 o’clock last night?
  3. I waved to her but she wasn’t looking.
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2
Q

Past Continuous is used:

2) with past simple together to say that something happened in the middle of something else

A

Tom burnt his hand when he was cooking the dinner.

I saw you in the park yesterday. You were sitting on the grass and reading a book.

While I was working in the garden, I hurt my back.

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3
Q

Past Continuous is used:

3) for two parallel actions happening at the same time in the past

A

While I was cooking, my friend was hoovering the flat.

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4
Q

The conjunction ‘while’ is used with Past Continuous

A

While I was reading a book, my sister was playing the piano.

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5
Q

Past Simple

S+V2/Ved

Past Simple is used:

1) for a complete action in the past; a fact in the past

+ yesterday, last week, in 2009,

A

I met my best friend at school.

I walked home after the party last night.

Ann watched television a lot last week.

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6
Q

Past Simple is used:

2) when one thing happened after another in the past

\+ First
Then
Next
After that
Finally,
A

Yesterday I got up at 7 o’clock. I had a big breakfast. Then I went to work. I started work at 8:45. I didn’t have lunch. I finished work at 5 o’clock. After that I went home and had dinner. I went too bed at 11 o’clock.

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7
Q

Past Simple is used:

3) with stative verbs (know, want, believe, have= possess) that are not normally used in the continuous

A

I was enjoying the party but Chris wanted to go home. (not ‘was wanting’)

We were good friends. We knew each other well.(not ‘ were knowing’)

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8
Q

What were you doing

at 8 o’clock yesterday evening?

A

At 8 c’clock yesterday evening I was cooking dinner.

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9
Q

What were you doing

at 5 o’clock last Saturday?

A

At 5 o’clock last Saturday I was talking with my friends.

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10
Q

What were you doing

at 10.15 yesterday morning?

A

At 10.15 yesterday morning I was studying.

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11
Q

What were you doing

at 4.30 this morning?

A

At 4.30 this morning I was sleeping.

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12
Q

What were you doing

at 7.45 yesterday evening?

A

At 7.45 yesterday evening I was watching TV.

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13
Q

What were you doing

half an hour ago?

A

Half an hour ago I was surfing the Internet.

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14
Q

Use your own ideas to complete these sentences.

Tom burnt his hand while he … .

A

was cooking the dinner.

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15
Q

Use your own ideas to complete these sentences.

The doorbell rang while I …

A

was taking a shower.

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16
Q

Use your own ideas to complete this sentence.

Mary fell asleep while she …

A

was watching TV.

17
Q

Use your own ideas to complete this sentence.

The television was on but nobody …

A

was watching it.

18
Q

past continuous or past simple?

I … (see) Sue in town yesterday but she … (not /see) me. She … (look) the other way.

A

I saw Sue in town yesterday but she didn’t see me. She was looking the other way.

19
Q

past continuous or past simple?

I … (meet) Tom and Ann at the airport a few weeks ago. They … (go) to Berlin and I … (go) to Madrid. We … (have) a chat while we … (wait) for our flights.

A

I met Tom and Ann at the airport a few weeks ago. They were going to Berlin and I was going to Madrid. We were having a chat while we were waiting for our flights

20
Q

past continuous or past simple?

I … (cycle) home yesterday when suddenly a man … (step) out into the road in front of me. I … (go) quite fast but luckily I … (manage) to stop in time and … (not/hit) him.

A

I was cycling home yesterday when suddenly a man stepped out into the road in front of me. I was going quite fast but luckily I managed to stop in time and didn’t hit him.

21
Q

past continuous or past simple?

Jane ___ (wait) for me when I ___ (arrive).

A

Jane was waiting for me when I arrived.

22
Q

past continuous or past simple?

“What ___ (you/do) this time yesterday?”
“I was asleep.”

A

What were you doing …?

23
Q

past continuous or past simple?

” … (you/go) out last night?”
“No, I was too tired.”

A

Did you go out…?

24
Q

past continuous or past simple?

“Was Carol at the party last night?”
“ Yes, she … (wear) a really nice dress.”

A

… she was wearing … .

25
Q

past continuous or past simple?

How fast … (you/drive) when the accident … (happen)?

A

How fast were you driving when the accident happened?

26
Q

past continuous or past simple?

John … (take) a photograph of me while I … (not/look).

A

John took a photograph of me while I wasn’t looking.

27
Q

past continuous or past simple?

We were in a very difficult position. We … (not/know) what to do.

A

We didn’t know …

28
Q

past continuous or past simple?

I haven’t seen Alan for ages. When I last … (see) him, he … (try) to find a job.

A

When I last saw him, he was trying to find a job.

29
Q

past continuous or past simple?

I … (walk) along the street when suddenly I … (hear) footsteps behind me. Somebody … (follow) me. I was frightened and I … (start) to run.

A

I was walking along the street when suddenly I heard footsteps behind me. Somebody was following me. I was frightened and started to run.

30
Q

past continuous or past simple?

When I was young, I … (want) to be a bus driver.

A

… I wanted … .

31
Q

past continuous or past simple?

My dad … (give) me a lift because it … (rain) so hard.

A

My dad gave me a lift because it was raining so hard.

32
Q

past continuous or past simple?

My relatives … (arrive) while we … (have) dinner.

A

My relatives arrived while we were having dinner.

33
Q

past continuous or past simple?

The police … (stop) him because he … (drive) too fast.

A

The police stopped him because he was driving too fast.

34
Q

past continuous or past simple?

It … (snow) when I … (open) my bedroom curtains this morning.

A

It was snowing when I opened my bedroom curtains this morning.

35
Q

past continuous or past simple?

You … (fall) off your bike because you … (not pay) attention to the road.

A

You fell off your bike because you weren’t paying attention to the road.

36
Q

past continuous or past simple?

I … (wait) for the bus this morning when Marco …(drive) past me.

A

I was waiting for the bus this morning when Marco drove past me.

37
Q

past continuous or past simple?

Anna … (break) her leg when she … (ski) in Austria.

A

Anna broke her leg while she was skiing in Austria.

38
Q

past continuous or past simple?

I … (do) a summer job in a hotel when I … (meet) my girlfriend.

A

I was doing a summer job in a hotel when I met my girlfriend.

English Grammar (17 decks)

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