Past Simple and Past Continuous Flashcards
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
- At 3 pm yesterday I was playing tennis with my friend. (I started at 2:30 and finished 3:30).
- What were you doing yesterday at 10 o’clock last night?
- I waved to her but she wasn’t looking.
Past Continuous is used:
2) with past simple together to say that something happened in the middle of something else
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.
Past Continuous is used:
3) for two parallel actions happening at the same time in the past
While I was cooking, my friend was hoovering the flat.
The conjunction ‘while’ is used with Past Continuous
While I was reading a book, my sister was playing the piano.
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,
I met my best friend at school.
I walked home after the party last night.
Ann watched television a lot last week.
Past Simple is used:
2) when one thing happened after another in the past
\+ First Then Next After that Finally,
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.
Past Simple is used:
3) with stative verbs (know, want, believe, have= possess) that are not normally used in the continuous
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’)
What were you doing
at 8 o’clock yesterday evening?
At 8 c’clock yesterday evening I was cooking dinner.
What were you doing
at 5 o’clock last Saturday?
At 5 o’clock last Saturday I was talking with my friends.
What were you doing
at 10.15 yesterday morning?
At 10.15 yesterday morning I was studying.
What were you doing
at 4.30 this morning?
At 4.30 this morning I was sleeping.
What were you doing
at 7.45 yesterday evening?
At 7.45 yesterday evening I was watching TV.
What were you doing
half an hour ago?
Half an hour ago I was surfing the Internet.
Use your own ideas to complete these sentences.
Tom burnt his hand while he … .
was cooking the dinner.
Use your own ideas to complete these sentences.
The doorbell rang while I …
was taking a shower.
Use your own ideas to complete this sentence.
Mary fell asleep while she …
was watching TV.
Use your own ideas to complete this sentence.
The television was on but nobody …
was watching it.
past continuous or past simple?
I … (see) Sue in town yesterday but she … (not /see) me. She … (look) the other way.
I saw Sue in town yesterday but she didn’t see me. She was looking the other way.
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.
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
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.
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.
past continuous or past simple?
Jane ___ (wait) for me when I ___ (arrive).
Jane was waiting for me when I arrived.
past continuous or past simple?
“What ___ (you/do) this time yesterday?”
“I was asleep.”
What were you doing …?
past continuous or past simple?
” … (you/go) out last night?”
“No, I was too tired.”
Did you go out…?
past continuous or past simple?
“Was Carol at the party last night?”
“ Yes, she … (wear) a really nice dress.”
… she was wearing … .
past continuous or past simple?
How fast … (you/drive) when the accident … (happen)?
How fast were you driving when the accident happened?
past continuous or past simple?
John … (take) a photograph of me while I … (not/look).
John took a photograph of me while I wasn’t looking.
past continuous or past simple?
We were in a very difficult position. We … (not/know) what to do.
We didn’t know …
past continuous or past simple?
I haven’t seen Alan for ages. When I last … (see) him, he … (try) to find a job.
When I last saw him, he was trying to find a job.
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.
I was walking along the street when suddenly I heard footsteps behind me. Somebody was following me. I was frightened and started to run.
past continuous or past simple?
When I was young, I … (want) to be a bus driver.
… I wanted … .
past continuous or past simple?
My dad … (give) me a lift because it … (rain) so hard.
My dad gave me a lift because it was raining so hard.
past continuous or past simple?
My relatives … (arrive) while we … (have) dinner.
My relatives arrived while we were having dinner.
past continuous or past simple?
The police … (stop) him because he … (drive) too fast.
The police stopped him because he was driving too fast.
past continuous or past simple?
It … (snow) when I … (open) my bedroom curtains this morning.
It was snowing when I opened my bedroom curtains this morning.
past continuous or past simple?
You … (fall) off your bike because you … (not pay) attention to the road.
You fell off your bike because you weren’t paying attention to the road.
past continuous or past simple?
I … (wait) for the bus this morning when Marco …(drive) past me.
I was waiting for the bus this morning when Marco drove past me.
past continuous or past simple?
Anna … (break) her leg when she … (ski) in Austria.
Anna broke her leg while she was skiing in Austria.
past continuous or past simple?
I … (do) a summer job in a hotel when I … (meet) my girlfriend.
I was doing a summer job in a hotel when I met my girlfriend.
