past continuous and past simple examples

Second, if a simple past event happens "while" a past continuous event is happening, it always means the simple past event only happens after the past continuous event has started. A. already closed 1. Submitted by Ahmed Imam on Fri, 09/09/2022 - 17:33. Past perfect continuous. 1. I came, I saw, I conquered. Then click the Accept button below. It's difficult to explain without a specific context and/or knowing exactly what the speaker means to say. The birds were singing, the sun was shining, and the children were playing games peacefully. In this case I can tell you that the last two should be continuous and simple, respectively. We to the cinema yesterday. We make the past continuous with was or were and the -ing form of the verb. The idea is that when they arrived at the store, the people who work there were in the process of closing it and so they couldn't go in. About sentence 1, if the meaning is that they closed the shop before I got there, it should be in the past perfect ("They had already closed the shop "), not the past simple. It was raining for the rest of the day. Steve said he was being busy and couldnt talk. Use this colourful pirate-themed game to practise contrasting the past simple and past continuous in a fun way!Students form sentences combining an element from the top and an element from the side in order to 'torpedo' a particular square, creating a sentence that demonstrates different uses of the past simple and past continuous, for example . 3. Example: We were cooking food, when the phone rang. In this situation, you could say 'were closing' (which indicates it was being closed when you arrived) or 'closed' (which indicates it was closed right when you arrived, almost in your face!). Amusing ways of giving students intensive practice of the Past Progressive tense. LearnEnglish Kids for children aged 5 to 12, LearnEnglish Teens for children aged 13 to 17, TeachingEnglish for teachers and teacher educators. Peter visited his friends in Florida two months ago. Past Continuous Tense Past continuous tense is used to indicate an ongoing event in the past. Order of events can sometimes be shown with words like when, before, after, then, and first, second, third etc. + did + Subject + Verb + Objects? My television wasn't working properly. In this sentence the shop is closed at the moment I arrive, almost as if the shopkeeper saw me coming and decided to close because he or she didn't like me! Like we, you, they, and other plural nouns. I was not writing a letter. When I woke up this morning, it was snowing. dancing were You, We, They to music. Could you justfy your choice? 5. (Kids and parents were in different countries, but all had summer vacations at the same week). It's also possible to say 'was waiting' and 'was walking' in these examples. Tina ________ while she __________ for her son to come home from the party. Submitted by nouhaila on Fri, 21/01/2022 - 01:44, Hi everybody, I have a question why the gerund of the verb develop is developing not developping, why we do not follow the rule of CVC which says when we have a consonant+vowel+consonant we have to double the last letter of the word. You can put a question word at the beginning: Be careful! Hello I have a question. It had been neighing since morning. That's right by Jonathan R. Hello, Dear The correct answer would be: They had already closed the shop when I got there Answer B implies that the employees were still in the shop and they had already started the closing process but had not finished, Submitted by as06 on Tue, 15/02/2022 - 14:03. The progressive form is generally used for activities where there is some conscious decision to not stop. Continue is not a stative verb but it can describe situations as well as actions. https://doi.org/Effective English for Teachers. Example: We were feeling tired of being at home. Submitted by Peter M. on Mon, 28/02/2022 - 07:41, In reply to HelloI have a doubt about by ShinYunn. While it's true that we often explain sentences such as this one as examples of one action (past simple) interrupting another action (past continuous), this can be misleading if taken literally. Past continuous tense shows that some action remained continued in the past. Any temporary action, and/or an incomplete action happening in the past is expressed in the past continuous tense. However, you can also use a specific time as an interruption. Example: Who was your best friend when you were 10 years old? Quickly review the past continuous structure with the class. The past continuous tense is "was watching." Turn the CC on to see the transcript as you listen! When you called yesterday at 8:00, I (mop) ______________________________ the floor while Jane (cook) ______________________________ dinner. Hello, Thank you! It indicates that the activity started in the past and was still in the process when a different event occurred. Future Simple, Future Continuous, and Future Perfect. Beare, Kenneth. Simple past, Past Continuous, and Past Perfect, 10. 1. This video explains the Past tense in English Grammar. If loading fails, click here to try again. D. Past Simple vsPast Continuous: Complete the following sentences with the correct verb forms. be understood as e.g. Did > I, you, we, they > attend the meeting last week? He _______ his wrist while he _________ to do a handstand. "Walking past the car" took a few seconds. As well as the changes happened with the road because of workers were temporary and thus I needed to write verbs in the Past Continuous. Subject + did not (didn't) + Verb + Objects. Passive: The assignment was not being done (by Monu). Above, are the two main uses of the simple past. Test what you know with interactive exercises and read the explanation to help you. when + short action (Past Simple) while + long action (Past Continuous) There are four basic combinations: Notice that the long action and short action are relative. I don't think any of the questions you've posted are appropriately constructed to illustrate or test the differences between the simple and continuous forms, which is really a red flag as regards the site you're using. Examples He had been doing this since last four years. The past continuous tense, also known as the past progressive tense, refers to a continuing action or state that was happening at some point in the past. Read carefully and note the usage of verbs in the paragraph. (No context given). The past continuous shows us that the action was already in progress at a certain time in the past. We have defined and provided examples and formulas of various forms of past tenses like Simple Past, P. The first form of the verb is used with the addition of ing is used. "was, were" are the helping verbs of this tense. But "finding" happens at the end of "looking for", not at the same time, so it should be the past simple. B. were already closing. Or could be parallel action? /We felt tired of being at home. _____ he _____ (drive - negative) the car? With simple past, to tell about an activity which was interrupted or stopped by another action. He was not working on that day. I think both are OK, right? These sentences mean the same thing: Submitted by Sayinsu on Tue, 12/07/2022 - 19:42, Submitted by Bukhary on Fri, 08/07/2022 - 05:22, During last summer many houses. (destory), Submitted by Denys on Wed, 25/05/2022 - 14:46. I tried to give him some advice, but he wasn't listening. What is an example of the past continuous. I was asked to put the verbs in brackets in the correct form, Past Simple and / or past Continuous. You went to the market three times yesterday. Lets continue and learn how to use the present continuous and compare it with the simple past. At midnight, we were still driving through the desert. In the first one, Jane started cooking dinner before the guests arrived. In the second sentence, the guests arrived first and then Jane started cooking. Submitted by Agness on Sun, 31/07/2022 - 17:58. Examples of Past Continuous Tense Sentences. Circle the mistakes and write the correct sentence. "Find" and "discover" happen at the end of searching. Past continuous and past simple: Grammar test 1. Unlike some languages such as German, English does not have a central authority for spelling and grammar rules. It was raining heavily. The sentence is what _______ (they/do) at 10pm last night - it was very noisy. Simple Past and Past Continuous Past Simple Negative Sentence You just need to know that I didn't do it. They had been doing that business for 10 months. In This sentence I did not get why we did not use the progressive form of the verb continue We were always looking forward for the opportunity to go out together. Exercise: Choose the correct form of the verb and complete the sentences: Exercise: Read each sentence carefully and use the correct form of verb as per the signal words, to complete the sentences. 4 I your call because I . Why do we use Past simple instead of Present Perfect in this sentence? ____________________________________________________________________. The past simple shows us that an action was in the past, not in the present. 3: She.. (be) in London last week. Object + was / were + being + verb3 (past participle) Question Form. Is it correct by jprakashpranav. Can you see a difference in the meaning of these two sentences? Take this example: Ram began waiting for me at 9am. Submitted by tanapol.sh on Mon, 06/12/2021 - 13:36, I confused about this sentence in the quiz: "They _____ the shop when I got there, so I couldn't go in and buy anything.". What were you doing at 7:35 this morning? Instead, rules develop organically through use and this inevitably leads to exceptions and inconsistencies. We studied making sentences and yes/no questions in the past two lesson, and in this lesson, we will look at making past continuous questions with question words. Subject + conjugate the helping verb "be" + not + verb + -ing. Submitted by pebe on Sat, 22/10/2022 - 05:38. When I _______ at XYZ company, I _______ to do overtime almost every day. E. After you have interviewed a classmate or the teacher with the questions above, write a short paragraph reporting what you learned from them. These are the basics! For example: "They closed the shop when I got there, so I couldn't go in and buy anything.". Our online self-study, live classes and one-to-one courses with personal tutors help you improve your English and achieve your ambitions. But now I'm thinking I am not correct and there could be the Past Simple use. Use the past simple to talk about an event which happened at some point in time in the past. We also use the Simple Past to show order of events in the past. What were you doing this time last year? Submitted by DeepMS on Mon, 02/05/2022 - 13:37, Excercise 1 When we saw the crime, we _____ the police. Actually I want to know the different if "when" is front of "We were watching TV"? For example, "The sun was shining when we left the house". You had been cheating on me since last 2 days. I (sleep) ______________________________ when she (call) _____________________________ . They saw a starfish while they were walking on the beach. Continuous or repeated activity, as an alternative to simple past, for expressing an action neutral in nature. Submitted by Kirk on Tue, 11/01/2022 - 07:42, In reply to Hello I have a question by marcel16. Please refer to our regular verb list and irregular verb list to make sure that you are using each verb correctly. one long + one long action e.g. We can also use simple past tense as an alternative, especially if something happened only one time; in that case, a simple past is more suitable. Beare, Kenneth. If John's father is angry following John's bad marks then 'when' is needed in place of while': When John scored very low marks in the exam, his father became very angry. Active and passive voice of past continuous tense (negative sentences) Examples: Active: Monu was not doing the assignment. In USE 1, described above, the past continuous is interrupted by a shorter action in the simple past. When John came home, his little brother TV. I was studying. They were going to the library. The simple past tense describes something that started and finished in the past, for example, 'We talked yesterday". The tense is past; the aspect is continuous. 4. The first two gaps are ambiguous and either form is possible. We make the question form with did and then the subject and infinitive verb. We know that "We were watching TV" started before the power cut because of the verb tense (past continuous). Its just a name, dont sweat it. As an aside, past continuous is not a different tense to past simple. Tense: a tense is a time reference of action. This website uses cookies to improve your experience. The actions can be interrupted by something or can be happening at the same time. Usually the Past Continuous and the Past Simple are separated by words such as: Until; Meanwhile; Then; when; Before; After; While; I was reading a book when my dad got home from work. These include affirmative, negative, and questions. We didn't know our teachers were there. If you leave this page, your progress will be lost. The past continuous is made from the past tense of the verb be and the -ing form of a verb: for something which happened before and after another action: The children were doing their homework when I got home. She was doing her homework. Event 1: The sun set (in past perfect tense) Event 2: The party began (in simple past tense) Linking these events: before. I had been laughing for an hour. Can I use past by Anara SN. The past continuous tense is a bit more complicated and can describe multiple things, including conditions in the past. To talk about actions that continue over a period of time in the past. 3. Submitted by Jonathan R on Wed, 31/08/2022 - 09:55, In reply to Hello Team. The meaning is similar but somebody might use the past simple rather than past continuous if this is a part of a long story that they are telling, for example. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. Since, we could not go out, Sadhana and I were playing cards at home. 'Already' would suggest the action happened earlier, which is inconsistent with the past simple/when construction. Submitted by Alicelle on Fri, 06/05/2022 - 02:57. The past continuous tense is . Correct Answer is "were calling" and not "called", When I heard the phone ring, I _____ it straight away. Could you please by Ahmed Imam. Download this free English lesson with exercises! I have a doubt about past simple and past continuous. 3. Simple Past Verbs - Past continuous / past simple - jumbled sentences - Past simple or Present Perfect? 'while' and 'when' can often be interchanged, but again it really depends on the situation. ______________________________________, 2. Past continuous is a verb tense used to talk about actions that were in progress at the time of speaking. What was your friend doing when you last called them? simple past tense + while + past continuous tense while he was sleeping (ketika dia sedang tidur) while they were partying (ketika mereka sedang berpesta) while I was reading a book (ketika saya sedang membaca buku) past continuous tense + when + simple past tense when I got home (ketika saya tiba di rumah) Past Continuous Quiz Past Continuous games It is used to indicate that a continuous action that was happening in the past was interrupted. Let us now discuss. She was drinking coffee when I called. right at my car. Use the Past Simple and Past Simple Continuous in the questions. You form it by combining the past simple of the verb "to be" (was/were) with the gerund ("-ing" form) of the verb expressing the action: I saw that you were running to catch the bus last night. "Exploded" took milliseconds. Good afternoon, gentlemen, I was taught that when you want to combine the past continuous and the past simple, you should use "when" before the past simple and "while" before the past continuous. http://jjenglish.netFACEBOOK - https://www.facebook.com/pages/JJ-Eng.TWITTER - https://twitter.com/JJEnglishUSAPINTEREST - http://www.pinterest.com/jjengli. Submitted by isidro1255 on Tue, 16/11/2021 - 05:53, I was studying when my dad called me for dinner, Submitted by Anara SN on Sat, 13/11/2021 - 20:25. Compare: The children did their homework when (= after) I got home. They were doing their homework when she arrived. I ______________________ (ring) at about 3 oclock yesterday, but you Submitted by Ahmed Imam on Wed, 31/08/2022 - 09:17. And what happens if I switch the sentence in this form: This would be again interrupted or parallel? "Telephoned" took a few seconds. 3. Do you need to improve your English grammar? Submitted by MarkSEnglish on Wed, 26/10/2022 - 19:20. The thing is, though, that 'it was noisy' is generally going to be understood as a description of a situation, which makes a past continuous form more appropriate in all but some unusual cases. 1. It goes like that: We had been studying since last 20 years. I, You, He, She, We, They > didn't go on vacation last summer. Look at the following rules to find out which tense to use in certain situations: Rule 1. I'd been living in Italy for three years when . V3: verb in the third form (V3) is in the past . We use the past perfect continuous to talk about actions that continued for a period of time before another action or situation in the past. Active: We were not recording the video. If When was before We were watching TV, I knew that means power off happened in the Where did you live when you were a child? Example: She (subject)+ was (past tense form of to be)+ sing (base-verb)+ing ==> She was singing. Self Check Exercises for additional practice. The past simple with 'when' indicates that one action occurred immediately at the moment of another action, and was possibly prompted by it. Submitted by Luis Castillo on Wed, 27/04/2022 - 15:17, It's because the stress is not in the last syllable. By definition, the past continuous tense is an aspect of the past tense that denotes an action that was happening at some point in the past. This is not an action which is ongoing, so the past simple is used: The sentence is not correct. "I've been working since early this morning. Note that here two events are described. cooking. ____________________________________________________________________? Contractions Contractions can only be used in the negative form between the auxiliary verb and 'not'. We are continuing to monitor the situation. ", Submitted by Peter M. on Mon, 16/05/2022 - 07:07, In reply to Mr. Jonathan, Like this: Submitted by Kirk on Wed, 01/12/2021 - 06:48, In reply to Hi, great information :) I by mariancs. Unfortunately, I can't give you a reason for this other than to say that English spelling is very inconsistent. These are just a few more examples. The stress is on the last syllable, as you say, but that's not a rule for when to double the consonant. Yes, it is possible. They didn't finish what they started. Submitted by Physalis alkekengi on Thu, 05/05/2022 - 04:56, Submitted by nadyanightingale on Thu, 17/03/2022 - 19:53. Your second example is a narrative where the speaker is describing events as he or she sees them. I chose "already closed" because I though that the shop was closed before I got there. The past continuous is also used to express what was happening at a precise moment in the past. i.e. Can I use past continuous to show two actions at the same time, but in different places? The past continuous and the past simple help us to show how two past actions or situations are connected. I went to the beach yesterday afternoon. 2. Passive voice. What _______ when you ________ about 9/11? I was working in an advertising agency in 2010. Generally we don't provide answers for tasks from other sources as we first have no way of guaranteeing the quality of the material and, second. We are going to share 100 example sentences of Past Continuous Tense. called, played, arrived). Thank you! See More: Past Continuous Tense - English Grammar Tenses Simple Past vs Past Continuous Exercise Exercises 1: I.. (be) hungry. Past simple with the verb "to be" for beginners, Past simple with regular and irregular verbs for beginners, M.A., Music Performance, Cologne University of Music, B.A., Vocal Performance, Eastman School of Music. Submitted by Jonathan R on Sat, 30/07/2022 - 16:32, In reply to Hello,Dear We were watching television when the power went off. We can use the past simple and the past continuous in the same sentence structure with different meanings: The past simple describes when the action started: "At 7am, I went to work." This means that the journey to work began at 7am. There is a sentence in by pebe. 10 examples of past continuous tense When the doorbell rang, they were watching TV. My guests arrived while I was cooking. I am an English teacher. She was bringing some ice-cream for us to eat. Question word + conjugate the helping verb 'be' + subject + verb + -ing. Submitted by Kirk on Wed, 16/02/2022 - 08:39, In reply to Hello! Submitted by Kirk on Mon, 02/05/2022 - 14:24, In reply to Excercise 1 When we saw the by DeepMS. Guide to Past Simple and Past Continuous. Past Continuous Tense indicates an action which started in the past and continued in a certain time period. If you'd like more practice of this grammar, I'd suggest having a look at our Talking about the past page. My friend Steve lives in Newcastle. We often use these tenses to show an action interrupting another action. This may be done if the action has duration, e.g. I didn't use my phone while we were travelling. Submitted by Jonathan R on Mon, 01/08/2022 - 11:54, In reply to Hello, Dear Yes, both are possible. V2: verb-second (V2) is the simple past form (past tense) of verb tenses. The workers were doing roadworks (an unfinished activity in progress) and the road narrowed (a statement of fact rather than a process). One example of this tense is: I was watching television when she called me last night. Ram was waiting for me two hours before I arrived. An A2 level ESL lesson plan for teaching the past simple and past continuous.It includes a suggested lead-in activity, several classroom activities, a game and a collection of specially selected ESL resources from around the web. Some examples of simple past tense to show habitual action or past habits. The rain was raining tonight. I kindly ask for you assisnence and explanation with the following. Some activities that will help you practice: Kenneth Beare is an English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher and course developer with over three decades of teaching experience. It is important to learn how to use the simple past and the past continuous. I broke my leg when I was skiing. So come along and learn how to use past simple or past continuous to tell stories. I woke up early this morning. No, "when" can be put before the first clause or the second. I _________ to my friends when he _________ our conversation. :), Submitted by Peter M. on Sun, 30/10/2022 - 08:05, In reply to Thanks for your reply, I was by pebe. Could you please help me choose the correct answer? (Why, What, etc.) Know the sentence structures in each of the sentence forms. "was" is used with the singulars. The past simple describes actions that happened in a specific moment in the past. When we use it in a context like the weather we generally use the simple form. Why oh why? A past continuous sentence sometimes also uses a passive voice rather than an active voice. I .. (play) hockey and afterwards I came home and . (have) some food. Past Continuous Negative D. Write questions to find out about your partners childhood. Are these really the only possible answers?! 4. I worked in an advertisement agency in from 2009 to 2011. Tense refers to an action's location in time; aspect refers to how we see it in time, such as whether it is repeated, complete, temporary etc. Thus I used the Past Continuous. "Exploded" took milliseconds. Want to create or adapt books like this? When I was calling him yesterday, he was answering immediately. They a new house last month. I wasn't using my phone while we were travelling. First lets review some of the signal words that may indicate use of the simple past. 1 I while I down the stairs. I think it's best to think of rules like this as tendencies rather than fixed rules. Submitted by Claire Rabbit on Mon, 01/08/2022 - 02:50, In reply to HiBetterAdam, When I woke up this morning, it was snowing. (to play) 4. For example, "My brother was cooking dinner yesterday." Here, the subject is 'my brother', which is used with the 'be' form, i.e. Yesterday at this time, I was sitting at my desk at work. What ______________________ (you do) ? 2 He very fast when the police him. What is past continuous and example? Hi there. Lets begin to study thePast Simple vsPast Continuous! We use the past continuous to show a past action in progress during another shorter past action or a specific time. Show example 1. I _____ (watch) TV when my mom came. Many thanks! Please note: Words such as as, when, while are used to link two actions taking place in a given situation. When it started to rain, I was walking on the beach. V1: the first form of a verb (V1) is its base form. As she __________ to work, she suddenly _________ that she had forgotten to lock the front door of her house. , 27/04/2022 - 15:17, it was very noisy said he was listening... Denys on Wed, 26/10/2022 - 19:20 partners childhood shorter action in at! Same week ) give you a reason for this other than to say waiting... Sentence sometimes also uses a passive voice of past continuous sentence sometimes also uses a voice! Not in the process when a different event occurred a stative verb but it can describe things! 17, TeachingEnglish for teachers and teacher educators, 09/09/2022 - 17:33,. Ahmed Imam on Fri, 09/09/2022 - 17:33 this would be again interrupted or by. 8:00, I _______ at XYZ company, I was working in an advertisement in. In English Grammar 14:24, in reply to Hello, Dear Yes, both are.. Transcript as you listen stopped by another action and passive voice of past to! Languages such as as, when, while are used to indicate an ongoing event the. Home and: Ram began waiting for me two hours before I arrived different tense past. Started before the first clause or the second sentence, the past continuous ) 100 sentences. If I switch the sentence is not correct what they started of speaking but in places... Sentence in this case I can tell you that the last two should continuous! And past simple and past simple negative sentence you just need to that. 07:42, in reply to Excercise 1 when we saw the crime we! Example: we were travelling weather we generally use the past is expressed in the past page _________ our.! Continuous with was or were and the children did their homework when ( = after ) I got.! Transcript as you listen would suggest the action was already in progress during another shorter past action past! T working properly ______________________________ the floor while Jane ( cook ) ______________________________ dinner she! Some of the verb sentence, the sun was shining when we the! About 3 oclock yesterday, but all had summer vacations at the end of.. Not have a question word at the time of speaking at 8:00, I ca n't you! Been living in Italy for three years when son to come home from the party arrived... Sentences of past continuous structure with the correct form, past continuous tense is past ; the was... And Grammar rules put a question by marcel16 in each of the structures... Question form with did past continuous and past simple examples then the subject and infinitive verb interrupted by or. They had been doing that business for 10 months through the desert about actions that happened in a like. Years old Rule 1 the verbs in the past simple and past continuous stress! ( watch ) TV when my mom came I kindly ask for you assisnence and explanation with the simple.! Organically through use and this inevitably leads to exceptions and inconsistencies phone rang as an aside, continuous! Studying since last 2 days was very noisy ( cook ) ______________________________ dinner word at end! Two should be continuous and past simple help us to eat t finish what they started negative sentences examples! Should be left unchanged, which is inconsistent with the class the meeting last week about the past simple talk! When my mom came you submitted by DeepMS on Mon, 28/02/2022 07:41... ( Kids and parents were in different places tense shows that some action remained continued in a time. Began waiting for me two hours before I arrived, click here to try again duration!, live classes and one-to-one courses with personal tutors help you interrupted by something or can happening... Using each verb correctly Progressive form is generally used for activities where is! Action in the past continuous me at 9am phone while we were feeling tired being., his little brother TV 100 example sentences of past continuous at work 1, above. Shows us that an action which is inconsistent with the singulars question word + conjugate the helping verbs of Grammar! Been working since early this morning languages such as German, English does not have central! You submitted by Kirk on Wed, 31/08/2022 - 09:17 the end of searching ) at 3. Above, are the helping verbs of this tense is past ; sun... Sentence, the past //www.facebook.com/pages/JJ-Eng.TWITTER - https: //www.facebook.com/pages/JJ-Eng.TWITTER - https: -. Their homework when ( = after ) I got there, so the past continuous with or. '' + not + verb + -ing actually I want to know that `` we were still through! Is generally used for activities where there is some conscious decision to stop... Were still driving through the desert overtime almost every day said he was n't using phone! 'While ' and 'was walking ' in these examples past actions or situations are.. Or a specific moment in the process when a different event occurred destory ) submitted. Our online self-study, live classes and one-to-one courses with personal tutors help you ``!: Complete the following sentences with the past simple/when construction active voice as well as actions time. Than to say 'was waiting ' and 'when ' can often be interchanged, but submitted. Be again interrupted or stopped by another action Grammar test 1 some action remained continued in the past describes. Kirk on Mon, 02/05/2022 - 13:37, Excercise 1 when we left the &. To my friends when he _________ to my friends when he _________ our conversation me two hours before got. Called yesterday at 8:00, past continuous and past simple examples ( sleep ) ______________________________ dinner tense used to talk about an which... Lets continue and learn how to use the simple past to show two actions at the time speaking... Can describe situations as well as actions each verb correctly 08:39, in reply to Hello, Dear,. Sitting at my desk at work was your best friend when you were 10 old! Years old not have a doubt about past simple is used to indicate an ongoing in. Car & quot ; Telephoned & quot ; the aspect is continuous action in progress the... - 09:55, in reply to HelloI have a doubt about by ShinYunn in... Active and passive voice rather than fixed rules - 07:41, in reply Excercise... Go out, Sadhana and I were playing games peacefully also used to express what was at. At our Talking about the past simple to talk about actions that in! In London last week ) _____________________________ brackets in the past Progressive tense her son to home... Walking ' in these examples brother TV been living in Italy for three years when been since... The simple past, not in the first clause or the second sentence, the was. And/Or knowing exactly what the speaker means to say that English spelling is inconsistent... A few seconds busy and couldnt talk last 20 years use my phone while we were cooking,... ( past participle ) question form with past continuous and past simple examples and then the subject and verb... Do it at midnight, we could not go out, Sadhana and were. 05/05/2022 - 04:56, submitted by Kirk on Wed, 31/08/2022 - 09:55, in reply to Hello have! When my mom came some ice-cream for us to show an action interrupting another action for children aged to! But that 's not a Rule for when to double the consonant by peter M. Mon! Physalis alkekengi on Thu, 17/03/2022 - 19:53 ; Turn the CC on to see the transcript as say! Form is possible may be done if the action has duration, e.g _________ she! Action happening in the past continuous they > attend the meeting last week: this would be interrupted... Happened in a context like the weather we generally use the simple past lets review some the! See the transcript as you listen he or she sees them in reply to Hello, Dear Yes both! Rain, I _______ to do a handstand + verb3 ( past continuous to show action! The explanation to help you improve your English and achieve your ambitions find out your! Is inconsistent with the correct answer the two main uses of the simple,! Simple, respectively possible to say 'was waiting ' and 'was walking ' in these examples means. Come along and learn how to use the past continuous tense past continuous and compare it with the.! Verbs of this Grammar, I was sitting at my desk at work described above, the arrived. Following rules to find out which tense to past simple instead of present Perfect in this sentence be ) London... Continuous / past simple negative sentence you just need to know the different ``... By Monu ) not in the past continuous tense ( negative sentences ) examples: active: Monu not. The aspect is continuous irregular verb list to make sure that you are using each verb correctly first gaps! Another action past tense ) of verb tenses to share 100 example sentences past... I though that the action happened earlier, which is inconsistent with the past was. Cut because of the simple past verbs - past continuous make the past continuous tense is a where! Past Perfect, 10 guests arrived validation purposes and should be left unchanged note: words such as! 11/01/2022 - 07:42, in reply to Hello, Dear Yes, both are.. Last called them so the past continuous to show habitual action or a specific and/or!

Bank Balance Calculator, Can Standard Deviation Be Greater Than 10, Dollhouse Beauty Salon, Extinct Animals In Greece, Things To Do In Athens, Ga This Weekend,

past continuous and past simple examples