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Past Continuous

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🤔
Do you know how to describe what was happening at a specific moment in the past? 🚶‍♂️📚 Today, we’re focusing on the past continuous!
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Introduction to theory part 1

  1. Watch the video clip from Kim's Convenience and fill in the blanks with the correct form of the verb:
"He ___ (was/were) ___ (wait/waiting) for a tip."
  1. Select the correct form of the verb "to be" for each subject:
      2. I →was/were
      you →was/were
      he/she/it →was/were
      we →was/were
      you →was/were
      they →was/were
  1. Choose the correct rule: The sentence “He was waiting for a tip”…
      • emphasises the duration or the process of an action.
      • emphasises the completion of an action.

Theory part 1

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Exercise 1

Create the missing positive sentences, negative sentences or questions.
  1. ➕ She was reading a book. ➖ … ❓ …
  1. ➕ … ➖ They weren’t playing football in the park. ❓ …
  1. ➕ ➖ … ❓ Was Jim watching TV at 6 pm?
  1. ➕ … ➖ … ❓ Were you travelling to Paris yesterday?
  1. ➕ The children were drawing pictures in class. ➖ … ❓ …
  1. ➕ … ➖ I wasn’t waiting for you. ❓ …
Check your answers
  1. She wasn’t reading a book. Was she reading a book?
  1. They were playing football in the park. Were they playing football in the park?
  1. Jim was watching TV at 6 pm. Jim wasn’t watching TV at 6 pm.
  1. You were travelling to Paris yesterday. You weren’t travelling to Paris yesterday.
  1. The children weren’t drawing pictures in class. Were the children drawing pictures in class?
  1. I was waiting for you. Was I waiting for you?
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Introduction to theory part 2

Match the examples to the correct rule
Emphasises the duration or the process of an action
The past continuous can be used to emphasise the duration of an action that was happening in the past.
Actions in process interrupted by another action
We use the past continuous to describe actions that were ongoing in the past and were interrupted by another action.
Two or more actions happening at the same time in the past
The past continuous is used to describe two or more actions happening at the same time in the past.
Background actions
When telling a story, the past continuous is also used to set the scene or describe the atmosphere.
a) I was reading a book when the phone rang.
b) I was waiting for you for 2 hours!
c) They were walking through the park while the sun was setting.
d) I was cooking dinner while he was setting the table.
Answer key
1 b
2 a
3 c
4 d

Theory part 2

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Exercise 2

Fill in the gaps with the correct verb forms, watch the clips to check your answers, and then match each example to the appropriate rule (emphasising that an action was in process or its duration, interruption by another action, simultaneous actions, or background actions).
A "He should be home in no time." "… waffles." (he/make) "I'm sorry?" " … waffles. (he/make) … (he/mix) the batter and, and then he was on the floor."
B "Phoebie? What are you doing? … me?" (you/follow) "Perhaps, yes, I'm sorry”
C "There was a party, and ... (people/drink) So the police showed up and everybody ran, so I did, too."
D "… coffee when the dizziness started." (we/have) "Business meeting?" "Date. Our first.”

Did you notice that in clip A, the sentence "he was on the floor" uses Past Simple not Past Continuous? Can you guess why?

State verbs (verbs that describe a condition or state, not an action) are typically used in Past Simple, not continuous forms. We don’t say "he was being on the floor" because "be" is a state verb, and it doesn’t normally use the continuous tense.
Other common state verbs include:
  • believe (e.g. I believed him, not I was believing him)
  • know (e.g. She knew the answer, not She was knowing the answer)
  • like (e.g. They liked the movie, not They were liking the movie)
  • and others: belong, cost, forget, hate, hear, love, need, prefer, realise, remember, seem, sound, understand, wish etc.

Exercise 3

Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the verb in parentheses using the past continuous tense.
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When I entered the office at 10:30 yesterday, everyone was busy. John, the man with the beard, __________ (type) on his laptop, focused on his work. Lisa, the woman in the red top, __________ (talk) on the phone, perhaps with a client or a colleague. At the same time, Mike, the young man with blond hair, __________ (wear) headphones and __________ (work) on the computer, likely listening to music or a podcast. Near the window, Sarah __________ (hold) some documents and __________ (read) them carefully. Meanwhile, Max, the large fluffy dog, __________ (sit) on the floor with a ball in its mouth, waiting for someone to play. Daisy, the small dog, __________ (walk) around the office, probably looking for some attention or a treat. Outside, the sun __________ (shine) brightly through the windows, adding a warm glow to the room. The room was full of activity, and everyone __________ (focus) on their tasks.

Exercise 4

Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the verbs in brackets using the past continuous tense.
  1. Susan ... (wait) for you for two hours!
  1. I ... (play) the piano at 5 pm yesterday.
  1. They ... (not talk) while the singer ... (sing).
  1. The teacher ... (read) a story when the principal came.
  1. The actor ... (stand) and all the girls ... (scream).
  1. I ... (tell) you about my work but you ... (not listen)!
  1. What .... you .... (do) at 8 am two days ago?
  1. People ... (look) at the girl while she ... (dance).
  1. I didn't know you ... (sit) here! I'm sorry.
  1. Do you know what he ... (talk) about when I came?

Exercise 5

Compare each pair of sentences and explain the difference in meaning between them.
1a. She was cooking dinner when I came home. 1b. She cooked dinner when I came home.
2a. When I was singing someone laughed. 2b. When I sang someone laughed.
3a. My mum taught me how to cook. 3b. My mum was teaching me how to cook.
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Exercise 6

Answer the questions below.
  1. What were you thinking about while doing exercise 2?
  1. What were you doing yesterday in the evening?
  1. Were you looking at your phone 5 minutes ago?
  1. Was your mum lecturing you when you talked last time?
  1. Was it raining yesterday?
  1. Were you feeling well yesterday?
  1. Were you singing while taking a shower yesterday?
  1. What were you doing an hour before our class?
  1. Were you crying when you got your ears pierced?
 

Extra clips!

A "It's okay to be upset about that. But hey, do you remember what I told you when … (we/watch) wrestling on Saturday night?" "Yeah. That you and Uncle Brenton are like the Reaper Brothers." "That's right.”
B "Raising their temperatures to burn the fever out of them." "Would that work?" "According to this, … (it/start) to. So … (he/try) to help the kids.”
C "I think the congee took at least an hour, maybe a little bit longer it just kinda depends on what sorta consistency you want. So whilst … (everything/steam), I made myself some tea because you know you gotta drink tea when you're sick. It's part of the rules.”
D "Gina, you cannot use pumping as an excuse to slack off." "I … (I/not/slack off)." ”Well, you weren't here. Man, … (I/try) to help you." "Ugh, I know. I'm sorry, I went home.
- YouTube
Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.
- YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/clip/UgkxArgvL-63gG7EAgZEMzfZ77pBd9HyrVDS
A "Hello?" "Hello." "Mr. Giles. Hi. … (I/look) for Buffy. She was supposed to wait for me here." "Well, she hasn't been in."