Past Simple & Past Continuous Beginner leveltesukenglish.wikispaces.com/file/view/Simple+past+lesson... · Web viewBeginner level Julio 2010 Universidad Tecnológica de Nezahualcóyotl

Simple PastBeginner level

Julio 2010

Universidad Tecnológica de Nezahualcóyotl

Alberto Francisco Juárez Oliva.

2 Past Simple & Past Continuous Beginner level

Simple PastUSE 1 Completed Action in the Past

Use the Simple Past to express the idea that an action started and finished at a specific time in the past. Sometimes, the speaker may not actually mention the specific time, but they do have one specific time in mind.

Examples:

I saw a movie yesterday.

I didn't see a play yesterday.

Last year, I traveled to Japan.

Last year, I didn't travel to Korea.

Did you have dinner last night?

She washed her car.

He didn't wash his car.

USE 2 A Series of Completed Actions

We use the Simple Past to list a series of completed actions in the past. These actions happen 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and so on.

Examples:

I finished work, walked to the beach, and found a nice place to swim.

He arrived from the airport at 8:00, checked into the hotel at 9:00, and met the others at 10:00.

Did you add flour, pour in the milk, and then add the eggs?

USE 3 Duration in Past

The Simple Past can be used with a duration which starts and stops in the past. A duration is a longer action often indicated by expressions such as: for two years, for five minutes, all day, all year, etc.

Alberto Juárez Oliva 09/06/2010 Universidad Tecnológica de Nezahualcóyotl


Examples:

I lived in Brazil for two years.

Shauna studied Japanese for five years.

They sat at the beach all day.

They did not stay at the party the entire time.

We talked on the phone for thirty minutes.

A: How long did you wait for them?B: We waited for one hour.

USE 4 Habits in the Past

The Simple Past can also be used to describe a habit which stopped in the past. It can have the same meaning as "used to." To make it clear that we are talking about a habit, we often add expressions such as: always, often, usually, never, when I was a child, when I was younger, etc.

Examples:

I studied French when I was a child.

He played the violin.

He didn't play the piano.

Did you play a musical instrument when you were a kid?

She worked at the movie theater after school.

They never went to school, they always skipped class.

USE 5 Past Facts or Generalizations

The Simple Past can also be used to describe past facts or generalizations which are no longer true. As in USE 4 above, this use of the Simple Past is quite similar to the expression "used to."

Examples:

She was shy as a child, but now she is very outgoing.

He didn't like tomatoes before.

Did you live in Texas when you were a kid?

People paid much more to make cell phone calls in the past.


http://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/usedto.html

http://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/usedto.html


Past ContinuousFORM

[was/were + present participle “ing”]

Examples:

You were studying when she called. Were you studying when she called?

You were not studying when she called.

USE 1 Interrupted Action in the Past

Use the Past Continuous to indicate that a longer action in the past was interrupted. The interruption is usually a shorter action in the Simple Past. Remember this can be a real interruption or just an interruption in time.

Examples:

I was watching TV when she called. When the phone rang, she was writing a letter.

While we were having the picnic, it started to rain.

What were you doing when the earthquake started?

I was listening to my iPod, so I didn't hear the fire alarm.

You were not listening to me when I told you to turn the oven off.

While John was sleeping last night, someone stole his car.

Sammy was waiting for us when we got off the plane.

While I was writing the email, the computer suddenly went off.

A: What were you doing when you broke your leg?B: I was snowboarding.

USE 2 Specific Time as an Interruption

In USE 1, described above, the Past Continuous is interrupted by a shorter action in the Simple Past. However, you can also use a specific time as an interruption.

Examples:Alberto Juárez Oliva 09/06/2010 Universidad Tecnológica de Nezahualcóyotl


Last night at 6 PM, I was eating dinner. At midnight, we were still driving through the desert.

Yesterday at this time, I was sitting at my desk at work.

IMPORTANT

In the Simple Past, a specific time is used to show when an action began or finished. In the Past Continuous, a specific time only interrupts the action.

Examples:

Last night at 6 PM, I ate dinner.I started eating at 6 PM.

Last night at 6 PM, I was eating dinner.I started earlier; and at 6 PM, I was in the process of eating dinner.

USE 3 Parallel Actions

When you use the Past Continuous with two actions in the same sentence, it expresses the idea that both actions were happening at the same time. The actions are parallel.

Examples:

I was studying while he was making dinner. While Ellen was reading, Tim was watching television.

Were you listening while he was talking?

I wasn't paying attention while I was writing the letter, so I made several mistakes.

What were you doing while you were waiting?

Thomas wasn't working, and I wasn't working either.

They were eating dinner, discussing their plans, and having a good time.

USE 4 Atmosphere

In English, we often use a series of parallel actions to describe the atmosphere at a particular time in the past.

Example:

When I walked into the office, several people were busily typing, some were talking on the phones, the boss was yelling directions, and customers were waiting to be helped. One customer was yelling at a secretary and waving his hands. Others were complaining to each other about the bad service.



USE 5 Repetition and Irritation with "Always"

The Past Continuous with words such as "always" or "constantly" expresses the idea that something irritating or shocking often happened in the past. The concept is very similar to the expression "used to" but with negative emotion. Remember to put the words "always" or "constantly" between "be" and "verb+ing."

Examples:

She was always coming to class late. He was constantly talking. He annoyed everyone.

I didn't like them because they were always complaining.

While vs. When

Clauses are groups of words which have meaning, but are often not complete sentences. Some clauses begin with the word "when" such as "when she called" or "when it bit me." Other clauses begin with "while" such as "while she was sleeping" and "while he was surfing." When you talk about things in the past, "when" is most often followed by the verb tense Simple Past, whereas "while" is usually followed by Past Continuous. "While" expresses the idea of "during that time." Study the examples below. They have similar meanings, but they emphasize different parts of the sentence.

Examples:

I was studying when she called. While I was studying, she called.


Question Affirmative Negative

Did you read the newspaper?

Erica wrote a note

Joseph didn’t have many problems

Did Bob ride his motorcycle

Loren and Jessie went to Acapulco last week

My brothers were not at home Yesterday

Did the bride kiss her mother?

He was worried about the test

Silvia didn’t break my best friend heart

Did she cry all night long?

He spoke English all the time

They didn’t come to school today

Did it rain last night?


Complete the dialogue using the Past Simple tense.

Robert: Hi Alice, what __________ you __________ (do) last weekend?

Alice: I __________ (do) a lot of things. On Saturday, I __________ (go) shopping.

Robert: What __________ you __________ (buy)?

Alice: I __________ (buy) some new clothes. I also __________ (play) tennis.

Robert: Who __________ you __________ (play)?

Alice: I __________ (play) Tom.

Robert: __________ you __________(win)?

Alice: Of course I __________ (win)!

Robert: What __________ you __________ (do) after your tennis match.

Alice: Well, I __________ (go) home and __________ (take) a shower and then __________ (go)

out.

Robert: __________ you __________ (eat) in a restaurant?

Alice: Yes, my friend Jacky and I __________ (eat) at 'The Good Fork'

Robert: __________ you __________ (enjoy) your dinner?

Alice: Yes, we __________ (enjoy) our dinner very much thank you. We also __________ (drink)

some wonderful wine!

Robert: Unfortunately, I __________ __________ (go – NEGATIVE) out this weekend. I

__________ __________ (eat – NEGATIVE) in a restaurant and I __________ __________ (play –

NEGATIVE) tennis.

Alice: What __________ you __________ (do)?

Robert: I __________ (stay) home and __________ (study) for my test!

Alice: Poor you!

2. WAS or WERE?1. A man ___ walking his dog. 2. A lot of people ___ shopping.

a. was a. wasb. were b. were

3. Tom and Sarah ___ watching television. 4. Two teenage boys ___ fighting.a. was a. wasb. were b. were

5. Sally ___ jogging with her friend this morning. 6. Another man ___ watching her.a. was a. wasb. were b. were

7. The students ___ using the computer lab. 8. The young newly weds __ sleeping.a. was a. wasb. were b. were

9. A baby ___ crying. 10. A lot of people ___ working.a. was a. wasb. were b. were



3. Fill in the blanks with the simple past or past continuous form of the verbs.

A: Hi, Mary. I ________________ (see/neg.) you at school last Monday.

B: Hello, Bob. I ________________ (come/neg.) on Monday. I wasn't ________________ (feel) well,

so I ________________ (decide) to go to the doctor.

A: Oh! ________________ (be) it serious?

B: No, the doctor ________________ (examine) me and ________________ (tell) me I

________________ (have) the flu. He ________________ (prescribe) some medicine and

________________ (tell) me to go home and rest.

A: _________ you ________ (stay) home all day last Monday?

B: No, only in the morning. I ________________ (have) to work in the afternoon, and guess what?

A: What?

B: When a friend ________________ (drive) me home, he ________________ (crash) his car. He

________________ (see/neg.) the red light.

A: _________ anyone _________ (get) hurt?

B: Thank God, nobody ________________ (do).

A: I'm happy to hear that. Well, Mary, I have to rush now. While I ________________ (listen) to your

story, I ________________ (remember) that my wife ________________ (ask) me to go to the

mechanic to get our car. See you later. Take care.

A Lovely Day

Yesterday (1)___________ a lovely day. I (2)___________ on a picnic with my family. We

(3)___________ to Oatly Park. The weather was warm and (4)___________. We (5)___________

on the grass under a tree and (6)___________ a delicious lunch. It was very pleasant.

After lunch, we (7)___________ for a walk around the park and (8)___________. On the way home

we (9)___________ at a cafe for afternoon tea. It (10)___________ delicious, too. We had a very

nice day.

These are the words to choose from:

go sunny sit have drive go be be talk stop

READING COMPREHENSION

Out To LunchAll morning, all that Ted could think about was eating lunch. He got up late and did not get a chance

to eat breakfast before the school bus arrived. Ted was hoping to have a Ham sandwich. Ham is

Ted's favorite lunchmeat. Ted also enjoys apples, but doesn't like the yellow or green ones. At

lunchtime Ted ran to the cafeteria. When he got in line he asked for Ham sandwich, but they only

had Tuna and Turkey. Ted is allergic to Tuna, so he asked for the Turkey. He ate the sandwich so

fast that he gave himself the hiccups.



ANSWER THE QUESTIONS:1. Why is Ted so hungry for lunch?a. He ate too much b. He didn't eat breakfast todayc. He didn't eat lunch yesterday d. He didn't eat dinner yesterday

2. What is Ted's favorite lunch meat?a. ham b. turkey c. salami d. bologna

3. What color apple might you find in Ted's lunch box?a. yellow b. green c. red d. Ted doesn't like apples

4. Which lunch item should Ted never eat?a. ham b. turkey c. apples d. tuna.

Find Someone Who...

went to a movie this week ________ didn't take a bath today________

got up before 7:00 AM today________ didn't wear earrings today________

was born in May________ played basketball last week________

went to Acapulco last year________ kissed somebody today________

didn't have breakfast today________ ate a big breakfast today________

drank tea yesterday afternoon________ watched TV last night ________

A Terrible Day

Yesterday (1)___________ a terrible day. I (2)___________ to a barbeque at a friend's place. I

(3)___________ the bus to Fairfield but the bus was an hour (4)___________. Because I

(5)___________ late, everyone had already started eating. So, there (6)___________ no food left. I

was very (7)___________

On the way home, the bus (8)___________ a flat tire. Then I had to walk home but it

(9)___________ to rain. I (10)___________ very wet. I had a terrible day yesterday.

These are the words to choose from:

arrive be get start take go have be late angry


Basic Verb ListRegular Verbs -

Infinitive Present

3rd person

Preterit/Past

Participle Spanish

To ask ask, asks asked asked Pedir preguntar

To call call, calls called called Llamar

To change change, changes

changed changed Cambiar

To decide decide decides

decided decided Decider

To end end, ends ended ended Terminar

To help help, helps helped helped Ayudar

To land land, lands landed landed Aterrizar

To like like, likes liked liked Gustar

To love love, loves loved loved Amar

To look look, looks looked looked Lucir/Mirar

To move, moves moved

move moved Mover/Mudarse

To need need, needs

needed needed Necesitar

To play play, plays played played Jugar/tocar instrumento

musical

To show, show shows

showed showed Mostrar

To study study, studies

studied studied Estudiar

To talk talks talk talked talked Platicar

To turn turn, turns turned turned Voltear

To walk walk, walks

walked walked Caminar

To want want, wants

wanted wanted Querer

Irregular Verbs

Infinitive Present 3rd

personPreterit Past

ParticipleTranslation

be is am are was were been Ser/estar

begin begin begins

began begun Comenzar/empezar

break break breaks

broke broken Romper

bring bring brings

brought brought Traer

buy buy buys bought bought Comprar

catch catch catches

caught caught Atrapar

choose choose chooses

chose chosen Escoger

come come comes

came come Venir

cost cost costs cost cost Costar

cut cut cuts cut cut Cortar

do do does did done Hacer

drink drink drinks

drank drunk Beber

drive drive, drives

drove driven Conducir

eat eat eats ate eaten Comer

fall fall falls fell fallen Caer

feel feel feels felt felt Sentir

fight fight fights fought fought Pelear

find find finds found found Encontrar

fly fly flies flew flown Volar

forget forget forgets

forgot forgotten Olvidar

freeze freeze, freezes

froze frozen Congelar

get get gets got gotten Conseguir/

obtener

give give gives gave Given Dar

go go goes went gone Ir

have have has had had Tener

hear hear hears heard heard Oir

hide hide hides hid hidden Esconder/ocultar

hit hit hits hit hit Golpear

hurt hurt hurts hurt hurt Herir/lastimar/doler

keep keep keeps

kept kept Mantener/conserver

know know knows

knew known Saber/conocer

leave leave leaves

left left Dejar/abandoner

lend lend lends lent lent Prestart

let let lets let let Permitir

lose lose loses lost lost Perder

make make makes

made made Hacer

meet meet meets

met met Reunirse

pay pay pays paid paid Pagar

put put puts put put Poner

quit quit quits quit quit Renunciar

read read reads read read Leer

ride ride rides rode ridden Montar

say say says said said Decir

see see sees saw seen Ver

sell sell sells sold sold Vender

send send sends

sent sent Enviar

shake shake shook shaken Agitar

shakes

shut shut shuts shut shut Cerrar

sing sing sings sang sung Cantar

sit sit sits sat sat Sentar

sleep sleep sleeps

slept slept Dormer

speak speak speaks

spoke spoken Hablar

spend spend spends

spent spent Gastar/pasar tiempo

spread spread spreads

spread spread Extender/distribuir

steal steal steals

stole stolen Robar

stick stick sticks stuck stuck Pegar (resistol)

swim swim swims

swam swum Nadir

take take takes took taken Tomar/agarrar

teach teach teaches

taught taught Enseñar

tell tell tells told told Decir

think think thinks

thought thought Pensar

throw throw throws

threw thrown Arrojar

wake wake wakes

woke woken despertar

wear wear wears

wore worn Usar (ropa)

win win wins won won Ganar (competencia)

write write writes

wrote written Escribir

What did you do last weekend?

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Documents

Past Simple & Past Continuous Beginner leveltesukenglish.wikispaces.com/file/view/Simple+past+lesson... · Web viewBeginner level Julio 2010 Universidad Tecnológica de Nezahualcóyotl