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Simple Past vs.PastContinuous

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Use the simple

past for:1) action thathappened in the

past and is . . .over, done,finished

Use the past

continuous for:1) action that was inprogress at a specificpoint in the pastOR

2) focusing on an

action that continuedfor a long time in thepast

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Grammar

Structure:

Here are some remindersabout how to make thesimple past and pastcontinuous:

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Simple Past (Examples)

Action that was completed in the past:

Tom went fishing last week.

I worked until 2:00 p.m. yesterday.

My family came to visit me last year.

*Time Expressions frequently used withthe simple past:yesterday, last ______,past dates (in 1990), _____ ago, etc.

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Past Continuous (Examples)

Action that was in progress at aparticular point in the past:

At 2:00 yesterday, Tom was playing

soccer.Sophia wasnt home last night when Icalled her. I think she was working.

Lisa and her husband were visiting uslast week.

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The simple past: form

English has two typesof verbs in the pasttense:

taught walkedstudied

gave becamecried

lived did

Look at the following

list of past tenseverbswhich verbs areregular, and which

are irregular?

Regular verbs Irregular verbs

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Affirmative sentences with: regular verbs

When I was a child, I ___________ the piano.

Donna ______________ and _______________in Paris when she was younger.

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Affirmative sentences with:irregular verbs

Last week, I ___________ you a letter.

The students _____________ a speech in

English. They __________ a great job!

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The verb TO BE

Remember the forms of the verb TOBE for the simple past tense:

I, He, She, It WAS

They, We, You WERE

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Simple Past (Negative)

For all verbs (EXCEPTtobe), use:

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1) Sara worked yesterday.Sara didnt work yesterday.

2) They had an argument.They didnt have an argument.

3) Sam took classes last year.Sam didnt take classes last year.

4) I learned how to sew.I didnt learn how to sew.

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VERB TO BE (Negative)

For this verb ONLY, never use didnt.Simply ADD the word NOTafter theverb.

I was tired. I was NOTtired.

She was here. She was NOThere.

They are happy. They are NOThappy.

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Interrogative form

SIMPLE PAST (YES/NO QUESTIONS)

SHORT ANSWERS

Yes,it didNo,they didnt

Did Subject Verb Complement

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SIMPLE PAST (YES/NO QUESTIONS WITH

THE VERB TO BE)SHORT ANSWERS

Yes, it wasNo, they werent

SIMPLE PAST (WH-QUESTIONS)

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SIMPLE PAST (WH-QUESTIONS WITH THE VERB TO BE)

It fell downbecause

They lived in

Itwas closedbecauseTheywere

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The Past Continuous:

Dont forget that the VERB TO BE ispart of this structure.

I, He, She, ItWAS

You, We, They WERE

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Examples

(Affirmative sentences):

My mom was trying to call me last

night, but I wasnt home.

The kids were studying last night at9:00.

I was cleaning my house all day

yesterday.

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Past Continuous (Negative)

For this tense, simply ADD the wordNOTafter the verb TO BE.

They were arguing last night.

They were NOTarguing last night.

She was yelling at me.

She was NOTyelling at me.

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Past Continuous

(Interrogative)

PAST CONTINUOUS/PROGRESSIVE (YES/NO QUESTIONS)

SHORT ANSWERS

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PAST CONTINUOUS (WH-QUESTIONS)

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Important Note aboutPast Continuous!

Some verbs are NOT typically used inthe continuous tense. Instead, weprefer to use these verbs in the simpletenses (simple present or past).

These verbs are called STATIVE (ornon-action) verbs. Here are someexamples:want like love hateknow need see hearbelieve understand have (possession)

forget remember belong

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Examples:

I liked Rome.

NOT: I was liking Rome.

She had a headache.NOT: She was having a headache.

I knew the answer.

NOT: I was knowing the answer.

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Using both tenses together:

Sometimes we use both the simplepast and the past continuous

together to mean . . .

That one action (simple past)interrupted a continuing action (pastcontinuous)

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1.Dan burned his hand while he wascooking dinner.

=in the middle of cooking dinner, heburned his hand.

2. When Helen called, we werehaving dinner.

=in the middle of eating dinner, Helencalled.

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We can use 2 verbs in pastcontinuous to say that two actions

were happening simultaneously in thepast:

Ex. Jim was at the park. He wassitting on the grass and reading.

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For more practice . . .

1) Go to this website:www.ecc6.blogspot.com2) On the right side, click on Grammar

Site. Then click on 330.3) Click on Grammar, and then go down

the page to Verbs. Click on activitiesfor Simple Past and Past Continuous.

These activities give excellentexplanation and practice.

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And . . .

Remember to ask yourteacher or anotherclassmate if you needhelp.

Your teacher can give

you more explanation,examples, andexercises if you needthem.