Past Simple and Past continuous exercises.

PAST SIMPLE vs PAST CONTINUOUS

PAST SIMPLE                                                                                     
a.-) we use the past simple to talk about a complete event in the past.
                        Yesterday I went to the library 
b.-) we use the past simple to talk about one event that followed another event.
                        When I left university, I went to work for a private school. 

PAST CONTINUOUS 
a.-) we use the past continuous to talk about an action that was in progress, when something else happened.
                             Last Saturday I was watching TV when my cousin phoned. 
b.-) In a story we use the past continuous to say what was in progress, when something happened.
                             The children were playing football in the park. Suddenly it started to rain. 

Write the correct form of the verbs 

+ I (not see) __________ Susan, when I (walk) ____________ in  the park.
+ While she (do) __________ her homework, her father (come)  ___________ home.
+ When David (see) __________ Tom, he (not work) ___________,  he(sleep) ___________ at his desk.
+ The burglar (come) __________ while they (play) ____________  some loud music.
+ They (not hear) __________ the burglar because they (play)  ____________ the music too loudly.
+ The dog (bark) ___________, but nobody (come) __________.
+ I (watch) ___________ TV when my aunt (arrive) _________.
+ He (study) __________ in Salamanca when the Civil War  (begin) ___________.
+ The lion (not hunt) ___________ when the man (shoot)  __________ him.
+ We (play) ___________ cards when the fire (start) ___________.
+ He (give) _________ her the ring as the train (leave) _________.
+ They (see) ____________ the monkeys while they (visit)  ___________ the zoo.
+ We (drive) ___________ to the hospital when the baby (be  born) ____________.
+ Shakira (sing) ___________ in a concert when she (lose)  ___________ her voice.
+ The police (stop) ___________ me because I (not / wear)  ___________ any clothes.
+ What ___________ (you / do) when the accident (happen)  ___________?
+ While we (walk) __________ in the mountains we (see)  ___________ bear tracks.
+ My neighbour (meet) _____________ her husband while she  (travel) _____________ around Spain.
+ The students (play) ____________ games on the computer  when the teacher (arrive) ___________.
+ Jim (break) ____________ his leg when he (play) __________  golf.
+ I (see) _________ an old friend while I (wait) __________ for  the bus.
+ My mother (lose) ___________her purse when she (walk)  __________ home.
+ I (do) ____________ my homework when the storm (begin)  ____________.
+ While I (have) __________ a shower, the lights (go out)  ___________.
+ When the bell (ring) _________, we (play) ___________ football.
+ When the students (run) _______ in the park, Cristina (fall  over) _____________.
+ The storm (start) _________while we (have) lunch __________.
+ My mother (cut) bread ___________ when she (cut) _________  her finger.
+ What (you / do) ____________ after you (get) ________ home?  I (have ) __________ a shower and then I (do) ___________ my  homework.
+ When I (leave) ________ school, I (go) _________ to Dublin and I (study) ___________ English for three months.

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Past Simple and Past Continuous.

PAST SIMPLE

Form

• We form the past simple of regular verbs by adding -ed to the infinitive. (V+ED)
                       The camp finished at the end of August.
                       Your friends called about the party.
• Many common verbs are irregular in the positive. (2 COLUMN)
                       I went to the Canary Islands in the summer.
                      We had a long chat on the phone.
• We use the auxiliaries didn’t and did with the infinitive without to to form negatives and questions with regular and irregular verbs. (DID/DIDN´T)
                      He didn’t like the concert much.
                      Did you see what they were doing?

Use

• We use the past simple to talk about finished actions or states in the past.
                     I saw you with him on Saturday.
                     We went to Jack’s house last night.
                     That was a fantastic film!

PAST CONTINUOUS

Form.

• We form the past continuous by using was/were + Ving

                    I was playing music last monday at 5 o´clock.

                    She was eating spaguetti when he arrived.

                    They were speaking French when she arrived.

• We make the negative form with wasn´t or weren't.

                    I wasn't playing music

                    They weren't speaking French...

Gramática

1.- Past simple
El "past simple" describe una acción pasada ya finalizada.

When I was young I lived in Madrid (ahora vivo en Barcelona)

2.- Past continuous
Indica que una acción se estaba desarrollando en cierto momento del pasado al cual se hace referencia. No dice si la acción ya finalizó o todavía continuaba.

When the mother came home her husband was playing with the kids (no sabemos si terminó de jugar en ese momento o continuó jugando)

A veces se describen dos acciones simultáneas que tuvieron lugar en el pasado. En dicho caso, se utiliza el "past imple" para describir aquella que finalizó y el "past continuous" para aquella otra que estaba ocurriendo cuando la primera tuvo lugar.

Yesterday evening when you called me I was having a shower
When the parents arrived home the children were watching TV

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English Corner: Past Simple and Past Perfect

English Corner: Past Simple and Past Perfect

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Reported Speech

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Past Simple and Past Perfect

Audio by Evoca

Listen to this link. Here you will find some clues to understand each tense and when you can use each of them.

Tips:
When you talk about things which occured in the past and you want to emphasize which of them occured before.

- Past Perfect: The first action you did.
- Past Simple: The second action you did.

Examples.

When my father arrived I had already gone. 

(you left before, it's the first action in time)

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