3. The man was reading a book (past continuous)

Past simple vs. Past continuous

While Paco was flying from the United Kingdom to the USA other people were doing other things. Listen to the following video to see what all those people were doing at that moment. Pay special attention to pronunciation and vocabulary.

Try to name at least 20 out of the 55 actions in the video.

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1. He was protesting.
2. He was counting.
3. She was complaining.
4. She was holding some books.
5. She was modelling.
6. She was cutting a ribbon.
7. She was campaigning.
8. He was gloating.
9. She was reading a book.
10. She was teaching.
11. She was bleeding.
12. He was ordering a pizza.
13. He was delivering a pizza.
14. They were taking photos.
15. She was ordering a glass of wine.
16. He was crying.
17. They were stripping.
18. She was giving her son a Christmas present.
19. He was writing on the wall.
20. He was making toast.
21. They were weightlifting.
22. They were throwing up (=vomiting).
23. They were watching TV.
24. They were eating pasta.
25. He was screaming.
26. He was digging.
27. They were riding bikes.
28. He was riding a bike.
29. She was telling someone off.
30. He was explaining something.
31. She was tramping.
32. She was falling.
33. He was singing and playing the guitar.
34. He was celebrating.
35. He was delivering some documents.
36. She was picking mushrooms.
37. He was filling up his tank.
38. He was riding in a hot air balloon.
39. He was shooting.
40. She was pushing her baby.
41. He was threatening someone.
42. She was giving him a cup of tea.
43. She was giving him some money.
44. He was refusing to get up.
45. She was kicking something.
46. He was running.
47. She was giving him a hat.
48. She was reading the paper.
49. They were dancing.
50. She was giving them some cocoa.
51. They were swimming.
52. She was drawing.
53. She was apologising.
54. She was throwing something in the bin.
55. She was flying.

Important

Remember that the main difference between the Past Simple and the Past Continuous tenses, apart from that of how they are formed, is that the past simple refers to actions that started and finished in the past. The past continuous, however, is used to refer to actions that were in progress in the past. Those actions are frequently interrupted by other actions in the past simple tense or by a specific time. Have a look at the examples below to understand it.

Past Simple	Past Continuous
When she phoned,	I was having dinner.
	At 19.00 p.m. yesterday, Paco was flying to Johannesburg.
Paco flew from the UK to the US a fortnight ago.

Solved exercise

In the text in Section 1 there is just one verb in the past continuous tense. Find it . What is the relationship between this verb and the other verb in the subordinate clause (when...)?

Further knowledge

Although we will study it in depth later in the unit, click here to remind yourself of the form and main uses of the past continuous tense. You can also improve your knowledge on the use of the past simple and the past continuous tenses by doing this exercise. Come on! Don't hesitate, both websites are very useful to improve your English!

Pregunta

In all languages it is common to combine verb tenses when talking about the past, mainly in narration. That is one of the reasons why you must master the use and forms of past tenses. As you have seen, Paco has maintained an interesting conversation with a foreign man on the plane. Let's see if you have improved your English as much as Paco has.

Decide which of the following sentences answers the explanation provided.

By Ack Ook. C. Commons.

1. When Paco arrived at the airport, Sonia was making dinner.

Respuestas

Opción 1

a. Sonia started cooking then Paco arrived.

Opción 2

b. First Paco arrived, then Sonia made dinner.

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Correct! The past continuous shows that Sonia had started making dinner before Paco arrived and she was still making it when Paco arrived at the airport.

Incorrect! The past continuous shows that Sonia had started making dinner before Paco arrived and she was still making it when Paco arrived at the airport.

Writing activity

By Olivander. C. Commons

As we know past tenses are very frequently used whenever we have to narrate events. This is due to the fact that narration centers mainly on past events. Now it's time for you to write a short narrative.

Here you have some links that can help you: Writing Center and Writing Checklist.

Write a paragraph of no less than 80 words beginning with:

When I arrived home, Sarah was waiting for me at my door.

That's all folks! Can you remember who said those words? (Click here to find out). And what do they mean? That's all about this section of the topic. In the last section we will work a bit on adjectives and comparisons. Don't be afraid of adjectives, they are very easy!!! Come on! Let's go on to the last section!

3. The man was reading a book (past continuous)

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Important

Solved exercise

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Further knowledge

Pregunta

Respuestas

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Solution

Pregunta

Respuestas

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Solution

Pregunta

Respuestas

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Solution

Writing activity

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