PAST CONTINUOUS

Situation

Form

SP vTO BE+ V ing

Use

a.- Action in progress in the past🡪

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Yesterday at 10 I was playing tennis

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b.- Two actions in the past (long and short) or

One action that interrupts another

Adverbs:When+SP or While+PC

PC+when+SP

When+SP+PC

While+PC+SP

SP+while+PC

• I was reading a book when the phone rang
• When the phone rang I was reading a book.
• While I was reading a book the phone rang
• The phone rang while I was reading a book

Adverbs

• As+PC+PC (two parallel actions in the past)

As he was reading she was playing tennis

• During
• For a long time
• The whole day
• All night

Oral practice

1.- A woman was coming out of the bank

2.- Two men were entering the hairdresser’s

3.- A man was waiting for the bus

4.- A man was washing his car

5.- Two girls were running

6.- A woman was feeding the pidgeons

7.- Two men were sitting on a bench

8.- Two children were buying ice creams

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Drill. Join ideas with WHEN/WHILE

1. I/ work in the garden - she/call at my house
2. my parents/come home - you/see me –
3. I/do the shopping - I/ride my bike
4. He/have an accident - We/drive the car –
5. the police/stop us - we/sit in the park
6. I/study chemistry - you/come
7. The teacher/arrive - we/write these exercises
8. Peter/travel to Madrid - he/have an accident
9. The phone/ring - she/have breakfast
10. The MP3/break down - we/listen to some music
11. The boy/fall asleep - he/read this novel
12. We ride on our bikes - David/fall off
13. My father/do the shopping - he/see Anne
14. I/do some homework - Paul/call
15. He/eat a curry - he/feel ill

Practice

Exercise 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 , 9, 10