Find out with this exercise if you know when to use the past continuous and when to use the simple past. Learn the difference between the simple past and the past progressive in english grammar. The car came out of the side road and then the van drove into the back of it. A 2page worksheet contrasting the past simple and the past continuous. Complete list of past continuous forms use 1 interrupted action in the past use the past continuous to indicate that a longer action in the past was interrupted. It includes a brief explanation followed by 4 different exercises in which students are asked to look at the picture a. The action in past simple interrupted the action in past continuous. Heres another interactive exercise about the past simple and past continuous tenses choose the correct tense. Aug 18, 2009 please if there is any mistake in the use of the past simple, past continuous and past perfect. The past continuous tense is most commonly used when two past actions, one interrupting the other and one longer than the other, happened at the same time. Choose simple past or past continuous tense to complete the sentences. Complete the following sentences using appropriate simple past or past continuous forms. Past perfect continuous i had been working past perfect simple i had worked. The text presents and compares first the simple present and present progressive, including their use with stative verbs, then the simple past and past progressive.
It is used to talk about something that was happening at some time in the past. After students read and answer the questions there is a chart to help them practice writing affirmative. Why 4 the participant was answering a question when the show ended. We can use the past simple to talk about things we did in the.
Grammar6 present continuous and present simple explanations present continuous to talk about things happening at the moment, use the present continuous. Grammar worksheet past continuous 15 sentences fill in the gaps to complete each sentence. A short grammar guide and two exercises to practise past simple and past continuous. To talk about a shorter action that happened in the middle of a longer action, we use the simple past. English grammar today a reference to written and spoken english grammar and usage cambridge. In this situation, the simple past tense is used for the shorter action and the past continuous. Home page grammar exercises preintermediate grammar exercises preintermediate level. Practise your english grammar in the english classroom. When i got home, i really needed not was needing a shower. Past past continuous i was working past continuous or past simple. Present perfect and past simple contrasted english grammar.
Grammar quiz all things grammar grammar focus past continuous level intermediate answer key note following the quiz, have your learners correct the wrong sentences see below. The interruption is usually something in the simple past. Simple past or past progressive english tense comparison. Although they are both past tenses their uses are quite different. We use the past simple for something that happened and finished in the past. Whether we choose to use the past continuous or past simple often depends on how we see the past. Continuous form the form is the same for all persons he left at three oclock. Here we show you the present perfect and past simple contrasted so you can see the difference between each one and when it should be used and not. The past continuous and simple past tenses are commonly used together.
We use it when we say or know the time when something happened. Grammar past simple, past continuous and past perfect. Point out that the past continuous focuses on a specific moment in the past. Past and past continuous reading comprehension and grammar. You can do the exercises online or download the worksheet as pdf. Present simple to talk about habits and routines use the present simple. We use it when we want to emphasize the continuing process of an activity or the period of that activity. Past continuous and past simple grammar beginner to. Past perfect an upperintermediate grammar worksheet fromanna grammarz the past perfect simple and continuous the past perfect simple is used to say that one action happened before another action in the past. Past continuous and past simple 4 segna le frasi corrette.
I playi played, i worki worked we add d to verbs ending in consonant y, we drop the y and add ied. The past continuous of any verb is composed of two parts. We talked about her birthday and she invited me to her party. I play the flute you not watch tv he not read she laugh with her friends it not snow we have. Explanation of the simple past, past continuous and past perfect form and use slideshare uses cookies to improve functionality and performance, and to provide you with relevant advertising. Grammar past continuous and past simple past continuous.
Simple past and past continuous exercises i went i was going. He asked me how i liked it, and i had to admit it was great. A few hours later i encountered a short explanation of the same grammar by, and i realised that i wanted to share both with my friends on the internet. Functions of the past continuous the past continuous describes actions or events in a time before now, which began in the past and were still going on when. Home english grammar lessons verb tenses past continuous tense simple past vs past continuous exercise print exercises and lessons. We often use these tenses to show an action interrupting another action. Grammar past perfect, past simple, and past continuous. I was having past continuous a bath when the telephone rang simple past. Past simple october 9, 2019 february 24, 2020 by admin no comments we use the past simple to talk about actions and states which we see as completed in the past. We use the past continuous to say that a longer action in the past was interrupted. Rob in todays programme were talking about the past simple and the past continuous tenses emma yes, well look at when we use each tense rob. The simple past and the past continuous are two tenses commonly used to make general statements about the past. We use the past continuous to talk about past events which went on for a period of time.
May be freely copied for personal or classroom use. When we use these two tenses together, it shows us that the past simple action happened in the middle of the past continuous action, while it was in progress. Use a finished action in the past we met in 2007 action that follow each other in a story mary walked into the room and stopped a past. Present continuous positive form exercise simple present past past continuous past continuous. Read each situation below and answer the following questions. She wasnt knowing didnt know that i was watching watched her while she was singing. To talk about a longer background action which was going on when something else happened, we use the past continuous.
We were having lunch when someone knocked on the door. Write various examples on the board of sentences combining the past simple and past continuous. Past continuous and past simple page 2 of 3 test english. Past continuous is an english verb tense to show continuing actions in the past. Past simple and past continuous tense english grammar. I have to join these sentences with the words in brackets and using the correct form of these tenses. The simple past tense is only used to say that something happened at some time in the past. We use the past continuous to talk about longer actions in progress at some point in the past, and we use past simple to talk about shorter finished actions in the past.
Past simple and past continuous 6 minute grammar youtube. Answers to past simple or past continuous exercise 2. Jun 22, 2015 yesterday a friend sent me a song hed written that uses only the past simple and past continuous tenses. English tenses examples, 100 examples of past present and future tense table of contents simple present tensepresent continuous tensepresent perfect tensepresent perfect continuous tensesimple past tensepast continuous tensepast perfect tensepast perfect continuous tensesimple future tensefuture continuous tensefuture perfect tensefuture perfect continuous tense simple. The past simple shows us that an action was in the past, not in the present. October 4, 20 to talk about two simultaneous short actions we use simple tenses. Find the verbs in the past simple and write them in the boxes. Combined with the past simple tense to describe the idea that the action in the past continuous started before the action in the past simple and continued after it.
Students often get confuse in past continuous tense that whether they have to use waswere or isamare. Go over differences in usage between the past simple and past continuous. Learn english with lets talk free english lessons 333,579 views. The action had not finished at a particular time in the past. As i was walking in the streets of holland, i met an old friend of mine. Past continuous exercise 1 past continuous exercise 2 simple past vs past continuous exercise 2 3 simple past exercises pdf. Spelling we form the past simple of most regular verbs by adding ed to the main verb. The past continuous tense an elementary grammar worksheet fromanna grammarz the past continuous tense has these uses. When the teacher came in, they were studying english. We use the past simple with these time expressions. Worksheet 2 past simple and past continuous 1 complete the sentences with the correct past simple or past continuous form of the verbs in brackets. Here\\\\s a little story i wrote which uses the past and past continuous tenses. It was raining when we came out of the shopping centre.
My chinese teacher has given use present perfect, anyway. The interruption is usually a shorter action in the simple past. I was watching a film when she called me on my mobile. Past continuous tense is very important and past continuous exercises are as important as it is. We use the past progressive to talk about actions were in progress at special time in the past. In this case, the simple past tense is used to refer to the shorter action that happens in the middle of a longer background action. Whether we choose to use the past continuous or past simple often depends on how we see the past events. Past simple used when talking about something that happened in the past at a specific time. We were playing volleyball with mary when you called me. Present simple past simple past continuous past simple. English grammar today a reference to written and spoken english grammar and usage cambridge dictionary. Past simple or past continuous worksheet 1 grammarbank. Finally, click here to download this exercise in pdf with answers. The simple past unit includes pronunciation of ed endings and special practice on irregular verbs.
Simple past vs past continuous exercise grammarbank. To make questions in the past continuous, put waswere before the subject and add the ing form of the verb. I played on the swings and the slide but i didnt go on the roundabout. This grammar lesson has links to tests, music, and more. Use your imagination to answer the questions in the simple past. Past continuous is also called past progressive because it refers to actions that were, at a certain moment in the past, in progress. The past continuous and the past simple help us to show how two past actions or situations are connected. We use the simple past to express completed, sequential actions.
Yesterday, last week,last month, last year, two days weeks months years ago, in 1957, etc. We use the english past simple tense for something that happened and finished in the past. Past simple and past continuous inspiration macmillan. This lesson is based on the premier league skills english podcast. Past simple and past continuous games to learn english.
Past simple or past continuous worksheet 1 answers. English esl past simple and past continuous worksheets. The past progressive describes actions or events in a time before now, which began in the past and is still going on at the time of speaking in other words, it expresses an unfinished or incomplete action in the past uses of the past progressive. We can use the past simple and the past continuous in the same sentence structure with different meanings. Zeina and rana were born and went school in aleppo, but they hadnt met until they were at university. We use the past progressive to set the scene and emphasise the process or duration of a past action. Grammar board game past continuous 36 squares, each asking about what that person was doing at a specific time speak for at least 1minute per roll. Oct 22, 2016 the past continuous tense i was sleeping free english grammar lesson duration.