Past Simple or Continuous?
At 4 pm last Tuesday I __________ (work) in the office.
was working
I _____ (not talk) on the phone when you arrived.
wasn't talking
We ___ already _____ (eat) when John ______ (come) home.
We had already eaten when John came home.
We use the ___________ to talk about one thing or a sequence of things that took place in the past and are finished.
past simple
drink and sink
drink / drank / drunk
sink / sank / sunk
George ______ (clean) his room while his mother ______ (cook) dinner.
was cleaning / was cooking
He ______ (not meet) his girlfriend while he ______(live) in London.
didn't meet / was living
When I ______(get) to the airport I discovered that I ________ (forget) my passport.
When I got to the airport I discovered I had forgotten my passport.
We use the _____________ for actions in progress that took place in the past and are finished.
Past continuous
feel and fall
feel / felt / felt
fall / fell / fallen
The children ______ (forget) their lunch at home every day last week.
forgot
I ____ (not date) my friend's girlfriend while he ____ (recover) in hospital.
wasn't dating / was recovering
I _______ (open) my handbag to find that I _________ (leave) my credit card at home.
I opened my handbag to find that I had left my credit card at home.
We use the _________________ tense to set the scene or describe what was happening before the main action you’re narrating began.
past continuous
catch and teach
catch / caught / caught
teach / taught / taught
He______ (drink) beer when he ______ (start) feeling sick.
was drinking/ started
It ____ (not rain) yesterday morning so we _______(decide) to hang out the laundry.
wasn't raining / decided
I ________ (know) my husband for three years before we ________ (get) married.
I had known my husband for three years before we got married.
We often use the _________ and ___________ together when one action interrupts another in the past.
past simple and past continuous
throw and shake
throw / threw / thrown
shake / shook / shaken
Every time I ________ (see) her I ______ (love) her more and more.
saw / loved
He ________(not go) to any museums when he _____ (visit) London last week.
didn't go / visited
By the time I ___________(arrive) at the station, the train _______________ (leave)
By the time I arrived at the station, the train had left.
We use the _________with the _________ together in a sentence to describe something that happened before something else in the past.
past perfect / past simple
forecast and broadcast
forecast / forecast / forecast
broadcast / broadcast / broadcast