Past Simple or Continuous?
I ___ (walk) down the street when I saw a friend.
was walking
I _____ (not talk) on the phone when you arrived
wasn't talking
I thought he done the wrong thing.
he did / he had done
We ___ already _____ (eat) when John ______ (come) home.
We had already eaten when John came home.
We use the ___________ for actions that started and finished in the past
past simple
While George ______ (clean) his room, his mother ______ (cook) dinner.
was cleaning / was cooking
He ______ (not meet) his girlfriend while he ______(live) in London
didn't meet / was living
It hasn't rained last week.
didn't rain
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 background information and to describe a scene that continued for some time.
Past continuous
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
We were really good friends. We had known each other since years.
for years
I _______ (open) my handbag to find that I _________ (forget) my credit card.
I opened my handbag to find that I had forgotten my credit card.
We use the ___________ to talk about a sequence of actions in the past.
past simple
We ______ (talk) about the movie while we ______ (walk) home
were talking / were walking
It had been raining that day so we decided to stay at home
It hadn't been raining that day so we decided to go out
It hadn't been raining that day so we decided not to stay at home
At first I thought I did the right thing, but I soon realised that I make a big mistake.
I had done the right thing
I had made a big mistake
I ________ (know) my husband for three years when we ________ (get) married.
I had known my husband for three years when we got married.
We often use the _________ and ___________ together when one action interrupts another.
past simple and past continuous
Every day I ________ (see) her I ______ (love) her more and more.
saw / loved
He ________(not be) to Cape Town before 1997.
hadn't been
I couldn't see anything as I lost my glasses.
I had lost
First I tidied the flat, then I _____(sit) down and had a cup of coffee.
First I tidied the flat, then I sat down and had a cup of coffee.
We use the _________with the _________ together in a sentence to describe an action that happened before another past action.
past perfect / past simple