Past Continuous or Simple Past
Last night, my soccer team _____ (lose) the game by 1 point.
Last night, my soccer team lost the game by 1 point.
_____ (you/read) when the electricity _______ (go) off?
Were you reading when the electricity went off?
My parents _____ (cook) dinner when I arrived.
My parents were not/weren't cooking dinner when I arrived.
The Past Continuous form is:
Subject + to be (in the past tense) + verb -ing + rest of the sentence
Correct
I __________ (type) my text, when the electricity ____ (go) off.
I was typing my text when the electricity went off.
When you_____(tell) that scary story, I_____(sleep) on the couch.
When you were telling that scary story, I was sleeping on the couch.
_______ (you/take) your dog for a walk when the car _______ (crash) into the shop?
Were you taking your dog for a walk when the car crashed into the shop?
We ________ (carry) an umbrella when it started to rain.
We were not/weren't carrying an umbrella when it started to rain.
In the Past Continuous, you must add -ing at the end of the main verb.
Correct
He _____ (lose) his wallet while he _________ (jog) in the park.
He lost his wallet while he was jogging in the park.
Alexis ____ (feel) bad yesterday because she ____ (negative, sing) well.
Alexis felt bad yesterday because she didn't sing well.
Form a Wh- question in the Past Continuous.
He was feeling nervous about the exam.
How was he feeling about the exam?
Greg ________ (study) when we went to his house.
Greg was not/wasn't studying when we went to his house.
The Past Continuous is used to describe an action that happened and finished in the past.
Incorrect
The Simple Past describes an action that happened and finished in the past.
Mr. and Mrs. Davis ______ (trip) and _____ (fall) while they ______ (dance).
Mr. and Mrs. David tripped and fell while they were dancing.
Sun _____ (go) to Busan last month. She _____ (cut) her foot on the beach and _____ (have) to get stitches.
Sun went to Busan last month. She cut her foot on the beach and had to get stitches.
When you _____ (arrive) at the party, ____ (Isaac/dance)?
When you arrived at the party, was Isaac dancing?
Form a negative sentence in the Past Continuous with these words:
Jay/look/forward/Amid/Monday/to/and
Jay and Amid were not/weren't looking forward to Monday.
Incorrect
Omar was skiing down the slope.
While she _________ (cook), the telephone ______ (ring).
While she was cooking, the telephone rang.
When they arrived, everybody _____ (watch) a movie.
When they arrived, everybody was watching a movie.
Form a Wh- question in the Past Continuous.
Anouk and Farid were running down the street to catch the bus.
Why were Anouk and Farid running down the street?
Form a negative sentence in the Past Continuous with these words:
my/hard/work/on/I/project
I was not/wasn't working hard on my project.
The Past Continuous can be used to describe an interrupted action in the past.
Correct
I _____ (listen) to my music, so I _____ (negative, hear) the fire alarm.
I was listening to my music, so I didn't hear the fire alarm.