Form Basics
What auxiliary verb is used to form the Past Progressive?
Was/Were
Which tense is used for a finished action in the past: Past Simple or Past Progressive?
Past Simple
Which tense matches “yesterday”?
Past Simple
She was go to the park yesterday.
She went to the park yesterday.
Put the verb in the right tense:
While I ____ (walk) home, I ____ (see) an old friend.
While I was walking home, I saw an old friend.
Fill in the blank: They ____ (watch) TV yesterday.
Watched
What tense do we use for background actions in a story?
Past Progressive
Which tense matches “while”?
Past Progressive
I studied when the teacher was talking.
I was studying when the teacher was talking. (or: I studied while the teacher talked → depends on focus)
The children (played / were playing) football when the storm started.
were playing
Which verb tense is this?
She was running when it started to rain.
Past Progressive
Which tense shows a longer action interrupted by another?
Past Progressive (longer) + Past Simple (interruption)
Choose the right option: I ____ (sleep) when you called
was sleeping
We was playing soccer when it rains.
We were playing soccer when it rained.
She ____ (listen) to music while she ____ (study).
She was listening to music while she was studying.
Correct the mistake: He was play football yesterday.
He was playing football yesterday.
Example: I ____ (cook) dinner when the phone rang. Which tense goes in the blank?
Was cooking
Name two time expressions often used with the Past Progressive.
while, when, as, all day, at that moment
They didn’t went to the party last night.
They didn’t go to the party last night.
Make a sentence using both tenses: (past simple + past progressive).
I was reading when my mom called.
Change this to Past Progressive: The teacher explained the lesson.
The teacher was explaining the lesson.
Why do we say While I was reading, he arrived instead of While I read, he arrived?
Because “while” introduces a longer ongoing action → Progressive.
Correct the sentence: They were arrive at 8 o’clock last night.
Correct: They arrived at 8 o’clock last night.
He was eat breakfast, then he was went to school.
He was eating breakfast, then he went to school.
Change this mini paragraph into the correct tenses:
Yesterday at 7 p.m., I (eat) dinner, my sister (talk) on the phone, and suddenly the lights (go) out.
Yesterday at 7 p.m., I was eating dinner, my sister was talking on the phone, and suddenly the lights went out.