9 The past continuous

A Introduction
The past continuous means that at a time in the past
we were in the middle of an action.

B Form
The past continuous is the past tense of be + an ing-form.

I/he/she/it was playing

you/we/they were playing
NEGATIVE QUESTION
I/he/she/it wasn't playing was I/he/she/it playing?
you/we/they weren't playing were you/we/they playing?

Soft music was playing. People were walking in the park. I

wasn't dreaming. I really was in New York City. Why did you
give our secret away? What were you thinking of? Was Matthew
already waiting for you when you got there?

C Use
Read this conversation.
Melanie: / rang at about three yesterday afternoon, but you weren't in. I didn't know where you were.
David: Oh, I was helping Mike. We were repairing his car. It took ages. We were working on it all
afternoon.
Melanie: It was raining. 1 hope you weren't doing it outside.
David: No, we were in the garage. So I didn't get wet. But I'm afraid I got oil all over my new trousers.
Melanie: Why were you wearing your new trousers to repair a car? David: / don't know. I forgot I had
them on.
It was raining at three o'clock means that at three o'clock we were in the middle of a period of rain. The rain
began before three and stopped some time after three. We were working all afternoon means that the action
went on for the whole period. David is stressing the length of time that the work went on.
We use the continuous with actions. We do not normally use it with state verbs (see Unit 7). For states we
use the past simple.
1 didn't know where you were, NOT I wasn't knowing...

10 Past continuous or simple?

 9 Exercises

1 Form (B)
Today is the first of January, the start of a new year. Most people are feeling a bit tired.
What were they doing at midnight last night?
Use these verbs: dance, drive, listen, watch, write
Use these phrases after the verb: an essay, his taxi, in the street, television, to a band

► Claire was listening to a band.

1 Trevor and Laura .................................................................................................................................
2 Vicky and Rachel ...........................................................................................
3 Tom .....................................................................................................................................................
4 Andrew ..............................................................................................................................................

2 Form (B)
Complete the conversation. Put in the past continuous forms.
Jessica: (►) I was looking (I / look) for you, Vicky. I'm afraid I've broken this dish.
Vicky: Oh no! What (1)………………………………………..(you / do)?
Jessica: (2)…………………………. .................. (I / take) it into the kitchen.
I bumped into Emma. (3)………………………………………. (she / come) out just as
(4) ……………………….. (I /go) in.
Vicky: I expect it was your fault. (5)......................................................... (you / not / look) where
(6)………………. ................................ (you/ go).
Jessica: Sorry. I'll buy you another one as soon as I have some money.

3 Use(C)
What can you say in these situations? Add a sentence with the past continuous
to say that an action lasted a long time.
► You had to work yesterday. The work went on all day.
/ was working all day.

1 You had to make phone calls. The calls went on all evening.

2 You had to wait in the rain. The wait lasted for half an hour.

3 You had to make sandwiches. This went on all afternoon.

4 You had to sit in a traffic jam. You were there for two hours.

5 Your neighbour played loud music. This went on all night.

 10 Past continuous or simple?

A Introduction
A reporter is interviewing Mike and Harriet.
Reporter: Mike and Harriet, tell me what you saw.
Harriet: Well, when we were driving home last night, we saw a strange object in the sky.
Mike: As we were coming down the hill into town, it just suddenly appeared in front of us.
We stopped the car and got out.
Harriet: It was a very clear night. The stars were twinkling. Mike: It was a spaceship. It
seemed quite big. It had some strange writing on the side.
And a light was flashing on the top. Harriet: As we were watching
it, it suddenly flew away and disappeared.

PAST CONTINUOUS PAST SIMPLE

We use the past continuous for an action that we We use the past simple for a complete action in
were in the middle of. the past.
We were driving home. We drove home.
(We were in the middle of our journey.) (We finished our journey.)
A light was flashing. The spaceship flew away.
We do not normally use the past continuous for We also use the past simple (not normally the
states. See Unit 7. continuous) for states. See Unit 7.
NOT The spaceship was seeming ... The spaceship seemed quite big.
NOT It was having writing ... It had writing on the side.
NOT I wasn't knowing ... I didn't know what it was.

B It happened as I was driving

We often use the past continuous and simple together when one (shorter) action
comes in the middle of another (longer) one.
As we were driving down the hill, a strange object appeared in the sky.
While Laura was sitting in the garden, it suddenly began to rain.
You drove right past me when I was waiting for the bus.
The appearance of the strange object comes in the middle of the longer action, the drive down the hill.
Shorter action: An object appeared.
In the three sentences above, the past continuous comes after as, while or when
(As we were driving ...). We can also use when before the past simple.
We were driving down the hill when a strange object appeared in the sky.
David was making lunch when the phone rang.
But we use two past simple verbs for one action after another.
When we saw the spaceship, we stopped the car. (= We saw it and then we stopped.)

C The sun was shining

PAST CONTINUOUS PAST SIMPLE

We often use the past continuous to describe the We use the past simple for actions in a story,
background.
The sun was shining. We arrived at the beach.
The stars were twinkling. The aliens landed quietly.
 10 Exercises

1 Past continuous or simple? (A-B)

David is always having accidents. His girlfriend Melanie is talking about some of the accidents. Write her
sentences from these notes. Each sentence has one verb in the past continuous and one in the past simple.
? when / he / carry / a suitcase / he / drop / it / on his foot
When he was carrying a suitcase, he dropped it on his foot.
? he / break / his leg / when / he / ski
He broke his leg when he was skiing.

1 he / sit down / on a chair / while / I / paint / it

2 as / he / run / for a bus / he / collide / with a lamppost

3 his hair / catch / fire / when / he / cook / chips

4 when / he / hold / a beautiful vase / he / suddenly / drop / it

5 he / sit / in the garden / when / a wasp / sting / him / on the nose

2 Past continuous or simple? (A-B)

Put in the correct form of the verb.
Rita: I hear the lights (►) went (go) out in your flats last night.
Emma: Yes, (►) / was watching (I / watch) a documentary on TV when suddenly
(1)……….. ........................ (we / lose) all the power. But
(2)…………………………...(it / come) on again after about ten minutes.
Vicky: Rachel (3)…………………………… (come) down the stairs when the lights
(4)…………………………… (go) out. She almost (5)…………………………. (fall) over.
Daniel: Matthew and I (6)……………………. .........(play) table tennis at the time.
Andrew: (7)………………................. (I / work) on the computer.
(8) (I / lose) a whole hour's work. But this morning
(9) (I/get) up early and (10)……………………… (do) it again.

3 Past continuous or simple? (A-C)

Find the second part of each sentence. Put each verb into the correct form.
? Vicky (have) a beautiful dream when she (touch) the wire.
? When Andrew (see) the question, when I (find) a £10 note in it.
1 The train (wait) when the alarm clock (ring).
2 I (read) a library book the crowd (rush) in.
3 Sarah (have) an electric shock he (know) the answer immediately.
4 When the doors (open), they (see) that the sun (shine).
5 When the campers (wake), when we (arrive) at the station.
? Vicky was having a beautiful dream when the alarm clock rang.
? When Andrew saw the question, he knew the answer immediately.
1
2
3 ....................................................................................................................................................
4 ...........................................................................................................................
 Test 2 Past simple and past continuous (Units
8-10)

Test 2A
Put in the past simple of the verbs in brackets.
► The car stopped (stop) at the lights.
1 We…………………….. ... (leave) the cinema before the end of the film.
2 The streets………………………….(be) crowded with people.
3 My grandmother……………………… (die) last year.
4 Everyone…………………………. (have) a marvellous time.
5 We……………………………… (not / like) the food they gave us.
6 Claire……………………………. ... (go) to Egypt last month.
7 The accident……………………….. (happen) last weekend.
8 It………………………….. (not / be) a very comfortable journey.
9 I…………………………………… (know) that ages ago.

Test 2B
Write a second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first. Use the word in brackets.
► There were lights on the spacecraft, (had)
The spacecraft had lights on it.

1 I had my old coat on. (wearing)

2 I was on holiday, and you were on holiday, too. (we)

3 It isn't true that I made a mistake, (didn't)

4 The boys were in the middle of a game of cards, (playing)

5 No one told me about the change of plan, (know)

6 My friend was the winner of the competition, (won)

7 Is it a fact that the Romans built this wall? (did)

Test 2C
Lorna Bright is a long-distance walker. Look at this part of her diary describing a morning's walk along the
coast. Write the missing words. Use one word only in each space.
It was a fine day (►) when I started out on the last part of my walk around the coast of Britain. The sun
was(l)……………………….. , and a light wind (2)………………………… .. blowing from the south-
west. I was pleased that it (3)…………………………… raining. I knew by now that I
(4)………………………………like rain. In fact I (5)…………………………… it.
I (6)…………………………. ... along the cliff top and then down into the lovely little fishing village of
Wellburn, past a cafe where people (7)…………………………….. having morning coffee. Three miles past
Wellburn I (8)…………………………. down for five minutes and (9)………………………….. a drink.
Now it (10)…………………………… getting warmer, so I (11)………………………….. off one of my
sweaters. 1(12)………………………… stop for long because 1 ( 1 3 ) … …… … … … …… … … to reach
Seabury by lunch-time. (14)……………………………. I finally got there, it (15)………………..
just after half past twelve.
Test 2D
Each of these sentences has a mistake in it. Write the correct sentence,
The hotel were very quite.
The hotel was very quiet.

1 It was peaceful, and-the birds-were sing.

2 1 washed my hair when the-phone rang.

3 You came to the club last night.

4 It taked ages to ge home.

5 5. We tried to keep quiet because the baby sleeping

6 As I was watching him, the man was suddenly running away.

7 We pass a petrol station two minutes ago.

8 Everything was seeming OK.

9 Where bought you that-bag?

10 When I heard the alarm I was having-the-room immediately.

Test 2E
Complete the sentences. Put in the correct form of each verb. Use the past continuous or past simple. ►
When Martin arrived (arrive) home, Anna was talking (talk) to someone on the phone. Martin started (start)
to get the tea.
1 I…………………………. (lie) in the bath when the phone……………………………. (ring).
It ………………………(stop) after a few rings.
2 I t……………………………… (be) cold when we ......................... . . . (leave) the house that day, and
alight snow………….. ..........................(fall).
3 Your friend who…………….. ......................... (come) here the other day .........……………………. (seem)
very nice. I………………….. ............... (enjoy) meeting her.
4 When I……………………………… (see) the man, he ................................... (stand) outside the bank.
He……………………………… (have) a black baseball cap on.
5 When I……………………………. . . . (open) the cupboard door, a pile of books
(fall) out.
6 I………………………… (walk) along the street when I suddenly…………………………….. (feel)
something hit me in the back. I ……………………………… (not / know) what it was.
We………………………………………. (go) to London yesterday, but on the way
We………………………………….. (hear) about a bomb scare in Oxford Street. So
We…………………………………… (drive) back home straightaway.
8 Something very strange .………………………….. (happen) to me on my way home from work
yesterday afternoon. I ………………………….. (drive) along the bypass at the time. Suddenly
I…………………………. (see) my mother in the seat beside me. But she died three years ago.