San Simon School Them: Past Continuous

Area: Humanities
Subject: English
Grade: Ninth
Term: Second

Name: ______________________________________________________________________________
Date: _______________________________________________________________________________

 We use Past Continuous Tense to talk about actions that were in progress in the past.
I was sleeping at ten o’clock.

 We use it to talk about two actions that were in progress at the same time.
I was reading a book while she was

sleeping.

 We also use it to talk about actions that were in progress and interrupted by another
action in the past.
When he called me, I was cooking.

I. Put the verbs into the correct form (past progressive).

1. When I phoned my friends, they ______________________________________________ (play) monopoly.
2. Yesterday at six I _________________________________________________________ (prepare) dinner.
3. The kids ______________________________________ (play) in the garden when it suddenly began to rain.
4. I ________________________________________________ (practice) the guitar when he came home.
5. We ______________________________________________________________ (not / cycle) all day.
6. While Aaron _____________________________________________________ (work) in his room, his friends
________________________________________________ (swim) in the pool.
7. I tried to tell them the truth but they __________________________________________________ (listen / not).
8. What _________________________________________________________ (you / do) yesterday?
9. Most of the time we _________________________________________________________ (sit) in the park.
II. Write the correct forms (Past Continuous) of the verbs on the lines from this list.
to cook to sing to drink to wash to hide
to watch to plant to water to play to write
1. When I saw him he ___________________________ some milk.
2. You ___________________________ football when you broke your leg.
3. Steve ___________________________ TV when the lights went out.
4. We ___________________________ when the guests arrived.
5. Mum ___________________________ up when someone knocked at the door.
6. Nelly ___________________________ songs on the concert.
7. John and Jim ___________________________ behind a tree when they were playing hide-and-seek.
8. I ___________________________ the flowers when you came in.
9. You ___________________________ a test at 10 am yesterday.
 10. They ___________________________ some seedlings yesterday afternoon.
III. Underline the correct answer.
1. When-While I was making a cake my husband was washing the dishes.
2. Mary was sleeping when-while I opened the door.
3. When-While I was swimming my friends were playing volleyball.
4. When-While Ali phoned me I was having a shower.
5. My mother was drinking tea when-while I came home.
6. Our teacher was writing something on the board when-while somebody knocked at the door.
7. What were you doing when-while I phoned you?
8. When-While I saw her she was having dinner with her boyfriend.
9. I wasn’t waiting for her when-while she came in.
10. We were ice-skating when-while Sharon broke his leg.
IV. Put in the verbs in brackets into the gaps. Use the Past Continuous.
1. She _____________________________________________________________________the lunch basket. (to pack)
2. I _______________________________________________________________________. (not/to whisper)
3. he _____________________________________________________________________ to help? (to try)
4. The men ________________________________________________________________ at the street corner. (not/to fight)
5. Frank _____________________________________________________________________the grass. (to cut)
6. you ___________________________________________________________________ during the last lesson? (to yawn)
7. They _____________________________________________________________________ stickers. (to swap)
8. The guest __________________________________________________________________the whole evening. (to dance)
9. We _____________________________________________________________________in the tree house. (not/to hide)
10. _________________ it _________________________________________________________________ dark? (to get)
V. Fill in the sentences with the correct form of the verbs in the Past Continuous Tense.
1. You ______________________________________________________ the walls of his house yesterday. (not paint)
2. Mavis ______________________________________________________ a horse when she broke her arm. (not ride)
3. The two men ___________________________________________________ heavy boxes yesterday afternoon. (not carry)
4. I ______________________________________________________ when you wake me up. (not dream)
5. Larry ______________________________________________________ his teeth at 7 yesterday. (not clean)
6. They ______________________________________________________ when I came in. (not work)
7. The dog ______________________________________________________ on the bed last night. (not sleep)
8. Mr Green ______________________________________________________ my hair at 5 yesterday. (not cut)
9. It ______________________________________________________ cold when I closed the window. (not get)
10. The family ____________________________________________________ the lunch when the postman came. (not have)
VI. Make the correct form of the past continuous
1. (he / cook)
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. (she / play cards)?
 __________________________________________________________________________________________________
3. (I / not / cry)
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
4. (you / not / feel well)
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
5. (where / I / go when I met you)?
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
6. (she / not / sleeping at midnight)
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
7. (I / work)?
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
8. (you / sleep when I got home)?
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
9. (it / rain at lunchtime)
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
10. (what / you / do)?
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
11. (why / she / run)?
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
12. (you / not / read)
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
13. (how / we / do at that time)?
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
14. (he / not / watch a film at 3pm)
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
15. (I / do my homework at eight o'clock)
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
16. (where / it / rain)?
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
17. (you / shop when I called you)
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
18. (she / eat dinner when we arrived)
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
19. (he / live in Tokyo at the time)?
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
20. (it / snow)?
__________________________________________________________________________________________________