Centro para el Desarrollo del Hábitat y la Construcción

Equipo de Bilingüismo
Past Progressive vs Simple Past
Name: Elkin Rodriguez Cogollo
Group: 1970253 Date:

The past Progressive

I- Structure:
1-The affirmative form : 2-The negative form : 3-The interrogative form :

“be” (past) + subject + verb + ing.

Subject + “be” (past) + not + verb + ing .
Subject +“be” (past) + verb + ing.

• I was running fast. • I was not running fast. • Was I running fast?
• He was watching TV. • He was not watching TV. • Was he watching TV?
• She was not doing her homework. • Was she doing her homework?
• She was doing her homework.
• It was not snowing. • Was it snowing?
• It was snowing.
• You were not laughing. • Were you laughing?
• You were laughing.
• We were not playing football. • Were we playing football?
• We were playing football.
• They were not exercising. • Were they exercising?
• They were exercising.

II-Activities:
A- Fill in the blanks with “was” or
“were”:

1. Jane was doing homework.

2. We were eating chips.
3. The dog was barking.
4. Mum was cooking dinner.
5. The boys was playing baseball.
6. Dad was watching TV.
7. It was raining outside.
8. The baby was crying.
9. The girls were listening to music.
10. I was taking a photo.
11. They were running very fast.
12. You were studying at home.

B. Put the verbs in brackets in the past progressive:

1. John__was drinking___ coffee. (drink)
2. They were reading the text. (read)
3. We were going for Easter holidays. (go)
4. Mum was playing sport.(practice)
5. I was painting the house with dad. (paint)
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Centro para el Desarrollo del Hábitat y la Construcción
Equipo de Bilingüismo
Evidence # 3: Past Progressive vs Simple Past
C. Turn the following sentences into questions in the past progressive:

1. They have dinner. Were they having dinner?

2. I listen to music. Was I listening to music?

3. We watch TV together. Were we watching tv together?

4. It was raining. Was it raining?

5. The dog barks. was the dog barking?

6. All the pupils participate in class. Were students participating in class?

7. She takes photos. Was she taking pictures?

8. He plays guitar. Was he playing guitar?

9. Cindy and Kate ride their bikes. Were Cindy and Kate listening to music?

10. You look very depressed. Were you looking very depresed?

D. Complete the text. Use the Simple Past or the Past Continuous:
It was being a rainy day of November. We came from school at 2o’clock. We wasn’t very hungry but

we were too cold. While we walk with my umbrella, we find a coin. It not be a normal coin, it be a

strange coin. We not continue walking. We be a bit nervous. What should we do? Maybe we had the

coin to put it where she found it. We did this; we walked in the street, when a tall man lost the coin. We

told him that the coin was at the beginning of the street. We knew it happened, so we kept walking..