L18 WHAT WERE YOU DOING?

Grade: 5th Section: L18

Student Target: Skimming about a
reading when the action
was already in progress at a
certain time in the past

READING

1. Listen and read the dialog.

Last night there was a fire at the Milton Hotel. A policeman is questioning the receptionist.

Policeman: How did the fire start?

Receptionist: It was 1:00 am. A guest asked for an aspirin. As the maid was delivering the
aspirin, she smelled smoke. She thought that there was someone smoking so she didn´t pay
much attention to it.

Policeman: Did anyone report the fire?

Receptionist: Yes, the guest did, he was trying to get some sleep, but he couldn´t. so he went
out of his room and found out that there was smoke in the hallway. He ran to the reception
desk but he didn´t find anyone so he shouted,
“fire, fire”

Policeman: What happened then?

Receptionist: Everyone left their rooms.

Policeman: Was there anything wrong with

the electricity?

Receptionist: No, everything was fine.

Policeman: So, what caused the fire?

Receptionist: Well, actually, the firefighters found a cigarette butt on the first floor near the
reception.

Policeman: And what were you doing?

Receptionist: As usual, I was smoking my midnight cigarette but I couldn´t finish it because
Tony my boyfriend, called me. Oh…!

2. Take a sentence from the conversation to describe the scene.

OBSERVE

Look at this table and analyse the following indefinite pronous.

SOME, ANY, EVERY

every/some/any/no + (thing/body/one)

Affirmative
Everybody was sleeping.
Every/Some
Everything was fine.
Someone was smoking.
There is something on the floor.
Negative
No one was sleeping.
Any/No Nothing was fine.
He didn´t find anything.
There wasn´t anything on the floor.
Interrogative
Does everybody want coffee?
Every/Any
Did anybody call the pólice?
Was anyone smoking?

Patty had to live through an earthquake in Los Angeles. Complete the blanks using the Word
Bank.

WORD BANK She heard ____________ screaming. she didn´t know what to do.
She left the city without saying ______________.
some one
She asked:” Does ________________ want to go with me?
any body
+ She went _________________ but we couldn´t find out where.
no thing
_______________ reacted. They were shocked.
every where
_______________ she did was unacceptable to her friends.

PAST CONTINUOUS
We use the past continuous to express a past activity happening over a period of time.

AFFIRMATIVE INTERROGATIVE NEGATIVE

I was smoking Was I smoking? I wasn´t smoking
You were smoking Were you smoking? You weren´t smoking
He was smoking Was he smoking? He wasn´t smoking
He was smoking Was he smoking? He wasn´t smoking
It was smoking Was it smoking? It wasn´t smoking
We were smoking Were we smoking? We weren´t smoking
You were smoking Were you smoking? You weren´t smoking
They were smoking Were they smoking? The weren´t smoking
y
PRACTISE

What were the other guests doing when the fire started? Ask and answer questions.

Follow the model.

Margarita/watch TV

What was Margarita doing when the fire started?

She was watching TV.

b. Peter

c. Andrew and
Charles

d. Mary

5. Read the dialog again and answer the following questions. Use everything, someone,
anyone, something and anything.

a. Was there anyone smoking before the fire started?

Yes, there was someone smoking

 b. Did anyone report the fire?

Yes, _______________________________________________

c. Was there anyone at the hotel´s reception desk?

No, ________________________________________________

d. Was there anything wrong with the electricity?

No, ________________________________________________

e. Did the firefighters find anything unusual?

No, _____________________ but they found _______________ on the floor: a

cigarette butt.

Did they find anyone responsible for this?

Yes, ____________________: the receptionist.

6. Work with a partner. Ask each other these questions.

Example: Who was the first person to come to school today?

It was Juan

a. What were you doing when that person came in?

b. Did you arrive before the teacher?

c. If so, what were you doing when the teacher came in?

d. Did you arrive after class began?

e. If so, what was the class doing when you came in?

f. What did you do when you entered the classroom?