Unit 2.

Pas simple and past continuous

Past simple. Forms and Uses.

Regular verbs

Verb endings: -Mute “e” adds only -d: prove -- > proved.
-Consonant+ y --- > ied. Carry -- > carried.
-Vowel + y: --- > yed. Play -- > played.
Use:

-a completed action in the past: I passed all my subjects last year.

Time expressions: yesterday- last week/ year- two days ago- in 2017- in the 1990s- in the 18th century-
when
Irregular verbs

Past continuous. Forms and Uses.

Use:

-an action in progress (incomplete) in the past: I was waiting for John to arrive yesterday afternoon. / At 9
o´clock that evening, he was waiting for the report.

-an action in progress interrupted by another past action: As I was speaking on the phone, David came into
the room.

-two simultaneous actions in progress in the past: While I was singing, Peter was playing the drums.

Time expressions: - while- as last night/ week/ year At+ time: At 4 o´clock

REMEMBER THAT SOME VERBS ARE NORMALLY USED IN SIMPLE TENSES ONLY!
EXERCISE

Complete the sentences with Past Simple or the Past Continuous form of the verbs in brackets.

1. I (attend) ………………………………….… a sales conference when I (go) …………………………. to a fascinating

session about ‘wants and needs’. I (talk) ……………………………………………… to the speaker afterwards. While
we (chat) ………………………………, I (realize) …………………… that she was in the same class as me at school!
2. It was half past three and Javier (feel) ……………………………………………… tired. So he (get up)
……………………………………… from his desk and (start) ………………………………………….. moving his arms and legs.
He (stretch) ………………………………………………… from side to side when he (hear)
……………………………………………………a cough behind him. He (turn) ………………………………………and (see)
…………………………………… his boss with a client.
3. What time (arrive) ……………… he ……………………………..?
4. We (not/ take) ……………………………………………the opportunity when we (have) …………………………… the
chance.
5. While I (suggest) …………………………………………. reversing a couple of steps in the process, he suddenly
(stop) …………………………………… me and (explain) …………………….……………. why my suggestions weren´t
possible.
Grammar

Past simple and past continuous

1 Write the past simple form of these regular and irregular verbs.
1 cry 8 chat
2 travel 9 happen
3 send 10 say
4 enjoy 11 know
5 stop 12 try
6 break 13 cut
7 fall 14 turn

2 Complete the sentences with the past simple form of the verbs in Exercise 1.
1 Last summer, my friend and I around the south of France. We really ourselves.
2 you at the end of the film? I thought it was really sad.
3 Sarah is very angry. What you to her? You to her yesterday.
4 I my grandmother an email yesterday with a photo but she (not) how to open the attachment!
5 My mobile phone on the floor but the screen (not). That was lucky!
6 I didn’t see the accident. It all very quickly.
7 My PC was making a strange noise so I using it and it off.
8 We to open the box with a knife but my dad himself. There was blood everywhere!

3 Write questions with the past simple.

1 When / you / buy / that tablet / ?

2 How much / your new computer / cost / ?

3 What / you / do / after school yesterday / ?

4 Why / you / not / call me last night / ?

5 Where / Dad / save / the photos / on the computer / ?

6 Which files / you / delete / ?

7 How many copies / Gary / print / yesterday / ?

8 Which company / Steve Jobs / help to start / ?

4 Write the -ing form of the verbs.

1 attach 8 change
2 tie 9 upload
3 run 10 think
4 save 11 win
5 give 12 spot
6 get 13 serve
7 delete 14 realise

Out & About 1 – PHOTOCOPIABLE © Cambridge University Press 2015

Grammar

5 Complete the sentences with the past continuous form of the verbs in brackets.
1 I (make) my dinner at 8 o’clock last night.
2 Joe and Sam (use) the wrong program in IT yesterday.
3 Who was that guy you (dance) with at the party?
4 Paula (come) home from school when she saw an accident.
5 In 1999 my father (live) in Dublin. That’s where he met my mother.
6 He (open) the box when he cut his finger.
7 This time last week, we (visit) my grandmother.
8 I (sit) at the back of the classroom so I couldn’t see the screen.
9 Andrew (insert) a photo into his document when the teacher stopped the class.
10 I (start) to do my homework when my friend sent me a message.

6 Choose the correct options.

1 I listened / was listening to the radio when I heard / was hearing this fantastic song.
2 When the teacher said / was saying ‘Stop!’, I still tried / was still trying to finish the last question.
3 I feel really silly! While I danced / was dancing, I fell / was falling and broke / was breaking my elbow.
4 Tim played / was playing a computer game when his mum called / was calling him for lunch.
5 I looked / was looking for a file on my memory stick when I noticed / was noticing there was a virus.
6 Ron found / was finding a really interesting website about dance music while he surfed / was surfing the internet.
7 My mum had / was having breakfast near the computer when she spilled / was spilling her cup of coffee on the keyboard.
8 When you saw / were seeing me yesterday, I didn’t go / wasn’t going to school, I went / was going to the doctor’s – I felt terrible.
9 How many pictures did you take / were you taking while you travelled / were travelling around Ireland?
10 Why did you chat / were you chatting to Philip while I tried / was trying to tell you something really important?

7 Complete the sentences with the past simple or the past continuous form of the verbs in brackets.
1 I (switch off ) the computer because it (make) a strange noise.
2 My dad (listen) to classical music when I (arrive) home from school.
3 We (play) video games when my mum ,(say) ‘Turn the volume down!’
4 My cousin (meet) his wife, Bianca, while he (live) in Italy.
5 My little sister (draw) a picture while I (study) for my French exam.
6 While they (try) to fix the computer, all the lights (go out).
7 When we (leave) school yesterday, it (pour) with rain.
8 When you (see) Paul, he (wear) a black jacket?
9 I (try) to log on when the WiFi (stop) working.
10 While Dad (print) an article, the printer (run out) of paper.

8 Complete the story with the correct past tense form of the verbs in brackets.

Sometimes I hate computers! Once, when I 1 (try) to do my English homework on my laptop, the battery
2 (run out). I 3 (lie) on my bed and I was listening to music on Spotify. It helps me to concentrate.
I4 also (chat) to my friend Daniel on Facebook. OK, so I 5 (not concentrate) very hard on my
homework and I 6 (forget) to plug in my laptop!I didn’t notice that the battery was getting low. I was just finishing the
essay when the screen 7 (go) black. I 8 (lose) everything. I 9 (scream)
in frustration. My dad 10 (come) running into my bedroom. I 11 almost (cry) so he
12 (give) me his laptop. I 13 (try) to remember everything in my essay – it 14 (be) quite difficult
especially because Daniel was sending me lots of funny videos. Anyway, while I was watching one, the WiFi stopped working.
In the end it was probably better because I 15 (manage) to finish the essay.

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Grammar Answer Key

Past simple and past continuous

1: 1 cried, 2 travelled, 3 sent, 4 enjoyed, 5 stopped, 6 broke, 7 fell, 8 chatted, 9 happened, 10 said, 11 knew, 12 tried, 13 cut, 14 turned

2: 1 travelled; enjoyed, 2 Did … cry, 3 did … say; chatted; 4 sent; didn’t know, 5 fell; didn’t break, 6 happened, 7 stopped; turned,
8 tried; cut
3:
1 When did you buy that tablet?
2 How much did your new computer cost?
3 What did you do after school yesterday?
4 Why didn’t you call me last night?
5 Where did Dad save the photos on the computer?
6 Which files did you delete?
7 How many copies did Gary print yesterday?
8 Which company did Steve Jobs helps to start?
4: 1 attaching, 2 tying, 3 running, 4 saving, 5 giving, 6 getting, 7 deleting, 8 changing, 9 uploading, 10 thinking, 11 winning, 12 spotting,
13 serving, 14 realising
5: 1 was making, 2 were using, 3 were dancing, 4 was coming, 5 was living, 6 was opening, 7 were visiting, 8 was sitting,
9 was inserting, 10 was starting
6: 1 was listening; heard, 2 said; was still trying, 3 was dancing; fell; broke, 4 was playing; called, 5 was looking; noticed;
6 found, was surfing, 7 was having; spilled; 8 saw; wasn’t going; was going, 9 did you take; were travelling,
10 were you chatting; was trying
7: 1 switched off; was making, 2 was listening; arrived, 3 were playing; said, 4 met; was living, 5 was drawing; was studying, 6 were
trying; went out, 7 left; was pouring, 8 saw; was … wearing; 9 was trying; stopped, 10 was printing; ran out

8: 1 was trying, 2 ran out, 3 was lying, 4 was … chatting, 5 wasn’t concentrating, 6 forgot, 7 went, 8 lost, 9 screamed,
10 came, 11 was … crying, 12 gave, 13 tried, 14 was, 15 managed

Out & About 1 – PHOTOCOPIABLE © Cambridge University Press 2015