Faculdade de Ciências de Educação

Licenciatura em Ensino de Português

Past simple versus past continuous

Cristina Mariano Rufo: 51240340

Chimoio, May, 2024

Departamento de Ciências de Educação
Licenciatura em Ensino de Português

Past simple versus past continuous

Fieldwork to be submitted to the

Coordination of the Degree Course in
Geography Teaching at UnISCED.
Tutor:

Cristina Mariano Rufo: 51240340

Chimoio, May, 2024

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Index
CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION.....................................................................................................4
1. Introduction.................................................................................................................................4
1.1.Objectives: ................................................................................................................................ 4
1.1.1.General objective .................................................................................................................... 4
1.1.2.Specific objectives……………………..…………..…………………………………………..4
1.2.Methodologies ........................................................................................................................... 4
2.Past simple versus past continuous ............................................................................................... 5
2.1.Past simple ................................................................................................................................ 5
2.1.1.The structures of past simple (affirmative) ....................................................................... 5
2.1.1.1.Examples .......................................................................................................................... 5
2.2.Structure for the past simple ................................................................................................ 6
2.2.1.negative ............................................................................................................................... 6
2.2.2.Structure for the past simple (interrogative) ................................................................... 6
2.2.2.1.Affirmative form .................................................................................................................6
2.2.2.2.Negative form...................................................................................................................... 7
2.2.2.3.For exampleYes, she did. / No, she didn't. ...........................................................................7
2.2.2.4.Affirmative form .................................................................................................................7
2.2.2.5.Negative form...................................................................................................................... 7
2.2.2.6.For example ......................................................................................................................... 7
2.2.3.Wh- questions...................................................................................................................... 7
2.3.Past Continuous .................................................................................................................... 8
2.3.1.Structure of past continuous (affirmative) ....................................................................... 8
Chapter III .................................................................................................................................... 10
3.Final Considerations ................................................................................................................... 10
4.Bibliography .............................................................................................................................. 11

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CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION
1. Introduction
In this present work of the English subject, the main theme is Past simple versus past continuous,
around this theme we will focus on discussing the differences moment in the past. On the other
hand, the past continuous describes actions Past Simple versus Past Continuous; the structures
of each the uses and finally the examples. The past sentences are very important. Due to the
fact, that they allow us to describe actions or past events in history. The past
simple describes actions that happened in a specific that were in progress in the past. In
this topic, will talk the difference between the past simple and the past continuous in the
affirmative, negative and interrogative form, and describe actions that took place in your
life. At the same time, you will be able to talk and write about your last vacations and
contrast finished actions, mention the actions that were in progress in an specific
mo ment, and finally mention those actions that were happening simultaneously.

1.1.Objectives:
1.1.1. General objective
 To know how to use the past simple versus past continuous.
1.1.2. Specific objectives
 To know the structures of past simple versus past continuous;
 To give examples of the simple past versus the past continuous;
 To differentiate the past simple and the past continuous in the affirmative, negative and
interrogative form.
1.2.Methodologies
In order to carry out the work, various sources were used in order to gather satisfactory and easily
comprehensible information through the consultation of works, bibliographical reviews and
searches that we carry out in the electronic library, which deal with the highlighted theme in which
they are mentioned at the end of the job.

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CHAPTER bII: bTHEORETICAL bFOUNDATION
2. Past bsimple bversus bpast bcontinuous
Past bsimple band bpast bcontinuous bare btwo btenses bused bto bexpress bactions bin bthe bpast.
bWhat bdifferentiates bthem bis bthe bstatus bof bthe baction bthey bdescribe. bThe bpast bsimple
brefers bto ban baction bthat bfinished bin bthe bpast, bwhile bthe bpast bcontinuous brefers bto
ban baction bthat bwas bin bprogress bat bthe btime bof bspeaking.(Murphy, b2004).

2.1.Past bsimple
Past bsimple bis ba bverb btense bused bto btalk babout bthings bthat bhappened band bfinished
bin bthe bpast.
You bform bthe bpast bsimple bof bregular bverbs bby badding b“-ed” bto btheir binfinitive bform:
 turn b→ bturned
 cook b→ bcooked
 learn b→ blearned
The bpast btenses bare bimportant bbecause bthey bdescribe bactions bthat btook bplace
bin bour blive, bis bused bto btalk babout bfinished bactions bin bthe bpast.(Murphy,
b2004).

2.1.1. The bstructures bof bpast bsimple(affirmative) b

 𝐒𝐮𝐛𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭 + 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐛 𝐛𝐢𝐧 𝐛𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐭 + 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭

2.1.1.1. Examples
 I/You/We/They b b b b btraveled b b b b b b bto bCancun blast bsummer b b b b b b
 He/She/It b b b b b b b btraveled b b b b b b bto bCancun blast. b(Hedge, b1995).

The bverb bin bpast bsimple bis bthe bsame bfor ball bthe bpersonal bpronouns bin bthe bsubject,
bwhen ba bregular bverb bis bused bin bthe bpast bsimple bmost bof bthe btime bed bis badded bat
bthe bend bof bthe bverb. bFor bexample: bplay…. bplayed b/ bstay… bstayed
For bthe bregular bverbs, bthere bare bsome bSpelling brules bthat bwe bhave bto btake binto
bconsideration.(Hedge, b1995).

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 Spelling rules Based forms past
Add ed Work Worked
stay stayed
Just badd bd bif bthe bverb bfinishes bin be Like liked
Changey to I after a consonant, add ed study studied
If ba bone- bsyllable bverb bends bin bconsonant- bvowel- stop stopped
bconsonant. bDouble bthe bfinal bconsonant b, badd bed

Fonte: b(Schofield, b2004). b

Many bcommon bverbs bare birregular bin bthe baffirmative. bFor bexample: bSpeak bspoke b/
brun bran. b

2.2. Structure bfor bthe bpast bsimple

2.2.1. negative

𝐒𝐮𝐛𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭 + 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐛𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐛(𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐧, 𝐭) + 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭

 I/You/We/They bdidn't travel to Cancun last

 He/She/It bdidn't travel to Cancun last summer

In bthe bnegative bform bthe bverb b(simple bform) band bauxiliary bare bthe bsame bfor ball bthe
bpersonal bpronouns bin bthe bsubject.(Schofield, b2004).
2.2.2. Structure bfor bthe bpast bsimple b(interrogative) b

𝐃𝐢𝐝 + 𝐬𝐮𝐛𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭 + 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐛 𝐛𝐢𝐧 𝐛𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐛𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞 + 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭

 Did bI/you/we/they travel to Cancun last summer?

 Did he b/she/it travel to Cancun blast bsummer?

In bthe baffirmative bform bonce bagain bthe bverb b(simple bform) band bauxiliary bare bthe
bsame bfor ball bthe bpersonal bpronouns bin bthe bsubject bin bthe bpast bsimple.(Schofield,
b2004).

The bquestions bin bthe bpast bsimple bcan bbe banswered bwith bshort banswers:
2.2.2.1.Affirmative bform
 Yes, b(I, bYou, bHe, bShe, bIt, bYou, bWe, bThey) bdid

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2.2.2.2.Negative bform
 No, b(I, bYou, bHe, bShe, bIt, bYou, bWe, bThey) bdid bnot b/ bdidn't
2.2.2.3.For bexample
Yes, bshe bdid. b/ bNo, bshe bdidn't.

The bquestions bin bthe bpast bsimple bcan bbe banswered bwith blong banswers
2.2.2.4.Affirmative bform
 Yes, b(I, bYou, bHe, bShe, bIt, bYou, bWe, bThey) btraveled bto bCancun

2.2.2.5.Negative bform
 No, b(I, bYou, bHe, bShe, bIt, bYou, bWe, bThey) bdid bnot b/ bdidn't btraveled bto bCancun

2.2.2.6.For bexample
 Yes, bhe btraveled bto bCancun. b/ bNo, bshe bdidn't btravel bto bCancun.

2.2.3. Wh- bquestions

Wh- bquestions bare bused bin bthe bpast bsimple bin border bto bask bfor bspecific
binformation. bThe bstructure bis:
𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐛𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐛 𝐛 + 𝐛 𝐛𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐛𝐬𝐮𝐛𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐛 𝐛 + 𝐛 𝐛𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐛 𝐛𝐢𝐧 𝐛𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐛𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐛 𝐛 + 𝐛 𝐛?
 Place
Example: bWhere bdid b(I, byou, bhe, bshe, bit, byou, bwe, bthey) bgo?
(I, byou, bhe, bshe, bit, byou, bwe, bthey) bwent bto bCancun.
 Specific bthing, bobject
Example: bWhat bdid b(I, byou, bhe, bshe, bit, byou, bwe, bthey) bdo?
(I, byou, bhe, bshe, bit, byou, bwe, bthey) bate bMexican bfood.
 Time
Example: bWhen bdid b(I, byou, bhe, bshe, bit, byou, bwe, bthey) bgo?
(I, byou, bhe, bshe, bit, byou, bwe, bthey) bwent blast bsummer.
 When breferring bto bpeople
Example: bWho bdid byou bgo bwith?
I bwent bwith bmy bmother.
 Way, bmanner, bform
Example: bHow bdid b(I, byou, bhe, bshe, bit, byou, bwe, bthey) btravel?
(I, byou, bhe, bshe, bit, byou, bwe, bthey) btraveled bby bplane.

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 Reason, bexplanation
Example: bWhy bdid byou btravel bby btrain?
b b b b b b b b b b b b b bBecause b(I, byou, bhe, bshe, bit, byou, bwe, bthey) bgo? bdidn't
bhave benough bmoney.

2.3. Past bContinuous

The bpast bcontinuous bis bused bto bdescribe ban baction bin bprogress bat ba bspecific
bmoment bin bthe bpast, bor bto bdescribe bthose bactions bthat bwere binterrupted bby
ba bshort baction bin bthe bpast.(McArthur, b1984).

 Example
I bwas bwatching bthe bgame blast bSaturday bat bten bo’clock.

2.3.1. Structure bof bpastcontinuous b(affirmative)

𝐬𝐮𝐛𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭 + 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐛 𝐛𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐛𝐞 𝐛𝐢𝐧 𝐛𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐭 + 𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐛𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐛 + 𝐢𝐧𝐠 + 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭

 Example
I Was watching The game
You/we/they Were Watching The game
he/she/It Was Watching The bgame
Fonte: b(Aztar, b1981).

Were bis bused bfor bthe bplural bpronouns band bwas bis bused bfor bthe bsingular
bpronouns.
Past bSimple bor bPast bCont inuous

We boften buse bthe bpast bcontinuous band bthe bpast bsimple bin bthe bsame
bsentence. bThe baction bin bthe bpast bsimple bis bshort band busually bunexpected. bIt
binterrupts bthe b“longer” baction bwhich bis busually bin ba bpast bcontinuous
bform.(McArthur, b1984).
For bexample:
 What bwere byou bdoing bwhen bthe bplane blanded?
 I bwas blooking bin bmy bbag bfor bmy bpassport bwhen bI bheard ba bshout.

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 We bjumped binto ba bcar bthat bwas bwaiting bfor bthe bbus bstop
 I bwas bwatching bTV bwhile bmy bwife bwas bsleeping.
When bwe bhave ba bsentence bin bpast bsimple band banother bin bpast bcontinuous
bwe boften buse bwhen band bwhile, bbut bwe bhave bto btake binto bconsideration bthe
bfollowing brules.
Rule Examples
When When is followed by a sentence in When I took the photo, the kids were playing
past simple. The kids were playing when I took the photo..
While While is followed by a sentence bin While I was having dinner, my father arrived.
past continuous. My father arrived while I was having dinner.

While is also used when two actions
are happening simultaneously.
Fonte: b(Aztar, b1989).
While I was watching TV my mother was
cooking.
I was watching TV while my mother was
cooking.

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Chapter bIII

3. Final bConsiderations
Generally, bthe bpast bcontinuous bdescribes ban bevent bwhich bprovides ba bbackground
bagainst bwhich banother, bmore bimportant bevent boccurs. bWe buse bthe bpast bcontinuous bto
btalk babout bevents band btemporary bstates bthat bwere bin bprogress baround ba bcertain btime
bin bthe bpast. bIn banother bwords bWe buse bthe bpast bcontinuous bto btalk babout ban baction
bthat bwas bstill bongoing bat bthe btime bof bspeaking. bIt’s bused bfor bactions bthat blast ba
bcertain bamount bof btime, bnot bsomething byou bdo bat bonce. bSince bthe baction bdescribed
bby bpast bcontinuous bis bin bprogress bat ba bspecific btime, byou bneed bto bspecify bthe
btime, bor bthe bsentence bends bup bmaking bno bsense. bWe buse bthe bpast bsimple bto btalk
babout bevents, bstates bor bhabits bat bdefinite btimes bin bthe bpast.

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4. Bibliography
 Naylor, bH. b& bMurphy, bR. b(2001). bEssential bGrammar bin bUse: bSupplementary
bExercises bwith bAnswers. bCambridge: bCambridge bUniversity bPress.

 Aztar, bB bShrimper b(1989) bUnderstanding band bUsing bEnglish bGrammar, bNew

bJersey: bPrentice-Hall.

 Arnold bJ. b& bHarmer bJ. b(1988) bAdvanced bWriting bSkills, bLondon: bLongman. b

 Hedge bT. b(1995) bWriting, bOxford: bUP.

 McArthur bT. b(1984) bthe bWritten bWord bBook b2, bOxford: bOUP. b

 Murphy bR. b(1998, b2004) bEssential bGrammar bin bUse, bCambridge: bCUP b

 Schofield bJ. b(2004) bDouble bDealing, bOxford: bSummer btown bPublishing

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