Go beyond

basic English.

Level: Intermediate
Session: NARRATING STORIES

slangapp.com
Suddenly it happened!
What were
you doing
when…?
COMPARE THESE SENTENCES

a. Peter was reading a book yesterday evening.

b. Anne was writing a letter while Steve was reading the New York Times
c. While we were sitting at the breakfast table, the telephone rang

THINK…
1. In which sentence the action is in progress in the past?
2. In which sentence one action interrupts another action?
3. In which sentence two actions happened at the same time?
COMPARE THESE SENTENCES

a. Andrew was always coming late.

b. When I walked into the office, several people were busily typing,

some were talking on the phones...

THINK…
1. In which sentence the atmosphere of a place is described?
2. In which sentence you can described repeated activities?
I was working when my mom called me yesterday.

How many sentences are there?

What action happened first?
What is the tense of the action that happened first?
What are some differences between these two tenses?
 Past continuous/progressive

was
(or) verb…ING
were

I was playing (+)

My friends weren’t playing (-)
Were you playing? (?)
 PAST CONTINUOUS: ING FORMS
General rule: add ING
-work
-paint
-dance
-change
Write the ING
-agree form of the verbs
-play in the
-study box(Spelling)
-plan
-hit
-snow
-fix
-eat
 Simple Past
(1 verb) OTHER VERBS
TO BE
● was - were REGULAR IRREGULAR
(+ed) (Verb list: 2nd column)
(+) I was in the library
(-) You weren’t in the -work
library -eat
-dance
(?) Were you in the library? -agree -buy
-play -read
-study
-plan
-snow
They are -fix
different worlds!!!
 You only need the past form for
+ sentences
(+)She worked very hard
(+)They ate a lot.

For questions (?) and negative sentences (-)

use DID
(-) You did not eat breakfast.
(?) Did you eat something?

When we have “did”

the main verb goes in BASE FORM= normal!!!
(eat)
 SIMPLE PAST: REGULAR VERBS
● General rule: add ED

-work
-dance
-agree Write the past tense
form of the verbs in the
-play box (Spelling)
-study
-plan
-snow
-fix
(Spelling)
Most common irregular https://www.e-grammar.org/download/most-common-irregular-verbs.
pdf
verbs in English.
 Grab a
piece of paper!

Find the couples in

the next slide
FIND THE CORRECT PAIR e.g. DO , DID
Do you remember these sentences?
a. Peter was reading a book yesterday evening.
b. Anne was writing a letter while Steve was reading the New York Times
c. Andrew was always coming late.
d. When I walked into the office, several people were busily typing,
some were talking on the phones...

Write 4 sentences using the Past continuous for:

• actions in progress in the past

• simultaneous actions in the past using WHILE
• to describe the atmosphere of a place
Do you remember this sentence?
I was working when my mom called me yesterday

● PAST CONTINUOUS SIMPLE PAST

● (Long action) (Short action)

Write 3 sentences using this

combination.
Past simple vs. Past
continuous
 WATCH THIS VIDEO AND ANSWER THE QUESTIONS
PAST CONTINUOUS TENSE - YouTube • What were the people doing when the lights went out?

• What did the man from the electricity company said or explained?

• What were the presenter and his wife doing last night when the
lights went out?

• In the commercial break, what was the man arriving home doing
yesterday?

• What was the man from the optician commercial doing yesterday?

• What happened during the robbery? What were the people doing?
 
CREATE YOUR OWN STORY

Write your own story using the past

continuous and the past simple.

One night I was sleeping when

I suddenly heard a strange
noise…….
Go beyond basic English.