Exercise 4. Tick the correct sentences.
1.- She didn’t bought the bread
yesterday.
2.- I hadn’t enough money to pay the concert tickets.
3.- Did you know that Sally was my sister?
4.- We heard a noise in the middle of the night.
5.- My parents wasn’t very happy with my exam results.
6.- The teacher told the students to sit down.
7.- They never didn’t receive the money that they needed.
8.- She didn’t ate her breakfast this morning.
9.- Where did you buy these jeans?
10.- Was Paul in the library when you went there?
Exercise 5. Correct these sentences.
Exercise 6.Complete with the verbs in brackets.
Exercise 7. Read the text about Christopher Columbus and write 5 questions and answer them.
Past simple / past continuous
The Past Continuous is made with the Past form of the verb "to be" (I was, you were, he/she/it was, we were, you were, they were) + the '-ing' form of the main verb. The '-ing' form of the verb is called the Present Participle.
We use the Past Continuous Tense:
to say that someone was at the middle of doing something at a certain time. The action or situation has already started before this time but hadn't finished yet:
Example: What were they doing at 10 o'clock? They were working at the garden.
The Past Continuous is also used together with the Past Simple to say that somehing happens at the middle of something else:
Example: David was reading a book in the park when suddenly it began to rain.
to indicate that two actions in the past were in the progress simultaneously (with while):
Example: While I was studying in one room my older sister was having a party in the other room.
to express action that were in progress at the time of another particular time: Example: It was snowing all morning.
to talk about irritating repeated actions in the past (with always, constantly): Example: My girlfriend was always coming late.
to make polite inquiries:
Example: I was wondering if you could lend me your new car for a few hours. Remember that we do not normally use the Past Continuous with no action verbs like seem, know, feel, hear, smell, taste, hate, hope, mean, prefer, love, like, etc.
Exercise 1. Complete the sentences. Put in the correct form of each verb. Use the past continuous or past simple.
► When Martin arrived (arrive) home, Anna was talking (talk) to someone on the phone. Martin started (start) to get the tea.
1. I (lie) in the bath when the phone (ring). It (stop) after a few rings.
2. I t (be) cold when we (leave) the house that day, and A light snow (fall).
3 . Your friend who , (come) here the other day (seem) very nice. I (enjoy) meeting her.
4. When I (see) the man, he (stand) outside the bank. He (have) a black baseball cap on.
5. When I (open) the cupboard door, a pile of books (fall) out.
6. I (walk) along the street when I suddenly (feel) something hit me in the back. I (not / know) what it was.
7. We n (go) to London yesterday, but on the way we (hear) about a bomb scare in Oxford Street. So We (drive) back home straightaway.
8. Something very strange (happen) to me on my way home from work yesterday afternoon. I
(drive) along the 7 avenue. Suddenly I (see) my brother who (to cross) the street. But I was sure he (to have) to be far away from here at that time/
9. I _____ (listen) to music last night before going to bed.
10. She ____(arrive) late for classes, so the teacher punished her.
11. Our team ____ (come) last in all games.
12. China ____ (win) 50 gold medals and came first at the Beijing Olympics.
13. We ___ (empty) the trash can yesterday. It's your turn today.
14. He _____(sleep) during the meeting.
15. Why ____ you ____(eat) during the lesson?
16. He ___ (make) me do it. I didn't want to.
17. The woman ____(scream) for help when she saw the monster.
18. I ____ (order) a pizza. I didn't order a hamburger.
19. He ___ (laugh) until he fainted.
Exercise 2. Make these sentences negative and then make up one question to each sentence.
1. The weather was worsening when we left.
2. The dog caught the ball that I threw.
3. My wife's name was Krieger before we married.
4. He was eating when you called.
5. The airplane took off on time yesterday.
6. He was driving when he saw the lightning.
7. Where were you when it happened?
8. My car was running when the error light came on.
9. The radio was blaring when I came home.
10. My girlfriend and I were cleaning my car yesterday at six.
11. My mother cooked my favorite dinner on my thirteenth birthday.
12. When I left for work, my wife was writing an email.
Exercise 3.Underline the correct tense.
As the stranger came/was coming to the station, a car stopped/was stopping behind him.
My grandma never watched/was never watching TV. But she read/was reading books.
When did you start/were you starting work?
I started/was starting at 6 o'clock.
He got up/was getting up and switched off/was switching off the light.
When I finished/was finishing my homework,
I cooked/was cooking dinner.
While we listened/were listening to the news, the telephone rang/was ringing. Kate stood up/was standing up and answered/was answering it.
As I drove/was driving to work last Friday, a car crashed/was crashing in front of me. What did you do/were you doing when you saw/were seeing it?
I stepped/was stepping on the brakes.
Yesterday Carrol wrote/was writing letters from 10 to 11 and then from 5 to 7 again.
We arrived in Cannes at 2.30. The sun shone/was shining, people sunbathed/were sunbathing on the beach and big yachts sailed/were sailing near the harbour. We parked our car and went/were going to the beach.
Exercise 4. Each of these sentences has a mistake in it. Write the correct sentence.
Example: The hotel were very quite. The hotel was very quiet.
It was peaceful, and-the birds-were sing.
I washed my hair when the-phone rang.
You came not to the club last night.
It taked ages to get home.
We tried to keep quiet because the baby sleeping
As I was watching him, the man was suddenly running away.
We pass a petrol station two minutes ago.
Everything was seeming OK.
Where bought you that-bag?
10. When I heard the alarm I was leaving-the-room immediately.
11. James met Sabine in 1998. He living in New York at the time.
12. I wanted to work in marketing. So I was joining a marketing company.
13. I were listening to the radio when you called.
14. I saw Jess a minute ago. She talked to Sam.
15. Why weren’t you answer the phone when I called?
Exercise 5. Below there is a short biography of Bill Gates. Complete the text using the verbs in the box either in the Past Simple or the Past Continuous.
Bill Gates story ……………….. in 1955. He ……………….. in Seattle, where he ……………….. with his parents and two sisters. His father ……………….. a lawyer and his mother a teacher. When he was thirteen, he ……………….. to become interested in computers and the development of computer software. In 1972 he ……………….. his first big profit of $4,200 when he ……………….. timetable software to his school.
Bill Gates ……………….. to Harvard University and while he ……………….. there he started Microsoft. It was obvious that the new business was going to be a great success so, in 1976, he ……………….. after doing three years of a four-year course. Microsoft ……………….. an enormous international company that employs 54,000 people all over the world. Gates ……………….. his wife, Melinda, in 1987 when she ……………….. for Microsoft. They got married in 1994 and now have two children.