WORKSHEET 8

SUBJECT: Simple Past and Past Continuous

A) Fill in the blanks with a correct form of PAST CONTINUOUS:

1. Alice hurt herself while she ………………………………… …………. (skate).

2. I met my neighbor while I ………………………………………. (walk) home from work.
3. Sally saw a friend while she …………………………….. (ride) her bicycle along Park St.
4. Peter fell asleep while he …………………………………… (study).
5. Bob stepped on Jane’s feet while they ………………………………….. (dance) together.
B) How did it happen?

1. How did Alice hurt herself? (play soccer)

………………. She hurt herself while she was playing soccer. ………………………….
2. How did Martin burn himself? (iron his clothes)
………………………………………………………………………………………………
3. How did Helen cut herself? (slice onions)
………………………………………………………………………………………………
4. How did Jennifer meet her husband? (fix a flat tire)
………………………………………………………………………………………………
5. How did Marvin break his arm? (skate)
………………………………………………………………………………………………
C) Fill in the blanks with a correct form, the PAST SIMPLE or the PAST CONTINUOUS:

1. He ………………………………….. (talk) with Mary, when Mrs. Smith came in.

2. They ………………………………… (study) two hours last night.
3. Jane …………………………………. (sleep) when the telephone rang.
4. As I …………………………………. (walk) to the lab, I met my friend.
5. We ………………………………….. (watch) TV last night.
Complete the sentences with the words in parentheses using the SIMPLE PAST or
the PAST PROGRESSIVE:

1. Sally …………………………… (eat) dinner last night when someone …………………..

(knock) on the door.
2. I began to study at seven last night. Fred …………………………… (come) at seven-
thirty. I ……………………………… (study) when Fred ……………………….. (come).
3. While I ………………………………. (study) last night, Fred ……………………………
(drop by) to visit me.
4. My roommate’s parents …………………………………. (call) him last night while we
…………………………………….. (watch) TV.
5. My mother called me around five. My husband home a little after five. When he
……………………………….. (come) home, I ………………………………….. (talk) to
my mother on the phone.

A. Answer the questions below.

1. What were you doing at 7:35 this morning?
____________________________________________________________________.
2. Where did you live when you were a child?
____________________________________________________________________.

3. What was your friend doing when you last called them?
____________________________________________________________________.

B. Past Simple vs Past Continuous: Read the paragraph below. Find the 5 mistakes. Circle the
mistakes and write the correct sentence.
My friend Steve lives in Newcastle. When I was calling him yesterday, he was answering immediately.
Steve said he was being busy and couldn’t talk. He was having a lot of work yesterday and didn’t even
having time for lunch.

1. ______________________________________
2. ______________________________________
3. ______________________________________
4. ______________________________________
5. ______________________________________

D. Write questions to find out about your partner’s childhood. Use the Past Simple and Past
Simple Continuous in the questions. Ask your partner the questions, discuss, and take notes.
Example: Who was your best friend when you were 10 years old?

1. ____________________________________________________________________?
2. ____________________________________________________________________?
3. ____________________________________________________________________?
4. ____________________________________________________________________?

E. After you have interviewed a classmate or the teacher with the questions above, write a short
paragraph reporting what you learned from them. Use the Past Simple and Past
Continuous verb tenses as much as possible.
D. Past Simple vs Past Continuous: Complete the following sentences with the correct verb
forms.
1. When you called yesterday at 8:00, I (mop) ______________________________ the floor while Jane (cook)
______________________________ dinner.

2. Before I (come) ______________________________ to the exciting city of Miami, my life (be)

____________________________ very boring.

3.  I (sleep) ______________________________ when she (call) _____________________________ .