PAST SIMPLE VS PAST

CONTINUOUS
 Past Simple

Structure: Positive

Verb in Complem Positive

Subject
past form ent Sentence

I was a high school student.

She came to English classes last
week.
 Past Simple

Structure: Negative

Verb to
Comple Negative
Subject be past NOT Sentece
ment
form

They were not (weren’t) here yesterday.

She was not (wasn’t) a tall girl.
 Past Simple

Structure: Negative

DID Verb in
NOT Comple Negative
Subject present Sentece
ment
DIDN’T form

He did not (didn’t) do the homework.

They did not (didn’t) go to English classes.
 Past Simple (USES)

• A finished action in the past

We met in 2007.

• Action that follow each other in a story

Valentina walked into the room and stopped.
 Past Simple (USES)

• Past situation or habit

When I was a child, My parents and I lived in a small
apartment in Ponciano.
 Past Simple (VERBS)
Regular Verbs Irregular Verbs

• Most regular verbs add –ed to the

base form of the verb BUY – BOUGHT - BOUGHT
(wash-washed)

• If the verb ends in –e, add –d

DO - DID - DONE
(live-lived)

• If the verb ends in a consonant

preceded by a vowel, double the
READ – READ – READ
final consonant
(stop-stopped)
If the verb ends in –y preceded by a
consonant, omit the “y” and add –ied SWIM – SWAM – SWUM
(copy-copied)
 Past Simple (TIME EXPRESSIONS)

two days
last night yesterday
ago
 Past Continuous

Structure: Positive

Was Verb in Positive

Comple
Subject gerund
Were ment Sentence
form

I was driving to Baños.

They were eating the breakfast.
 Past Continuous

Structure: Negative

Was not Verb in Negative

Comple
Subject gerund
Weren’t ment Sentence
form

I was not(wasn’t) driving to Baños.

They were not(weren’t) eating the breakfast.
 Past Continuous (USES)

• To express activities in progress before, and probably

after, a particular time in the past
At 7:00 am this morning I was having my breakfast.
 Past Continuous (USES)

• For descriptions
Tabata looked beautiful. She was wearing a green dress.
 Past Continuous (USES)

• To express an interrupted past activity

When the phone rang, I was having a shower.
 Past Continuous (USES)

• To express an incomplete activity

I was reading a book during the flight.
 Past Continuous (USES)

• To simultaneous actions or events, with connecting words

such as while, meanwhile
While I was finishing my work, Greta was cooking dinner.
 Exceptions when adding 'ing
• Silent e is dropped (but: does not apply for -ee)
come – coming agree - agreeing
• After a short, stressed vowel, the final consonant is
doubled
sit - sitting
• Final l is always doubled
travel - travelling
• Final ie becomes y.
lie - lying
 Past Simple or Continuous

• Sometimes both tenses are possible.

• The Past Simple focuses on past actions as complete

facts.

• The Past Continuous focuses on the duration of past

activities
 Past Simple or Continuous

• A: I didn’t see you at the party last night.

• B: No. I stayed at home and watched the football.

• A: I didn’t see you at the party last night.

• B: No, I was watching the football at home.
 Past Simple vs Continuous

I was watching television when he arrived.

• The first action is a long action - it lasted for a period of

time. We therefore use the past continuous.

• The second action is a short action that has interrupted

the first. So for this we need past simple
 Past Simple vs Continuous

Examples
• The children were playing in the park when it started to
rain.
• I saw a famous celebrity when I was shopping on Oxford
Street yesterday.
• She was drinking too much so she fell. I hope she learnt
her lesson.
 Past Simple vs Continuous

Exercises
• The computer (break)_____________when
broke I (check)
_________________
was checking my bank balance.
• I (live) _________________
were living in Cape Town when Michelle
visited
Obama (visit) _____________.
• My parents (watch) _____________
were watching me carefully but my
distracted
brother (distract)_______________them so I could sneak
out the window!