Moments
and
Movements:
The
Past
Simple
and
Past
Continuous
To
speak
of
the
past
is
to
trace
stories.
Some
events
in
the
past
happened
quickly
—
single,
finished
actions.
Others
were
unfolding,
flowing
through
time.
English
gives
us
two
powerful
tools
to
speak
about
these
diferent
types
of
past
events:
the
Past
Simple
and
the
Past
Continuous
.
These
two
tenses
help
us
paint
the
past
with
accuracy
and
nuance.
One
gives
us
clear
snapshots
,
the
other
shows
us
actions
in
progress
.
Let’s
explore
how
to
master
them.
The
Past
Simple
A.
Definition
The
Past
Simple
describes
actions
that:
●
Happened
at
a
specific
time
in
the
past
●
Are
completed
●
Are
part
of
a
sequence
of
events
B.
Structure
Formula
(Afrmative):
[Subject]
+
past
form
of
the
verb
Verb
Type
Example
Regular
play
→
played
Irregula
r
go
→
went,
eat
→
ate
Formula
(Negative):
[Subject]
+
did
not
+
base
verb
Formula
(Question):
Did
+
[subject]
+
base
verb?
C.
Examples
●
I
watched
a
movie
last
night.
●
She
went
to
the
market
yesterday.
●
We
did
not
finish
the
project
on
time.
●
Did
you
see
the
eclipse?
D.
Time
Expressions
Used
with
Past
Simple
Expression
Example
yesterday
I
met
him
yesterday.
last
(week,
year...)
We
traveled
last
summer.
ago
She
left
two
hours
ago.
in
+
past
year/date
He
was
born
in
1990.
when
When
I
arrived,
it
was
raining.
The
Past
Continuous
A.
Definition
The
Past
Continuous
describes
actions
that:
●
Were
in
progress
at
a
specific
moment
in
the
past
●
Were
interrupted
by
another
shorter
action
●
Happened
at
the
same
time
as
other
past
actions
B.
Structure
Formula
(Afrmative):
[Subject]
+
was/were
+
verb(-ing)
Subject
Auxilia
ry
Example
I
/
He
/
She
/
It
was
was
sleeping
You
/
We
/
They
were
were
studying
Formula
(Negative):
[Subject]
+
was/were
not
+
verb(-ing)
Formula
(Question):
Was/Were
+
[subject]
+
verb(-ing)?
C.
Examples
●
I
was
reading
when
you
called.
●
They
were
playing
football
at
5
PM.
●
She
wasn’t
listening
to
the
teacher.
●
Were
you
watching
the
game?
D.
Time
Expressions
Used
with
Past
Continuous
Expression
Example
while
While
I
was
studying,
it
started
to
rain.
when
(interruption)
I
was
cooking
when
the
phone
rang.
at
[specific
time]
At
6
PM,
they
were
still
driving.
all
morning
/
evening
He
was
working
all
afternoon.
Past
Simple
vs.
Past
Continuous
Past
Simple
Past
Continuous
Completed
actions
Ongoing
actions
in
the
past
One
action
follows
another
Background
or
interrupted
actions
“I
ate
dinner.”
“I
was
eating
dinner
when
she
called.”
“They
arrived
at
8.”
“They
were
arriving
when
I
left.”
A
Classic
Pattern:
Past
Continuous
(background)
+
Past
Simple
(interruption)
Example:
●
I
was
walking
in
the
park
when
I
saw
the
accident.
●
She
was
sleeping
when
the
alarm
went
of
.
Common
Mistakes
to
Avoid
Incorrect
Correct
Explanation
He
was
go
to
school.
He
was
going
to
school.
Use
verb
+
-ing
with
Past
Continuous.
They
didn’t
went
to
the
party.
They
didn’t
go
to
the
party.
Use
base
verb
after
“didn’t”.
I
was
play
football
at
4.
I
was
playing
football
at
4.
Use
present
participle
(-ing).
Did
you
went
there?
Did
you
go
there?
Past
Simple
questions
use
base
verb.
While
I
ate,
she
was
watching
TV.
While
I
was
eating
,
she
was
watching
TV.
Use
Past
Continuous
for
simultaneous
actions.
Practice
Exercises
A.
Choose
the
correct
form:
1.
While
he
___
(walk)
home,
he
___
(see)
a
cat.
2.
I
___
(watch)
TV
when
you
___
(call).
3.
She
___
(not/go)
to
the
party
last
night.
4.
They
___
(study)
all
afternoon.
5.
What
___
you
___
(do)
when
the
storm
started?
B.
Fill
in
the
blanks:
1.
At
8
p.m.,
I
__________________
(eat)
dinner.
2.
When
she
arrived,
we
__________________
(wait)
for
her.
3.
He
__________________
(not/finish)
his
homework
yesterday.
4.
They
__________________
(dance)
when
the
lights
went
out.
5.
I
__________________
(meet)
her
two
years
ago.
Answer
Key
A.
1.
was
walking
/
saw
2.
was
watching
/
called
3.
did
not
go
4.
were
studying
5.
were
/
doing
B.
1.
was
eating
2.
were
waiting
3.
did
not
finish
4.
were
dancing
5.
met
Contactanos
Español
Sin
Fronteras
Gmail
espanolsinfronteras1@gmail.com
Español
Sin
Fronteras
-
Recursos
Educativos
Gratuitos
Instagram
@espanol_sin_fronteras_org