S r'3r- rn

a,i

DASt tenSeS

29

Past simpte and past continuous

We use the past continuous to talk about an action or situation in progress at

particular time in the past: I wos working at eight o'clock last night.

We atso use the past continuous to describe the background scene in a story:
The sun was shining and I wos walking along the High Street.

When a short action interrupts an action in progress, we use when before the action
in the past simple and while/when before the action in the past continuous: When
he orrived, I was working. My car broke down while/when I wos driving home.

When one action happens after another, we use the past simple: When Som orrived,
I cooked a meol. (= Sam arrived and then I cooked a mea[.)

rt\
r-''5
>>
'.

29a

We don't usually use state verbs in continuous tenses: When I met her, she

seemed upset. (Not

See

Appendix 7: Verb forms, poge

7Zo.

..
:i,

i :.:

Complete the sentences. Use the past simple or past continuous of the verbs in
brackets.

Sarah wasn't here in June. She .....Y.?.1.!19y.9.!!!!.9...... round Europe. (travet)

This time last year

we

.. that big concert. (ptan)

' : : : : ::::: :i: :: :"::ili1i yilT ffi ,Tl JIR fff :',i,.

.. some of the objects. (take, draw)

police

.. his story. (not believe)

The

lt was eight o'clock in the morning. I was still in bed and my brother
.......'.......... ready for school. (get)

5 | didn't eat anything for lunch

because |

..............

... the food in the

cafeteria. (not like)

6 We
.. anything at ten. We were really tired. (not do)
7 lt was chaos [ast night at the airport. Thousands of people .............
for ftights. (wait)

8 We
9 Rachel called earlier
ro | ........
29b

.. to go, but we had to. (not want)

this morning.

She

.. very upset. (sound)

to my new CD, so I didn't hear the phone. (tisten)

Circle the correct answer.

o A: What were you saying t@hen

she asked you?
'Yes'.
B:
r A: Where was Laura going I did Laura go when we met her?
B: She was on her way to London.

t+8

Grammar: post

A: Were you and Mark practising I Did you and Mark practise

tenses

your songs when

I catled?

B:

No. Mark wasn't here.

A:

How were you feeling

I did you feelwhen you passed your driving test?

B: lncredibly pleased!

A: Were people dancing I Did people donce when you got to the party?
B: No. Everybody was in the kitchen.
A: What did you do I were you doing when you left school in June?
B: Nothing! | just wanted to rest.
A: Why did you hide I were you hiding your shopping bag when she came
B: Because there's a present for her in it.

?9c

\
in?

Complete the e-mail. Use the past simple or past continuous of the verbs in
brackets.

@&e

New Message

| (0) . ....ry.\f..Y.?.t'KiLg..... (walk) down the street this morning when

.. (see) a lot of people in front of me. They
(2) ..
... (watch) something. When I (3)
(get) nearer, I saw what (4) ..
... (happen). A man

(l) ..

(5) ..
.. (lie) on the pavement. He (6) ..
(bleed). Two other men (7) ..
... (stand) near him. One
of them (8) ..
... (hold) a gun. A woman (9)
(cry). I froze! Then suddenly, someone (10) ...
(shout)
'Cut!' The woman (l I ) ....
. (stop; crying and the wounded
man (12) ..
... (stand) up. Then | (l 3)
(notice) a camera and (14) ..
... (realise) that they
( I 5) .
(make)
......
a film!

used to, would, be/get used to

We use used to or would + infinitive to talk about something that happened
regularly in the past: I used to go jogging every day until I hurt my knee.
He would stoy up oll night when he was younger.
We use used fo (not

hove long

hair.

woulfl for a situation that was true in the past: She used to

didn't use to like pop

music.

Where did they use to live?

We use be/get used fo + noun/pronoun I -ing to talk about something that seems

or becomes norma[ because we've experienced it before We don't mind the cold
weather. We're used to it. (= lt's normal for us.) You'll soon get used to weoring
glasses. (= lt wi[[ become normal for you.)

iii,i$I

Past tenses
Past simple and continuous
past simple describes actions which are complete. We use the past simple for:
a past action or a sequence of past actions: I woke up very early. Then I got

iiu,i The

dressed, hod breokfast and left the house.

a state, event or action that lasted for a period of time in the past: The Smiths
owned a farm in the north of the country. lt rained for several days ond nights.
The students woited for a month to get their exam results.
a habit in the past: When we were children, we often went to the cinema.
,'!\,\!+

The past continuous describes states, events or actions which are temporary or
incomplete. We use the past continuous:
to emphasise that a past event continued for some time: lt was roining all night.
to describe an action in progress at a particular time in the past, or a temporary
past situation or event: We were watching TV at nine o'clock last night.
to describe two or more past actions happening at the same time: He wos cooking
the dinner while she was tolking to him.
to set the scene in a story: We set off early. Before long the sun wos rising above
the distant hills and the birds were singing their morning chorus.
to tatk about something we were planning or expected to happen: We were
planning to move to Canado but decided to stay here insteod.

r,iiti

We use the past simpte and the past continuous with when and as/while to talk
about a past action or event that was interrupted. Notice when we use a comma:
They arrived while we were having dinner. While we were hoving dinner, they
orrived. We were haujng dinner when they arrived. When they arrived, we were

having dinner.
Sometimes we can use either the past simple or the past continuous, depending
on what we want to emphasise. Compare: l lived there for five years. (l don't [ive
there now.) I was living there for five years. (This emphasises that my residence
there was temporary/the period of time | lived there.)

;f:;=;i:t

Circle the correct answer.

rc6l7@tu,asllappeningtnJune19B5.ItwasSu1ll.[Ierandwe(1)re|axecl/
the garden.My nrother (2) read / was reading a book and my
uncle (3) dozed / tuas dttzirtg peacefully in the sun.'We children (4) looked / u,ere
looking for worns and insecti.end then he (5) arriuecl / ruas arriuing.He was a
handsome man with piercing eyes and he (6) ktoked / was looking straight at my
mother. Her face (7) went / was ,goirry paIe.
'Arthur, I (B) tlrcu.ght / u,as tlinkhry you were dead!'she said.
were relnxingrn

54

Grammar: post tenses

were meeting white we (ro) lived f were livingin d

London. lGi rented I wosrenting a room in a house in North London and he
$z) stayed I was staying with friends who'd offered to put him up. We both
G) had I were having temporary jobs - at one time he $4) waited I was
washed I was washing dishes in a small
waiting on tables in a caf6 and |
(16)
got
on I were getting on really well and before
restaurant. Anyway, we
long we G) planned I were planning to go on a long holiday together. That
'.
-,.--,* (t8) was I was being before the accident.
Jussi and | (g) met

(t)

| (r9) saf I was sitting in my taxi reading the morning newspaper

when the alarm in the bank across the street (zo) went off I was going off.
| (zt) looked I was looking up and (zz) saw I was seeing two masked men
running towards me. There was confusion everywhere. Police cars
(4) raced f were racing towards the bank while pedestrians (24) ran I were
running away from it. | (zS) turned I was turning the key in the ignition when
the masked men (26) forced I were forcing their way into my taxi and
(z) told I were telling me to drive off. lt'was the scariest thing that had
ever happened to me.

H4# Complete the extract from a story. Use the past simple or continuous of the verbs
in brackets. Sometimes both tenses are possibte.
As I (0)
...Y9:..9.?.i!?9... . (go) to sleep, I (1)
(tell) myself that I would avoid the man who was sharing the room.
I (2) .
.... (sleep) deeply when I was suddenly woken
by a loud noise.To judge from the sound, my companion must have jumped
down from the upper berth to the floor in a single movement.
I (3) ..
....... (hear) him trying to open the door;it
(4) ....
. (open), and then I (5) .
(hear) him running at full speed dorn'n the passage,leaving the door open
...... (roll) a little and
behind him.The ship (6)
I (7) .
..... (expect) to hear him fall but he
(8) ..
.. (run) as though for his life.The door
(9) ..
... (swing) open and shut with the movement of
the ship and the sound (10) .
... (annoy) -..
I (11)
......(s.t up) and (12) .
(close) it and (13) .
... (find) my way back to my berth

in the darkness. I (I4)

no idea how lbng I slept.

...(go) to sleep again but I have

55

Verbs

I was reoding a book obout

astrology last nigltt.

[The reading of the book was in progress last night. The past continuous does
not describe the complete event so we assume that the book was not finished
last night.)
I read a book about astrology Last night
(I read the whole book from beginning to end last night.)
It utas raining all nigltt.
[The rain was in progress throughout the night. The use of the past continuous
emphasizes the continuity and duration of the event.)

It roined

aLI ni.ght.

(It rained from the beginning of the night to the end of the night. The rain is
viewed as one single, complete event.)
Whtle I was making the dinner, the children were watching television.
(Two activities in progress at the same time.)
Whtle I made the dinner, the children wotched teleuision.
(Two complete events that happened at the same time.)
I wos hovtng a bath at B o'clock.
(The bath started before 8 o'clock and was still in progress at B o'clock.)
.'
I had a bath at B o'clock.
(This describes the complete event. It started at B o'clock.)

Practice
10a put the verbs in brackets into the past simple or past continuous.

Here he

'

(be), Davey Stark, the big rock star.

end of an exhausting two-hour concert. The

and n.

face
and his heart

hero. His
(drip)
9

..... [shout).

It

(be) the

fans

They

(scream)

fwant) Davey, their

[pour) with sweat, his hair'

[thump) violently. But he

(love) these moments at the end of a concert. He always

(feel) powerful and in control. He "

(decide) to do one more song for the crowd: one of his most popular. When he
39

Verbs

. fstart) singing, the crowd "..

.... (go) wild. By
the end of the song, they
. (allldance) and "
(clap) their hands. When Davey
. (leave) the stage, he
. (be) exhausted but exhilarated. But when he
. (get back) to the dressing room, he ".
(open) the door and'0.
..... (see) that two men
(wait) for him. They
. (lock) the door behind Davey.

He

. (shout) for his bodyguard Bernard, but no-one

. (come). The two
behind his back,'u...

him.

men

... (blindfold) and

Davey

. (tie) his hands

".

..... (gag)

. (can hear) Bernard in the next room. Bernard

. (talk) to someone and

things about Davey. He

3'.

".
(he/mean) ? What
someone tell) him what
(deserve) it.

he'0.

..... (say) terrible

..... (say) that Davey ".

..... (Deserve) what? What

. (go on) ? Why

'u

..

.... (not

.. (happen) ?

10b put the verbs in brackets into the past simple or past continuous.

1 It 1.F.ABnefl.ed. ftappen) in June 1985. It 2...

we

'.

...... (all/lie out) in the garden. My mother

. (rdad) and my
sun. We

children

he'.
mother. Her

uncle

. (just/doze) in the

. (look for) worms and insects. And then

...... (arrive). He 8.

...... (be) a tall, handsome

he'.

...... (look) straight at my

man with piercing blue eyes and

Arthur,

.... (be) summer and

face

.. (go) pale and her

. (open) wide with shock.
.... (think) you

l1'...

eyes

.. (be) dead,' she

.. (say) in a kind of whisper.

2 A:

I's...

.... (phone) you at about 9 o'clock this morning but you

.. (not answer).

B: Well, I '8...
(have) a shower and

it. Anyway, what

40

What

.. (you/do)?

.... (hear) the phone but I

.. (can not) get out in time to answer

.. (you/want)?

Verbs

A: Well, last nightI".

...... (clear out) that old desk you

.. (give) me when

I'0...

.... [come across) a

pile of old letters with a red ribbon round them.

B: My letters?
A: Yes, they

.. (be addressed) to you. And they

.. (al\/smell) of perfume, a man's perfume.

Jake

Last night

.. (wake up) at about 3 a.m. As soon as he

.. (wake up),

he
His father "...

he

.. (listen out) for strange

.. (not hear) any.

noises but

.... (snore) in the

next room, some central heating pipes

.. (make) a bit of a noise

and a tap

".

...... (drip) in

the bathroom. It was all as usual. Jake

.. (open) the window

".
The moon
and it

...... flook) outside.

.. (be) full

and

.. (shine)

brightly. Jake

(think) he ".

...... (see) an

owl in one of the trees. He no.

,..... (can certainly hear) one.
But then

he

.. (see) something

different. A man

no,

it

.. (wear) white and

tree. Suddenly

she

.. (be) a woman.

she

She

.. (hide) behind

.. (run) towards the house.

41