Past Continuous
Folien in diesem Satz (12)
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THE PAST CONTINUOUS or PROGRESSIVE
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9t4rt7M6wU (Einbetten)
- Bildunterschrift: Listen the video and write in your notebook tha sentences in Past Progressive
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- FORM
- [was/were + present verb + ING]
- Examples:
- You were studying when she called.
- Were you studying when she called?
- You were not studying when she called.
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- USE 1 Interrupted Action in the Past
- Use the Past Continuous to indicate that a longer action in the past was interrupted. The interruption is usually a shorter action in the Simple Past. Remember this can be a real interruption or just an interruption in time.
- Examples:
- I was watching TV when she called.
- When the phone rang, she was writing a letter.
- While we were having the picnic, it started to rain.
- What were you doing when the earthquake started?
- I was listening to my iPod, so I didn't hear the fire alarm.
- You were not listening to me when I told you to turn the oven off.
- While John was sleeping last night, someone stole his car.
- Sammy was waiting for us when we got off the plane.
- While I was writing the email, the computer suddenly went off.
- A: What were you doing when you broke your leg?
- B: I was snowboarding.
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- USE 2 Specific Time as an Interruption
- In USE 1, described above, the Past Continuous is interrupted by a shorter action in the Simple Past. However, you can also use a specific time as an interruption.
- Examples:
- Last night at 6 PM, I was eating dinner.
- At midnight, we were still driving through the desert.
- Yesterday at this time, I was sitting at my desk at work.
- IMPORTANT In the Simple Past, a specific time is used to show when an action began or finished. In the Past Continuous, a specific time only interrupts the action.
- Examples:
- Last night at 6 PM, I ate dinner.
- I started eating at 6 PM.
- Last night at 6 PM, I was eating dinner.
- I started earlier; and at 6 PM, I was in the process of eating dinner.
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- USE 3 Parallel Actions
- When you use the Past Continuous with two actions in the same sentence, it expresses the idea that both actions were happening at the same time. The actions are parallel.
- Examples:
- I was studying while he was making dinner.
- While Ellen was reading, Tim was watching television.
- Were you listening while he was talking?
- I wasn't paying attention while I was writing the letter, so I made several mistakes.
- What were you doing while you were waiting?
- Thomas wasn't working, and I wasn't working either.
- They were eating dinner, discussing their plans, and having a good time.
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- AFFIRMATIVE
- Subject +
- a form of be + verbing
- + rest of sentence
- I / He / She / It
- was finishing
- the exam when the bell rang
- You / We / They
- were paying
- the bill while I was waiting to be seated
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- Subject +
- a form of be + verbing
- + rest of sentence
- I /He / She / It
- wasn’t crying
- when you came home
- You / We / They
- weren’t hiking
- there when the earthquake hit
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- A form of Be
- + subject +
- verbing
- + rest of sentence + ?
- Was
- I
- walking
- too fast?
- Was
- he / she / it
- shouting
- while you were trying to sleep?
- Were
- you / we / they
- waiting
- for her when the plane landed?
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- SHORT ANSWERS
- * Was your mother cooking when the phone rang?
- Yes, she was / No, she wasn't
- * Were you studying while your father was watching TV?
- Yes, he was / No, he wasn't
- LONG ANSWERS
- * Where were you standing when the trouble started?
- I was standing near your mother.* Why wasn’t she
- waiting at the meeting point?
- Because, she was attending her sick mother.
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- 1-Read this text.
- A STRANGE EXPERIENCE
- Last month I was on holiday in Ireland with my mum and dad. One day, we were driving through a small village. It was time for lunch, so we stopped at a restaurant .
- It was a large , old builiding. We looked through the window. There were lots of people in the restaurant. They were eating , drinking and chatting . A musician was playing the violin. But there was something strange about the people . They weren't wearing normal , modern clothes. They were wearing hats, jackets and dresses from another century . We couldn't understand it. But we were hungry , so we opened the door .
- When we went into the restaurant, everything was different. The people were wearing normal clothes. The musician wasn't there- the music was on CD. It was a very strange experience !
- Daniel
- 2- Now copy these questions in a new file and answer them .
- 1- Who was Daniel on holiday with ?
- 2- Why did they stopa at a restaurant ?
- 3- What were the people in the restaurant doing ?
- 4- What instrument was the musician playing ?
- 5- What was strange about their clothes?
- 6- When they went into the restaurant, did they see the musician ?
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- WRITING -
- 1-Look at the picture and write what these people were doing when the teacher arrived at the school ?
- Example
- 1- When the teacher arrived , the girl in number 1 was sitting on a bench and she was studying .
- Write your sentences in the new file .

- Bildunterschrift: 1-Look at the picture and write what these people were doing when the teacher arrived at the school ?
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- GOOD LUCK!!!