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The Past Simple and Past Continuous Tenses These two tenses are so often confused that it is a good idea to revise them together and see how they differ. Remember that if the past activity or state is closely connected with the present, we use the Present Perfect

tenses. For past activities and states which are not connected with the present we use either the Past Simple or the Past Continuous (with the exception of those requiring the Past Perfect as discussed earlier). Most students make the mistake of using the Past Continuous far too often. We use the Past Simple unless: 1 An activity was going on when another one took place: He was reading a newspaper when I entered the room. I was listening to the radio when the phone rang. The second activity could be replaced by a point in time: He was reading a newspaper at eight o'clock. I was listening to the radio at half past nine. 2 We wish to emphasise that two actions were taking place at the same time: I was reading while my sister was writing. The students in the next class were making a noise while we were taking our biology examination. 3 We wish to emphasise that an activity was continuous over a certain period (often with an expression like all day, all the morning): I was working hard all last week. The gardener was cutting the grass all yesterday afternoon. 4 We wish to show disapproval, using a word like always: She was always making a disturbance in the classroom. He was always asking for favours. (See note on Present Continuous used in this way.) BEWARE of using the Past Continuous in any other circumstances. Whenever you think of using the Past Continuous, ask yourself the questions: Is it important to the sense that this activity went on continuously? Even if the activity did go on for a long time, is this fact important to the sense? And do not forget that there are certain verbs rarely found in the continuous forms. A common and serious mistake is to use the Past Continuous for repeated or habitual activities in the past. We must use the Past Simple: Last year we went to the cinema every Saturday. She often took part in dramatic productions when she was at school. He frequently borrowed books from the school library. Repeated or habitual activities in the past can also be expressed by used to + infinitive: We used to write a composition every week. He used to play football when he was at school. (There is no Present form of used to.)

EXERCISE 12 Change the infinitives in brackets to either the Past Simple or the Past Continuous tense: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 He ____________________(spend) three years in France when he __________________(be) a young man. We ____________________(do) a lot of oral work in Form 5. She _____________________(live) with her parents when the war ____________________(break) out. Our school football team _____________________(win) the championship last year. He _____________________(read) a newspaper when I ________________________(see) him. His great grandfather _______________________(be born) a hundred years ago. My sister _________________________(cook) a meal for our ten guests all the afternoon. He ________________________(walk) down to the beach, _______________________(take) off his clothes, _____________________(put on) swimming trunks and ___________________(spend) an hour in the water. 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 What ___________ you ______________(do) at eight o'clock yesterday evening? I _________________________(play) table tennis. The night watchman _____________________(sleep) when I ___________________(call) at your house. We ________________________(play) football when the ball ___________________(be kicked) through a window. As we _______________________(climb) the mountain, our guide ____________________(slip) and _________________(fall). He ______________________(read) a lot of poetry when he ____________________(be) a student. All last week he _____________________________(paint) his house. In the middle ages many people ________________________(die) in famines. While it [still] _______________________(rain), we _____________________(leave) the meeting and ________________________(cycle) home. We ________________________(play) cards in the living room while thieves ______________________ (take) our possessions from the bedroom. That house _____________________(be worth) half its present value when I __________________(buy) it. I _______________________(spend) a lot of money on books yesterday afternoon. I _______________________(sit) in my own room when I ______________________(hear) the dog bark. I ______________________(cycle) along the road when I suddenly __________________(see) an elephant. The little girls ______________________(be) afraid because it ______________________(get) dark. The teacher ______________________(come) into the library to see what we ___________________(do). While I ________________________(learn) French, I often _____________________(confuse) the tenses. Papers and books _________________________(be) scattered everywhere in his study. Obviously Mr Tsang _________________________(write) a book.

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The patient ________________________(recover) from his illness by the time the drugs _______________ (arrive). He ________________________(leave) hospital a week later. He ________________________(do) as he was told as soon as I __________________________(remind) him of the headmaster's threat. While he ________________________(dig) in the garden he ______________________(find) an old coin. When he first _______________________(meet) her she ________________________(work) as a typist. I ____________________(be) glad to travel with you as my car ____________________(give) me trouble.

EXERCISE 13 Change the infinitives in brackets to either the Past Simple or the Past Continuous tense: Yesterday morning when I _____________________(leave) my home to go shopping, the sun __________ ___________________(shine). It _____________________(be) so pleasant that I ___________________(decide) to walk to the market instead of taking a bus. On my way I ________________________(see) an old friend of mine on the opposite side of the road, and I ___________________________(call) to him. He ________________ (go) in the opposite direction towards a crowd of people at a bus-stop and ______________________(not hear) me. I _________________________(cross) the road to speak to him but I ________________________(be) too late as he ________________________(be) already on the bus. I ________________________(think) that I might not have an opportunity to meet him again for several years as I _______________________(know) he ___________ __________________(go) to the United States to study. Later that morning I _________________________(talk) to a shopkeeper when my friend _________________________(come) into the shop. We ____________________ (spend) the rest of the morning together chatting about old times. EXERCISE 14 Change the infinitives in brackets to either the Past Simple or the Past Continuous tense: The debate ____________________(begin) at five o'clock while some of the students [still] ___________ ___________________(arrive). The chairman _________________(say) he _________________(think) everybody should make an effort to arrive on time. He __________________(read) out the motion for debate: 'Rats are found only in dirty houses', and then ______________________(introduce) the main speakers. The proposer _________ ___________(speak) for twenty minutes. The opposer ____________________(treat) the subject humorously and the applause for his speech ____________________(last) over a minute. Several people ________________(speak) from the floor, but because of a time limit of three minutes for each speech some speakers _______________(have) to stop while they still ______________________(develop) their arguments. As the proposer _________________ (make) his closing remarks, somebody ______________________(release) a rat which __________________(run) in front of the main speakers. Since nobody ______________________(want) to admit that this was a dirty house, not one vote ______________________(be cast) for the motion.