Past Simple & Past Continuous

Past Simple & Past Continuous

START

Index

P. SIMPLE

P. cONTINUOUS

form

Form

use

use

VERSUS

Past Simple

form

• Affirmative:
• Subject + verb+ed (regular verbs)
• Subject + Irregular verb (past simple/2nd column)

• Negative:
• Subject + did not/didn't + verb (base form)
• Questions:
• Did + subject + verb (base form) ?

Past Simple

USE

• Short or quickly finished actions
• Peter broke a window last night.

• Repeated events:
• Regularly every summer, Janet fell in love.

• Stories and descriptions of past events
• One day the princess decided that she didn't like....
• It is often used with words referring to finished actions
• I saw John yesterday morning.

Past Continuous

form

• Affirmative:
• Subject + was/were + V-ing
• I was working.

• Negative:
• Subject + was/were + not + V-ing
• She was not trying.
• Questions:
• Was/were + subject + V-ing ?
• What were you doing at eight o'clock yesterday morning?

Past Continuous

USE

• To say that something was in progress around a particular past time:
• She was writing a book yesterday.

• Temporary actions and situations:
• It happened while I was living in Eastbourne last year.
• 'Background' events (+ past simple)
• As I was walking down the road, I saw Bill.
• The phone rang while I was having dinner.

Simple vs Continuous

Past continuous

PAST SIMPLE

• Actions IN PROGRESS at a particular time in the past

• Temporary actions and situations

• Key words: while / as / at (time)

• Actions COMPLETED in a specific time in the past

• Finished action

• With non-progressive verbs

• Key words: when / yesterday / last week / in (year)

Doubts?