Past Simple and Past Continuous
The past simple tense is used to describe completed actions in the past, often with time expressions like "when," "in," "last," or "ago."
It is formed by adding "-ed" to regular verbs or using the irregular past form for others.
The past simple is used for:
- Completed actions and situations in the past
- Sequential actions in the past
- Repeated actions in the past
Example: "I bought a guitar last year." (completed past action)
Example: "When you arrived, they started to eat." (sequential actions)
Example: "When I was 10, I played volleyball every day." (repeated past action)
Negative statements use "didn't" plus the infinitive, while questions start with "Did."
Example: "She didn't meet me yesterday." (negative form)
Example: "Did you like music as a child?" (interrogative form)
The past continuous tense, formed with "was/were" plus the "-ing" form of the verb, is used to describe:
- Background information or ongoing situations in the past
- Incomplete actions interrupted by another event
Example: "Some people at the party were already dancing." (background information)
Example: "The train left when they were talking." (interrupted action)
Negative statements insert "not" after "was/were," and questions invert the subject and "was/were."
Example: "I wasn't sleeping when the phone rang." (negative form)
Example: "Were they talking during the lesson?" (interrogative form)
Highlight: The past simple e past continuous schema helps illustrate the relationship between completed and ongoing actions in the past.
Definition: Past continuous - a tense used to describe actions that were in progress at a specific time in the past.
