SIMPLE PAST VS PAST CONTINUOUS

1a. Affirmative form of the ‘be’ verb in simple past tense

Examples

SIMPLE PAST (finished action)

• Finished action, no connection with present– My grandfather worked for a newspaper. – I hated school.

• With words for a finished time, like yesterday, in 2002, ago, then, when– I saw Ann yesterday. (NOT I have seen Ann yesterday)

– Bill phoned three days ago.

SIMPLE PAST (finished action)

• Stories– A man walked into a café and sat down

at a table. The waiter asked …

• Details (time, place etc) of news– The cat has eaten your supper. She took

it off the table. – Bill has had an accident. He fell off his

bicycle when he was going to work.

1. Action verbs in simple past tense

2. The negative form of the ‘be’ verbs

Affirmative Negative Negative(Shortened

form)

was was + not wasn’t

The child was happy to

receive the gift.

The child was not happy to

receive the gift.

The child wasn’t happy to

receive the gift.

were Were + not weren’t

You were late. You were not late.

You weren’t late.

.

3. The negative form of action verbs

Affirmative Negative Negative(Contraction)

laughed did + not + laugh didn’t laugh

cut did + not + cut didn’t cut

AFFIRMATIVE FORM

• was/were + ing

–Anne was hiking in Taman Negara when she came across a 20-foot python

NEGATIVE FORM

• was/were + not + ing

• Siti is not reading. • Siti not is reading.• Siti not reading.

SIMPLE PAST TENSE PAST CONTINUOUS TENSE

FORM 1. the same for all persons• He left at three

o’clock.• They arrived

three weeks ago.

2. most regular verbs add –ed to the base form of the verb ( worked, wanted, helped .....)there are many common irregular verbs ( go-went, meet-met, see-saw,.....)

1. Was / were + verb + -ing• They were

driving to Paris.• We weren’t

waiting for a long time.

• What were they doing?

SIMPLE PAST TENSE PAST CONTINUOUS TENSE

USE 1. a finished action in the past• We met in 2007.• When I was a child,

we lived in a small house by the sea.

2. a complete action followed another

• When the doorbell rang, Ahmad went to the door.

1. an action which is not finished at a certain time• What were you

doing at six o’clock?

I was brushing my teeth.

2. used together with simple past tensePast simple: new action that interrupts another actionPast continuous: an action already in progress.• When I reached

there, Siti was playing with the baby.

SIMPLE PAST TENSE PAST CONTINUOUS TENSE

USE 3. describe a scene• The night market

was very busy. Music was coming from radio cassette players. Young men were laughing and talking.

With words like not, just, often between the two words of a past continuous verb• Others were just

looking.

With adverbs ending –lyShe was quietly laughing at him.

Exercise

Class activity: 'What Is?' Survey

'What Is?' Survey