Past Continuous

Eventos Pasados y Futuros…. En Lengua Extranjera. Unit 1 Events in the Past “Past Continuous”

Elaboración: E.T.E. Karim Juárez Cortés

Unit 1 “Events in the Past”

Past Continuous Past

Now I was travelling

Future ast

I was travelling back from Monterrey when I met a wonderful lady.  Was travelling = longer action (past continuous)  Met = shorter action (past simple)

USES

1) We use it to talk about an action which was in progress at a stated time in the past. We do not know exactly when the action started and finished.

Examples:  Yesterday at night I was watching my favorite TV program.  My father and my brother were painting the house.  Susana was cooking a delicious omelet last night.

2) To talk about and action which was in progress and was interrupted by another one.

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Examples:  I was doing my homework in the computer when the telephone rang.  My kids were playing football in the park when it started to rain.  Catherine was reading an interesting book when somebody knocked at the door. 3) To talk about more than two actions that, were happening at the same time in the past. Examples:  Daniel was doing his homework in the studio while his parents were taking a nap in the bedroom.  Children were playing hide and seek while their parents were having dinner.  While Rodrigo was reading the newspaper, I was answering some e-mails.

4) To give background information in a story and to set the scene. Examples:  It was half past eleven at night and Kathy was waiting for her parents.  The snow was falling heavily as some kids were playing in the park with the snow.  The woman’s flowers were lying on the doormat.

FORM

We form the past continuous with the past of the verb “to be” WAS/WERE and the main verb in gerund form (-ING) Affirmative  Monica was writing some e-mails to her friends.  Daniel and Antonio were playing basketball.

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Negative  Monica was not (wasn’t) writing some e-mails to her friends.  Daniel and Antonio were not (weren’t) playing basketball. Interrogative  Was Monica writing e-mails to her friends? Yes, she was / No, she wasn’t  Were Daniel and Antonio playing basketball? Yes, they were / No, they weren’t Interrogative with WH- questions  What was Monica writing? She was writing e-mails.  Where were Daniel and Antonio playing? They were playing in the park. Examples:  Miguel was watching a great film last night when his girlfriend called him.  I was surfing on the web.  She was working in the emergency area of the hospital yesterday around seven o’clock.  While the doctor was treating some patients in the emergency area, Nurses were giving some medicines to the patients.

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SPELLING RULES

When we form past continuous, we use the verb in ING form. In the next chart, you can check some spelling rules adding ING. RULES EXAMPLES Most verbs: add ING

   

Work = working Wait = waiting Go = going Answer = answering

Verbs ending in –E; take off -E and add – ING

   

Live = living Write = writing Wake up = waking up Move = moving

Verbs ending in consonant + vowel + consonant: double the last consonant and add –ING

   

Get = getting Stop =stopping Travel = travelling Put = putting

Time Expressions When, while, as, all day / night / morning/ evening, etc. Simple past: When (shorter action) Past continuous: when/ while / as (longer action)

NOTE: El pasado continuo lo utilizamos para hablar de acciones en el pasado que se realizaron por un largo periodo, que también pudieron ser interrumpidas por otra acción en el pasado. Para formar el pasado continuo utilizamos WAS / WERE mas el verbo con terminación ING o bien denominado gerundio. Ejemplo: I was watching TV when the telephone rang. (Estaba viendo la TV cuando el teléfono sonó).

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REFERENCES (Referencias) Bibliography (Bibliografía)          

Evans Virginia, y Dooley Jenny (2000): Enterprise 1 Grammar Book . USA, Express Publishing Evans Virginia, y Dooley Jenny (1999): Enterprise 3 Grammar Book . USA, Express Publishing Evans Virginia y Dooley Jenny ( 2005): Upstream Beginner A1+. USA, Express Publishing. Jones Ceri ( 2000) American Framework elementary. USA, Richmond Publishing. Redston Chris y Cunningham Gillie (2005) face2face Elementary Student’s book. ITALY, Cambridge University Press Redston Chris y Cunningham Gillie (2005) face2face Pre- intermediate Student’s book. ITALY, Cambridge University Press. Richards C. Jack y otros ( 1997): New Interchange 1 Student’s book. USA, Cambridge University Press. Rogers Mickey, Sturtevant Jane, and Williams Libby ( 2004). Style 1. THAILAND, Macmillan. Rogers Mickey y otros (2010) OpenMind Level 1. THAILAND, Macmillan Stempleski Susan y Curtis Andy ( 2005): Worldlink 2 Developing English Fluency. USA, Thomson Heinle

Images taken from: (Imágenes tomadas de :)    

Reading newspaper: http://www.clipartheaven.com/show/clipart/technology_&_communication/print_media/reading_newspaper_9-gif.html Telephone ring: http://www.thelovekitchen.org/contact_us.php Hospital: http://wynnewood-md.net/Otherlinks.html Nurses: http://www.thedailyinquirer.net/national-nurses-week-2010-nurses-day/0514001

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