PAST SIMPLE AND PAST CONTINUOUS

Past Simple

Estructure: Pronoun + [VERB+ed] or "irregular verbs" + etc.

    Use the Simple Past to express the idea that an action started and finished at a specific time in the past, to list a series of completed actions in the past, can be used with a duration which starts and stops in the past, can also be used to describe a habit which stopped in the past and can also be used to describe past facts or generalizations which are no longer true, etc.

 Example: 

• I didn't see a play yesterday.

• They sat at the beach all day.

• They never went to school, they always skipped class.

• She answered my question when I paid her one dollar.

 

Past Continuous 

Estructure: Pronoun+ [was/were + present participle] + etc.

     Use the Past Continuous to indicate that a longer action in the past was interrupted, with two actions in the same sentence, with words such as "always" or "constantly" expresses the idea that something irritating or shocking often happened in the past, etc.

Example:

• Jane was at my house when you arrived

• He was constantly talking. He annoyed everyone.

• What were you doing while you were waiting? 

• At midnight, we were still driving through the desert. 

• I was watching TV when she called.

Exercise:  

Past Simple and Past Continuous 01

Past Simple and Past Continuous 02