Simple past and simple Continuous.

Simple Past Tense:

The simple past is used to describe completed actions or states in the past.

Example:

I went to the park yesterday.

She studied English for two hours.

Forming the Simple Past Tense:

For regular verbs, add "-ed" to the base form of the verb.

Example:

"play" becomes "played," "walk" becomes "walked."

However, irregular verbs have unique past tense forms that need to be memorized.

Example:

"go" becomes "went," "eat" becomes "ate."

Time Expressions with the Simple Past:

Time expressions such as "yesterday," "last week," or "two days ago" are commonly used with the simple past.

Example:

I met her last night.

They traveled to Europe last summer.

Simple Past for Past Habits or States:

The simple past can also be used to describe habitual actions or states that occurred in the past.

Example:

I always went for a run in the morning.

She used to live in London.

The past continuous tense

Also known as the past progressive tense, is used to describe ongoing actions or events that were happening in the past at a specific moment or during a specific period of time. It helps us paint a picture of what was happening in the past, providing a sense of duration and setting the scene.

Forming the past continuous tense:

To form the past continuous tense, we use the past tense of the verb "to be" (was/were) and add the present participle form of the main verb (-ing).

Affirmative sentences:

In affirmative sentences, we use the following structure:

Subject + was/were + verb-ing

Examples:

I was studying all night for the exam.

They were playing football in the park.

She was cooking dinner when the phone rang.

Negative sentences:

In negative sentences, we add "not" after "was" or "were":

Subject + was/were + not + verb-ing

Examples:

He wasn't watching TV when I arrived.

We weren't working on the project together.

They weren't attending the conference last week.

Interrogative sentences:

In interrogative sentences, we invert the subject and "was" or "were":

Was/Were + subject + verb-ing?

Examples:

Were you sleeping when the storm started?

Was he playing the guitar at the party?

Were they talking about their vacation plans?

Using the past continuous tense

Ongoing actions in the past: We use the past continuous tense to describe actions or events that were happening at a specific time or during a specific period in the past.

Example:

I was studying when the phone rang.

Setting the scene: The past continuous tense helps set the scene by describing what was happening in the background or providing context for other past actions.

Example:

The sun was setting, and birds were singing in the trees.

Simultaneous actions: We use the past continuous tense to describe two or more actions happening at the same time in the past.

Example:

While I was cooking, he was cleaning the house.

Interruptions: The past continuous tense is useful for describing actions that were interrupted by another event or action in the past.

Example:

She was watching TV when the power went out.

It's important to note that the past continuous tense is not used for actions that happened at a specific point in the past or for habitual actions. For those situations, we use the simple past tense.

Activity

Simple past and simple Continuous:

1. Choose the correct verb tense to complete the sentence:

2. Complete the sentences with the correct verbal tense.