B1 Lesson 8: Past Simple & Continuous + Verbs for Making Things

WARM UP

Think about fixing and creating things.

• Have you ever tried fixing something at home?
• Do you enjoy creating or decorating things?
• Have you ever recycled old clothes or furniture?
• What kinds of things can people customise today?
• Do you know anyone who can sew or mend clothes?

Answer in full sentences.

VOCABULARY – FIXING & CREATING

• fixing – arreglar / reparar
Example: He spent the afternoon fixing his bike.

• create – crear
Example: She loves to create original designs.

• recycle – reciclar
Example: We should recycle more plastic and paper.

• customise – personalizar
Example: You can customise your phone case online.

• designed – diseñado/a
Example: The room was designed by a local artist.

• sew – coser
Example: My grandmother taught me how to sew.

• mend – reparar / arreglar
Example: He needed to mend his jacket.

• decorate – decorar
Example: They decided to decorate the kitchen.

• rebuild – reconstruir
Example: The town rebuilt the bridge after the storm.

Say each word out loud.
Think about real things you have fixed, created, or decorated.

GRAMMAR – PAST SIMPLE & PAST CONTINUOUS

We use the past simple for finished actions in the past.

We use the past continuous for actions in progress at a specific moment in the past.

• Past simple → completed action
• Past continuous → action in progress in the past

Examples – Past Simple

• She decorated her room last weekend.
• We recycled old furniture.
• He mended his backpack yesterday.
• They rebuilt the house after the fire.

Examples – Past Continuous

• I was fixing my bike when you called.
• They were decorating the room all afternoon.
• She was sewing a dress at midnight.
• We were creating a new project together.

Past Simple + Past Continuous Together

• I was fixing the table when it suddenly broke again.
• They were decorating the house when the lights went out.
• She was sewing while her brother was recycling old materials.
• We were creating a website when the computer stopped working.

DIALOGUE – A DIY PROJECT

Anna: What were you doing yesterday evening?
Mark: I was fixing an old chair.

Anna: Really? Did you mend it successfully?
Mark: Yes, and then I decorated it.

Anna: Nice! I was creating some wall art for my room.
Mark: That sounds creative. Did you customise it yourself?

Anna: Yes, and my sister even helped me sew some fabric onto it.

Read again and practise.

SHORT ARTICLE

Last weekend, my friends and I worked on a creative project. We wanted to rebuild an old wooden table instead of throwing it away. While my brother was fixing the broken legs, I was decorating the surface with paint. Another friend was sewing new covers for the chairs, and someone else was recycling old materials to create decorations. The final result looked amazing because we completely customised the furniture ourselves. Everyone said the room looked professionally designed after we finished.

Read the article twice. Focus on the difference between the two past tenses.

LANGUAGE SUPPORT

Past simple

• She decorated the room yesterday.
• They recycled old materials.
• He mended his clothes.

Past continuous

• I was fixing the bike.
• They were creating something new.
• She was sewing a dress.

Using both together

• I was decorating the room when my friend arrived.
• They were rebuilding the wall when it started raining.

Full sentence model

• We were fixing old furniture while my sister was decorating the room.

PERSONAL QUESTIONS

Answer in full sentences.

• Have you ever tried fixing something yourself?
• What kinds of things do you enjoy creating?
• Do you usually recycle old objects or clothes?
• Have you ever customised anything? What was it?
• Can you sew or mend clothes?
• Have you ever helped decorate a room or house?
• Was there a moment when you were fixing something and it went wrong?
• Do you think people should rebuild old buildings or replace them? Why?
• What was the most creative thing you have ever designed?
• Were you doing anything creative last weekend?

HOMEWORK (WRITE & RECORD)

Writing

Write 8 sentences:

• 4 sentences in the past simple
• 4 sentences in the past continuous

Use at least 8 vocabulary words from the lesson.

Recording

Read your sentences aloud clearly.
Focus on pronunciation and the difference between completed and ongoing past actions.