Past Simple vs Past Continuous
GRAMMAR-(B1-B2)
10/21/2025
Target Structures:
Past Simple and Past Continuous
Goal:
Talk about completed and ongoing actions in the past, and use them together to describe background actions and interruptions.
1. Warm-Up (3 min)
🗣️ Questions:
What did you do last weekend?
What were you doing at 8 p.m. yesterday?
Can you remember a time when something interrupted what you were doing?
💬 Sample Answer:
I was watching a film when my friend called me.
🎯 Focus: contrast between what happened and what was happening.
2. Presentation (7 min)
A. Past Simple → completed actions in the past
✅ I watched a movie yesterday.
✅ She went to the gym last night.
✅ They didn’t visit us last weekend.
✅ Did you study for the exam?
🕒 Use for:
Finished actions
Specific times (yesterday, last week, in 2010)
Actions in sequence
🧩 Signal words: yesterday, ago, last night, then, after that
B. Past Continuous → actions in progress at a specific time in the past
✅ I was watching TV at 9 p.m.
✅ They were cooking when the phone rang.
✅ She wasn’t listening when I explained.
✅ Were you studying when I called?
🕒 Use for:
Background actions
Longer, continuous actions
Interrupted actions
🧩 Signal words: while, when, as, at that moment
C. Using Them Together
✅ I was reading (longer action) when the light went out (shorter action).
✅ While we were walking in the park, it started to rain.
💬 Rule of thumb:
➡️ Past Continuous = background action
➡️ Past Simple = main/interrupting action
3. Controlled Practice (7 min)
Choose the correct form of the verb in brackets.
I ______ (watch) TV when you ______ (call) me.
She ______ (not / go) to work yesterday because she ______ (feel) sick.
While we ______ (walk) home, it ______ (start) to rain.
I ______ (drop) my phone while I ______ (run).
What ______ (you / do) when the fire alarm ______ (go) off?
He ______ (study) all evening, so he ______ (not / see) the message.
They ______ (play) football when it suddenly ______ (snow).
I ______ (meet) Sarah while I ______ (travel) in Italy.
✅ Answer Key & Explanations
was watching / called → background + interruption
didn’t go / felt → both completed past actions
were walking / started → ongoing + short event
dropped / was running → short + long
were you doing / went → question in past continuous + past simple
was studying / didn’t see → background + result
were playing / snowed → longer + sudden action
met / was travelling → specific event + background
🧩 Why others are wrong:
Mixing tenses (e.g., both Past Continuous) makes timing unclear.
Using Past Simple for both removes the sense of interruption or duration.
4. Interactive Practice (5 min)
Complete each sentence and make it true for you.
I ______ when someone ______.
While I ______, I suddenly ______.
It ______ when I ______.
I ______ while my friend ______.
When I ______, it ______.
💬 Example:
I was studying when my cat jumped on the table.
🎯 Encourage using when and while correctly.
5. Free Practice (4 min)
🗣️ Story Time!
Describe a funny or surprising moment from your past using both tenses.
Example prompt:
Tell me about a time something unexpected happened.
💬 Sample Answer:
I was walking to school when I saw a famous actor. He was talking on the phone, and I couldn’t believe it!
🎯 Focus on mixing Past Simple + Continuous naturally.
6. Extra Discussion (3–4 min)
Talk with your teacher or partner:
What were people doing the last time something surprising happened in your town?
What were you doing during the last big event (storm, festival, blackout, etc.)?
Do you prefer relaxing or multitasking while you’re working on something? Why?
How can we describe background actions to make stories more interesting?
🗣️ Encourage full sentences using both tenses in each response.
7. Wrap-Up & Review (2 min)
🎯 Quick Recap:
Past Simple: completed actions (I finished work at 7.)
Past Continuous: longer background actions (I was working at 7.)
Together: background + interruption (I was working when he called.)
💬 Mini Challenge:
Describe what you were doing last night at 8 p.m., and what happened right after.
