PAST SIMPLE VS PAST CONTINUOUS

Discover how and when to use the Past simple and Past continuous

The past simple and the past continuous tenses are used to talk about the past.

THE PAST SIMPLE

We use the past simple to talk about a completed event in the past:

Yesterday, I had breakfast.

Last summer, I went to Italy.

*Regular verbs add -ed or -d to the verb:

want ➞ wanted

hope ➞ hoped

Many common verbs are irregular (➢ See Web page: Irregular verbs):

think ➞ thought

make ➞ made

To be is irregular:

am/is (not) ➞ was (not);

are (not) ➞ were (not)

We use the past continuous to talk about a past activity that was in progress at a particular time in the past:

At 8 am, I was eating breakfast.

‘Where were you last night?’ ‘I was sleeping.’

We use the past simple and past continuous to talk about a completed past event that happened when another activity was in progress.

It started to rain while I was walking in the park.

I was watching TV when the phone rang.

What were you doing when he arrived?

A: I called you earlier, but you didn’t answer.

B: I’m sorry, I was playing the guitar when the phone rang.

LEARN ENGLISH THE CALEDONIAN WAY!