University of the Aegean School of Sciences

Course: English Group: 1 Instructor: E. Landrou / elandrou@aegean.gr

GRAMMAR 2: PAST SIMPLE AND PAST CONTINUOUS

A. Look at the forms in italics in the text below. Decide which forms are Past Simple and which ones are Past Continuous. Turing [1] continued working with machines and electronics and in 1944 he [2] talked about building a brain. Turing [3] had an idea for an electronic universal machine that could do any logical task. In 1948, while he [4] was working at Manchester University, he [5] created the Manchester Baby. It [6] was Turings second great invention and the worlds first digital computer. Past Simple: . Past Continuous: . B. Fill in the gaps with Past Simple or Past Continuous. a. The . describes a completed past action b. The . describes an action that happened before AND after another action in the past

Exercises
A. Correct the mistakes in the sentences 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. James met Sabine in 1998. He living in New York at the time. I wanted to work in marketing. So I was joining a marketing company. I were listening to the radio when you called. I saw Jess a minute ago. She talked to Sam. Why werent you answer the phone when I called?

B. Complete the sentences with the Past Simple or Past Continuous form of the verb in brackets 1. While Diana . (watch) her favourite television programme, there . (be) a power cut. 2. Who . (drive) the car at the time of the accident? 3. I . (do) some shopping yesterday when I . (see) that Dutch friend of yours

4. What exactly . (you/do) when I . (come) into your office yesterday? 5. While I . (try) to get my car started, a man . (offer) to help me 6. Although it rained a lot, I . (enjoy) my holiday last year 7. I . (phone) you yesterday but you . (not answer). What . (you/do)? C. Below there is a short biography of Bill Gates. Complete the text using the verbs in the box either in the Past Simple or the Past Continuous. be, be born, make, grow up, drop out, started (2), go, study, work, grow into, sell, meet Bill Gates story .. in 1955. He .. in Seattle, where he .. with his parents and two sisters. His father .. a lawyer and his mother a teacher. When he was thirteen, he .. to become interested in computers and the development of computer software. In 1972 he .. his first big profit of $4,200 when he .. timetable software to his school. Bill Gates .. to Harvard University and while he .. there he started Microsoft. It was obvious that the new business was going to be a great success so, in 1976, he .. after doing three years of a four-year course. Microsoft .. an enormous international company that employs 54,000 people all over the world. Gates .. his wife, Melinda, in 1987 when she .. for Microsoft. They got married in 1994 and now have two children. D. Look at the answers, based on the text in exercise D, and complete the questions. 1. When .. ? In 1955. 2. What .. ? His father was a lawyer and his mother a teacher. 3. When .. ? When he was thirteen. 4. When .. ? In 1976 5. When .. ? When she was working for Microsoft.

Answers
Grammar Exercise A Past Simple: 1, 2, 3, 5, 6 Past Continuous: 4 Exercise B a. Past Simple b. Past Continuous Exercises Exercise A 1. was living 2. joined 3. was listening 4. she was talking 5. Why didnt you answer Exercise B 1. was watching / was 2. was driving 3. was doing / saw 4. were you doing / came 5. was trying / offered 6. enjoyed 7. phoned / didnt answer / were you doing Exercise C 1. started 2. was born 3. grew up 4. was 5. started 6. made 7. sold 8. went 3

9. was studying 10. dropped out 11. grew into 12. met 13. was working Exercise D (suggested questions) 1. When was Bill Gates born? / When did Bill Gatess story start 2. What were his parents jobs? / What did his parents do for a living? 3. When did he become interested in computers? 4. When did he drop out of university? 5. When did he meet his wife?

Grammar Reference
Past Simple We use the Past Simple when we are talking about an event that happened at a particular time in the past and finished.

We arrived home before dark. The film started at seven thirty. Phrases used often with Past Simple:

ago, yesterday, last year/month/week, the day before yesterday Form Positive statements Regular verbs I / you / he / she / it / we / they watched Irregular verbs I / you etc. went / ate / had (See table: Irregular verbs) Yes / No questions Did you watch it? Did you go home then? Negative statements Wh- questions I did not (didn't) watch / I did not (didn't) go What did you watch? / Where did you go?

Positive short answers Negative short answers Yes, I did. No, I didn't.

*Regular verbs: We add ed to the infinitive or d if the infinitive ends with an e. work + ed = worked, arrive + ed = arrived **Irregular verbs: Some verbs are irregular, e.g. buy bought. See pages 6-7 for a list of irregular verbs. Past Continuous We use the Past Continuous when we are talking about something which happened before and after a specific time in the past OR before and after another action in the past.

It was just after ten. I was watching the news on TV. He broke his leg when he was playing rugby.

Phrases used often with the Past Continuous:

when, while, at + time I was working for a language school when I had the idea. I had a job offer in Poland while I was working at Motorola. I was typing the email at four oclock. Form The past continuous is formed with the past tense of be and the ing form of the verb. Positive statements I / he / she / it was working you / we / they were working Yes / No questions Was she working? Were you working? Negative statements Wh- questions I was not (wasnt) working / You were not (werent) working Positive short answers Yes, she was. Yes, we were. Where was he working? / Where were they working? Negative short answers No, she wasnt. No, we werent.

Irregular verbs
Verb be beat become begin bend bet bite blow break bring broadcast build burst buy catch choose come cost creep cut deal dig do draw drink drive eat Past was /were beat became began bent bet bit blew broke brought broadcast built burst bought caught chose came cost crept cut dealt dug did drew drank drove ate Past Present participle participle been beat become begun bent bet bitten blown broken brought broadcast built burst bought caught chosen come cost crept cut dealt dug done drawn drunk driven eaten being beating becoming beginning bending betting biting blowing breaking bringing broadcasting building bursting buying catching choosing coming costing creeping cutting dealing digging doing drawing drinking driving eating Verb fall feed feel find fly forbid forget forgive freeze get give go grow hang have hear hide hit hurt hold keep kneel know lay lead leave lend Past fell fed felt found flew forbade forgot forgave froze got gave went grew hung had heard hid hit hurt held kept knelt knew laid led left lent Past Present participle participle fallen fed felt found flown forbidde n forgotten forgiven frozen got given gone grown hung had heard hidden hit hurt held kept knelt known laid led left lent falling feeding feeling finding flying forbiddin g forgetting forgiving freezing getting giving going growing hanging having hearing hiding hitting hurting holding keeping kneeling knowing laying leading leaving lending

Verb let lie light lose make mean meet pay put read/ri:d / ride ring rise run say see seek sell send set sew shake shine shoot show shrink shut sing sink sit

Past let lay lit lost made meant met paid put read /red/ rode rang rose ran said saw sought sold sent set sewed shook shone shot showed shrank shut sang sank sat

Past participle let lain lit lost made meant met paid put read /red/ ridden rung risen run said seen sought sold sent set sewn shook shone shot shown/showed shrunk shut sung sunk sat

Present Verb participle letting lying lighting losing making meaning meeting paying putting reading riding ringing rising running saying seeing seeking selling sending setting sewing shaking shining shooting showing shrinking shutting singing sinking sitting sleep slide speak spend split spit spread spring stand steal stick sting stink strike swear sweep swim swing take teach tear tell think throwunderstand wake wear weep win write

Past slept slid spoke spent split spat spread sprang stood stole stuck stung stank struck swore swept swam swung took taught tore told thought threw understood woke wore wept won wrote

Past participle slept slid spoken spent split spat spread sprung stood stolen stuck stung stunk struck sworn swept swum swung taken taught torn told thought thrown understood woken worn wept won written

Present participle sleeping sliding speaking spending splitting spitting spreading springing standing stealing sticking stinging stinking striking swearing sweeping swimming swinging taking teaching tearing telling thinking throwing understanding waking wearing weeping winning writing