when to use the Simple Past
- used for actions and events completed in the past (I saw him yesterday.)
signal words (signifying a definite time): yesterday, …….. ago, when …., last week / month / year, in 2018 - habitual action in the past (She always walked to school.)
when to use the Past Continuous
- something was happening at a definite time in the past (I was having a bath at eight.)
- to express that an action which was happening in the past was interrupted by another (shorter) event. It is unclear whether the interrupted event was completed. (I was having a bath when the phone rang.)
- in descriptions (I was sitting in my chair, and I was quietly reading my newspaper, when suddenly there was a knock on the back door.)
- expressing annoyance at a frequently repeated action (you were always smoking inside!)
NOTE: The continuous occurs only with verbs that indicate duration and describe activities that are deliberate. Verbs which are not normally used in the continuous are
- verbs of the senses (see, hear, feel, etc.)
- verbs expressing feelings and emotions (love, hate, fear, hate, etc.)
- verbs expressing possession (own, possess, etc.)
- verbs expressing perception, remembrance, preference, knowledge (mean, know, believe, forget, understand, appreciate, etc.)
Exercises
Simple Past (he went) and Past Continuous (he was going) (elementary)
- exercise 1: fill in the correct verb form of the simple past or the past continuous
- exercise 2: fill in the correct verb form of the simple past or the past continuous
- exercise 3: fill in the correct verb form of the simple past or the past continuous
- exercise 4: fill in the correct verb form of the simple past or the past continuous
- exercise 5: choose the correct verb forms
Simple Past (he went) and Past Continuous (he was going) (intermediate)
- exercise 10: fill in the correct verb form of the simple past or the past continuous
- exercise 11: fill in the correct verb form of the simple past or the past continuous
- exercise 12: fill in the correct verb form of the simple past or the past continuous
- exercise 13: choose the simple past or past continuous
- exercise 14: fill in the correct verb form of the simple past or the past continuous
- exercise 15: fill in the correct verb form of the simple past or the past continuous
- exercise 16: fill in the correct verb form of the simple past or the past continuous
- exercise 17: fill in the correct verb form of the simple past or the past continuous
- exercise 18: fill in the correct verb form of the simple past or the past continuous