Past Simple vs Past Continuous

This grammar based intermediate lesson looks at the difference between past simple and past continuous, and how the two tenses are often used side by side. The worksheet attempts to not only teach the grammar, but show it in interesting contexts.

The worksheet starts with a grammar explanation of past simple and past continuous and then moves on to gap fill exercises in which students must choose between past simple and past continuous. This section introduces past continuous as a  “background” tense, ie. describing what was happening in the background before  a main event (e.g. “I was cooking when my father called”)

Next the students will learn about past continuous as a way of saying what a person was doing at a specific time (e.g “I was eating lunch at 2pm”) and practice by asking each other what they were doing at specific times.

After this the students will read four true stories about “close encounters” with animals in which the students must choose between past simple and past continuous. Finally the students must construct a story of their own using past simple and past continuous.

Quick and Easy English