Past simple vs. past continuous

Past simple is often used for past events in a past time. Most stories are told using this tense and it is often used together with past continuous.

Past continuous or past progressive is one of the tenses we are going to study this year.

The following chart summarises the most important aspects you'll have to learn about both of them:

USES:

• Past simple is used to tell about past event or stories:
• We went to Ireland and there we met your sister.
• My parents spent a weekend in Coruña but they didn't go to the port.
• When did they release the film? Last Friday?
• Past continuous is often used to talk about what was happening at a specific time in the past (talking about memories...)
• We were watching the film at lunch time.
• Two past continuous tenses can be used to talk about long, simultaneous actions in the past:
• We were studying while the dogs were barking in the yard.
• Both tenses are used to talk about something that happened at one point (in the past simple) while a longer action was taking place (in the past continuous). In this use, the clause referring to the longer action, is often introduced by while or as; or, alternatively, the shorter action clauses is introduced by when:
• We weren't watching the film when my sister rang.
• They found the lost key as they were having a walk along the river.
• Myrtle broke here leg while she was exercising in the park.

VIDEOS AND PRESENTATIONS

WHEN/WHILE PAST CONTINUOUS TENSE & PAST SIMPLE from Münevver Çelebi

EXERCISES:

• Past continuous 1
• Past contunuous 2 - statements
• Past continuous 3 - statements
• Past continuous 4 - negative
• Past continuous 5 - questions
• Past continuous 6 questions
• Past continuous use
• Past simple versus past continuous 1
• Past simple versus past continuous 2
• Past simple versus past continuous 3
• Past simple versus past continuous 4
• Past simple versus past continuous 5
• Past simple boy (from www.isabelperez.com)
• Lady past continuous (from www.isabelperez.com)
• Choose the right tense exercise (perfect-english-grammar.com)
• Revision exercise for unit 2 (past simple / past continuous / jobs / questions)
• Shakira's life (past simple exercise)