PAST SIMPLE and PAST CONTINUOUS

Hi 3rd graders, watch the video and copy the explanation into your notebooks. This is your HOMEWORK for Tuesday, 14th of November.

PAST SIMPLE and PAST CONTINUOUS

PAST SIMPLE

1.Mary visited her sister yesterday.

completed action that took place at a specific time in the past

2. He woke up late, ate breakfast in a hurry and arrived late for school.

sequence of actions that happened in the past one after another

3. When I was a child, I spent my summers in India.

past routines or habits

TIME EXPRESSIONS
yesterday, two days ago, last Monday, last night in 2010, in 1982,  the other day, when I was a child, when I was younger, when I lived in Japan….

PAST CONTINUOUS

1.At midnight I was listening to music,

action in progress at a specific time in the past

2.While I was preparing dinner, John was watching TV.

two, or more, unfinished actions in progress at the same time in the past

3.It was a beautiful day. The Sun was shining, the birds were singing and I was feeling happy again.

background information in a story

TIME EXPRESSIONS
as, while, at 9 am, at 10pm, yesterday

Past Simple vs Past Continuous

I was walking to school when I saw Billy.

She was driving when she called me.

unfinished action in progress (Past Continuous) interrupted by a shorter action (Past Simple)