Imagine that you are writing a letter to a friend. What news would you tell him/her about? The Past Progressive (Continuous) Tense
Exercise 1
Translate into Russian and comment on the use of the Past Progressive Tense.
1. It was raining at noon,
2. It wasn't raining when I left the house.
3. What were you doing when I phoned you?
4. The fire was still burning when the fire-brigade arrived.
5. Just as he was getting on the bus a thief stole his purse.
6. While the family was having supper all the lights went out.
7. 'Was it snowing the whole evening?' 'Yes, it was.1
8. She was constantly scolding her child.
9. What was Millie doing when the police came?
10. Who were you talking to when I saw you yesterday?’
'Oh, it was just an old friend of mine.'
11. 'What was he trying to explain?’ 'I didn’t understand him either.’
12. I was thinking about him. And wondering a lot, too.
13. Graham was watching the street and thinking of his past. 14. It was getting chilly, so they left the veranda. In the room Bert was making himself a drink.
Exercise 2
Make the following sentences: - negative;
- interrogative
1. It was snowing all day yesterday.
2. We were working at that time.
3. They were doing their homework when I came to see them.
4. My father was reading a newspaper while my aunt was cooking dinner.
5. She burnt her hand when she was cooking dinner.
6. We were having dinner when our uncle came.
7. They were playing all day.
8. She was working on her report all Sunday.
9. They were cleaning this flat all morning..
10. You were looking through my paper when I entered the room.
11. He was making a professional assessment of the situation and its possibilities.
12. The lecture was getting rather dull.
13. Ted was walking along the lane when he heard a shot somewhere.
14. You were burning something in the fireplace.
Exercise 3
Ask your partner.
Model 1: - I am looking for my hat.
- Are you looking for your hat?
He is running to us. 2. She is talking to our director. 3. I am preparing my report for the conference. 4. They were listening to his speech at this tome yesterday. 5. The child was crying in the room. 6. She was painting their summer-house. 7. The boys were training in the gym. They will be waiting for you. 9. I shall be trying to do this well.
Model 2: - I am looking for my bag.
- What are you looking for?
1. I am thinking about my future. 2. He is looking at the picture on the wall. 3. She is taking her book out of the bag. 4. They are talking about their journey.
Exercise 4
Put the verbs in brackets into the Past Continuous Tense.
1. What you (do) yesterday at 10.20 p.m.? — Mr. X.: I (play) chess with my brother.— Mr. Y.: I (listen) to a play on the radio. 2. My wife and I (talk) about you the other day. 3. When I first met him he (study) painting. 4. Who you (talk) to on the telephone as I came in? — I (talk) to Mr. Smith. 5. Where he (live) when you saw him last? 6. Tom (sit) in a corner with a book. 7. I went into the garden to see what the boys (do). 8. The traffic made so much noise that I couldn't hear what he (say). 9. While he (learn) to drive he had twenty-five accidents. 10. From the sounds it was clear that Mary (practise) the piano. 11. John (work) all day yesterday. 12. He watched the children for a moment. Some of them (bathe) in the sea, other (play) in the sand. 13. When I first met him he (work) in a restaurant. 14. One winter evening the old man and his wife (sit) by the fire. The old man (smoke) his pipe and (read) the paper. 15 John got off the train while it (go). 16. It (rain) when we went out. 17. I (play) the piano when he came into the room. 18. I came into the room when Mary (play) the piano 19. While we (fish) someone came to the house and left this note. 20. She (live) in England when the war began. 21. He hurt his foot while he (climb) the tree. 22. The baby (eat) its dinner when I came home. 23. He (walk) home when the rain began. 24. The car hit a tree while it (travel) at 60 miles an hour.
Exercise 5
Ask questions to the following sentences beginning with the words in brackets.
Yesterday at 11.40 she was having breakfast at the canteen. (What? When? Where?)
It was raining heavily yesterday in the morning (When?)
We were revising for our exam when he called us up. (What? What … for?)
They were chatting all day long in the garden. (Who? Where?)
The teacher was explaining the new material when one of the pupils interrupted him. (Who? What?)
She was cooking dinner yesterday in the evening while her daughter was ironing her clothes. (Who? What? When?)
They were running quickly because they were afraid to miss their train, (Why? What?)
He was rehearsing his pan in this play all week. (What? How long?)
I was trying to understand that new rule when you called me up (What? When?)
Loraine was still waiting for his answer when he shut the door (Who? What … for? Whose … for?
You were talking wonderfully at the yesterday’s Conference.(Who? When? How?)
You were sleeping so soundly. I didn't want to bother you.
John was testing the new car while his wife was cooking supper. (Who? What? What?)
No one was talking to Jill, but she was the only one who couldn't understand why. (Who? Why? Who … to?)
He was too dramatic. I think he was overdoing it (Who? Why?)
Exercise 6
Say what you were doing yesterday.
- your mother came home;
- your favorite TV programme began
- it started raining/snowing;
- your friend came to see you;
- the supper was ready:
- the evening newspaper came
Exercise 7
Translate into English.
1. Вчора о дев’ятій вечора я дивився телевізор.
2. Коли ми вийшли, йшов сніг.
3. Коли я вперше зустрів свою наречену, вона працювала у школі.
4. Вона накривала на стіл, коли ми прийшли.
5. З ким ви розмовляли коли я зателефонував вам?
6. Я часто ходив до цієї бібліотеки, коли працював у цьому районі.
7. Ми зустрілися з ним в той час, коли я стояла на автобусній зупинці.
8. Що ви робили вчора весь вечір?
9. Вчора ми увесь день гуляли по парку.
10. Чому ви розмовляли з ним так довго? Ми на вас чекали.
11. Де ви зупинялись коли жили у Лондоні?
12. Я зовсім не намагався звинуватити вас у чомусь. Я лише описав ситуацію, в якій ми були.
13. – Що Ви робили 25-го ввечері?
- Я дивився якийсь фільм.
- Що саме Ви дивились?
- Я не пам’ятаю.
- А о котрій розпочався фільм?
- О 22.20, а потім я заснув перед телевізором.
14. Раптово він зрозумів, що наближається до потрібної зупинки.
15. Він знайшов цю фотокартку, коли шукав якусь стару книжку.
Exercise 8
Your friend is offended. Explain that you are not guilty. Take the following dialogue as a model.
I saw you yesterday and you didn’t greet (notice) me.
Really? When?
At about 7 o’clock. You were running in the park.
That wasn’t me. I was taking a shower in our bath-room at that time.
I guess. A made a mistake.
to wait for a bus – to work in the office.
to drive along Gorky Street – to swim in he swimming-pool.
to ride to the lake – to be in bed, to be ill.
to get on a bus – to watch TV.
to walk to school (the office) – to work in the library.
Exercise 9
Complete the conversation. Put in a Past Continuous form of the verb.
Jeremy: I am afraid. I’ve broken this dish.
Sue: Oh no! What 1 ________________?
Jeremy: I 2__________________it into the dining-room. I bumped into Emma.
She 3__________________ out just as I 4___________________ in.
Emma: It was your fault. You 5________________. You 6 _________________
Where you 7______________________.
1. you do 2. take 3. come 4. go 5. dream 6. not look 7. go
Exercise 10
Put in the past continuous or past simple.
Kim: I hear the lights □ went out last night.
Charles: Yes? I □ was watching television at the time. The programme 1_________
Interesting, too. But the electricity 2______________ on again after about
ten minutes. I 3_________________ very much of it.
Angela: Sarah 4________________ down the stairs when the lights went out. She
Almost 5_________________ over.
Jessica: Tom and I 6_________________ table tennis at he time.
Peter: I 7_______________ at my computer. When it 8____________________, I
9___________________ work and 10 ___________________ to bed.
□ go □ watch 1. get 2. come 3. not miss 4. come 5. fall 6. play 7. work 8. happen. 9. stop. 10. go
Exercise 11
Find the second part of each sentence. Put each verb in brackets into the past continuous or past simple.
□ I (dream) see (feel) a sudden pain in her back.
□
When Mary (see) the
question, when she (drive) on the motorway.
1 The train (wait) when I (find) a £10 note between two pages
2 Ella (have) a puncture the crowd (walk) in.
3 When I (try) the pudding, she (know) the answer.
4 When Karen (lift) the chair, when the alarm clock (ring).
5 When the gates (open), I (like) it.
6 I (read) a library book when we (arrive) at the station.
□ I was dreaming when the alarm clock rang.
□When Mary saw the question, she knew the answer.
1 ________________________________________________________________
2
________________________________________________________________
3 ________________________________________________________________
4 ________________________________________________________________
5 ________________________________________________________________
6 ________________________________________________________________
Exercise 12
Join each idea in A with the most suitable idea in B. Make sentences using when and the past continuous or past simple of the verbs in brackets.
Example: 1. I dropped my bag when I was running for a bus.
A B
1 I (drop) my bag I (drive) to work
2 I (cut) myself I (eat) a sandwich
3 My (car) (break down) I (run) for a bus
4 I (see) a shark I (shave)
5 My clothes (get) dirty I (swim) in the sea
6 I (break) a tooth I (clean) the attic
Exercise 13
Put the verbs in brackets into the correct form: the past continuous or the past simple.
Example:
When she came (come) into the room I was listening (listen) to the radio.
When my car broke down (break down) I phoned (phone) a garage.
1 We _____ (go) down in the lift when suddenly it _____ (stop).
2 _____ (they) have dinner when you _____ (call) to see them?
3 When the doorbell _____ (ring) I _____ (get) up and _____ (answer) it.
4 When I _____ (open) the door, a friend _____ (stand) there.
5 When I _____ (arrive) back at the car park, my car wasn’t there! Oh, no!
What _____(you) do? I _____ (report) it to the police.
Exercise 14
These paragraphs begin three stories: a love story, a western and a horror story.