Past simple, past continuous and used to english esl. Students will notice the different uses considering the time expressions and linking words. Past perfect continuous worksheets esl games activities. The past continuous is one of the tenses used to tell stories as it describes multiple actions and events happening at the same time in the past. Used to is used to express something that you did frequently in the past. So the little girl take an automatic pistol out of her. Christine was eating dinner last night when you knocked on the door. When the little girl open the door of her grandmothers house, she see that there was somebody in bed with a nightcap and nightgown on.
Hier you find a lot of simple past worksheets, exercises free and help function, teaching materials and grammar rules. The past continuous and the past simple help us to show how two past actions or situations are connected. Use the words in brackets to put the following into the correct tense the past simple or past continuous. I was talking to my friend while i was washing the dishes. Although both tenses speak about the past, they are used in different ways. We do not use used to to simply say what happened at a past time or how long it took. Past simple we use the past simple to talk about completed actions in the past we ate out yesterday.
Did your parents call you last night while you were watching tv. We can use the past simple and the past continuous in the same sentence. Past simple we use the past simple to talk about completed actions in the past. B complete the sentences with the past continuous form of.
The past simple refers to something you did once at a specific time in the past. Oct 04, 20 to talk about a longer background action which was going on when something else happened, we use the past continuous tense. Past simple and past continuous inspiration macmillan. Past simple and past continuous, wereas the second exercise is about used to. Past continuous sentence completion match the two halves of these sentences which show how the past simple and the past continuous tenses are used. Past simple or continuous headway students site oxford. English grammar today a reference to written and spoken english grammar and usage cambridge dictionary. To be past simple 01 to be past simple 02 intermediate exercises home. Past simple, past continuous and used to continuity, past. I n te r m e d i a te g r a m m a r e x e r c i s e. Remember sometimes the continuous tenses are called the progressive tenses. When she opened the door, she pretended that we werent there and she went to her room. Past tense simple is used to describe actions that happened in the past. Past simple and continuous, exercises and pdf worksheets.
We usually use the past simple tense to refer to the shorter action that interrupted the longer background action. Past simple, past continuous, past perfect test english. Exercise 2 used to solutions oxford university press. Then ask students to complete the sentences with the correct form of the present simple, the past simple or used to.
On winter days, we used to would sit around the fire and tell stories when i was a child, my sister used to would take me to the cinema every sunday. We often use these tenses to show an action interrupting another action. Past simple and past continuous cambridge university press. Exercises simple past he went and past continuous he was going elementary exercise 1. To be past worksheets pdf, handouts, printable exercises. Past perfect continuous i had been working past perfect simple i had worked past perfect simple or past perfect continuous. When we use these two tenses together, it shows us that the past simple action happened in the middle of the past continuous action, while it was in progress. The past simple shows us that an action was in the past, not in the present. Past continuous is used to describe action that were in progress still happening not finished at a certain time in the past. We use the past simple tense of be to talk about people and situations in the past. My worksheet is for practicing past simple, past continuous and past perfect tenses.
Yesterday i went to the post office, bought some fruit at the supermarket and read a book in the park in the afternoon. We usually use the past simple tense to refer to the shorter action that interrupted the longer background action complete the following sentences using an appropriate past simple or past. This is a question and answer worksheet to help students understand how to use the past continuous tense. We use the past simple to talk about the past see unit 8. Past simple past continuous, used to answers a 1 rode 4 didnt clean 2 played 5 didnt travel 3 forgot 6 did drink b 1 was writing, were taking 2 werent studying, were making 3 were riding 4 were sitting 5 wasnt washing, was sleeping 6 was snowing c 1 was writing, delivered 2 left, were sitting 3 wasnt swimming.
This sheet may be photocopied and used within the class. We use the past continuous see unit 9 for something around a past time or a past action. As i was walking in the streets of holland, i met an old friend of mine. Complete the sentences with the past simple or past continuous form of the verb. The first exercise is about understanding the differences between past simple and past continuous, wereas the second exercise is about used to. She approach no nearer than twentyfive feet from the bed when she see that it was not her grandmother but the wolf, for even in a nightcap a wolf does not look like anybodys grandmother. Give each group of three or four a set of past perfect. Intermediate grammar past simple or used to gap fill. B complete the sentences with the past continuous form of the. Past simple past continuous past perfect simple answers a 1.
Heres an interactive exercise about the past simple and past continuous tenses choose the correct tense. We were playing when my brother ran away and caught a bus. Simple past both simple past and used to can be used to describe past habits, past facts and past generalizations. Heres another exercise to practise the verb tenses. Dec 04, 2017 we do not use used to to simply say what happened at a past time or how long it took. Intermediate grammar past simple or used to gap fill exercise. On the other hand, when asking questions or making negative sentences, simple past is preferred. Learn when to use the past simple or the past continuous. I began to study at nine last night and i was still studying at eleven. Past simple, past continuous or past perfect english esl.
The auxiliary verb did is not used with to be were you a student. The past simple is used for the actions in the story, to tell us what happened next. Past simple or past continuous worksheet 1 answers. It is important to learn how to use the simple past and the past continuous. The present downloadable teaching material is a great resource for elementary school at elementary a1 level. Past continuous and past simple grammar beginner to pre. Simple past english tenses and english grammar worksheets, grammar rules, grammar exercises. At the time of the incident, not many people were shopping in the store. This is a fun grammar exercise for english language learners. More past tenses including the past continuous and used to. Use either used to or the past simple to complete each of the sentences. You can do the exercises online or download the worksheet as pdf. Past simple or past continuous worksheet 1 grammarbank.
It is a useful material for revising past simple vs continuous tense in english, and can be used for working on your students reading skills. And used to is interesting because it is used to compare the past and present. Put in the verbs in brackets in simple past or past progressive into the gaps. In this exercise you will practise the past simple and past continuous tenses. There are 27 questions which are required to be answered in these 3 tenses. Speaking part two tasks about the past past simple, past continuous, present perfect simple, present perfect continuous, used to and past perfect describe a gift you. Complete the sentences with the present simple or present. Past continuous and past simple grammar principiante a. The pictures are story pictures with two actions happening at the same time. Past simple, past continuous, past perfect, past perfect continuous. Present simple, present continuous, or past simple. Fill in the blanks with a correct form, the past simple or the past continuous. Alibi jigsaw reading choose the best past simple and past continuous questions to complete this police interview of a suspect. Past continuous and past simple grammar beginner to.
Past simple or used to gap fill exercise esl lounge. To talk about a longer background action which was going on when something else happened, we use the past continuous tense. Past simple, past continuous, past perfect grammar chart. I was walking down the street when i saw the sale sign. Elicit what the difference is between using the past simple and used to. The past simple is used to talk about finished actions in the past a common mistake students make is to use the past continuous when the action was carried out over a long period of time. Students can use their imaginations to answer the questions while hopefully using the correct grammar. Students look at the timelines and write sentences describing the past activities, occupations, emotions, and habits of the lives of the people pictured. Finally, click here to download this exercise in pdf with answers. When jack dropped by to visit me, i was having dinner. In this engaging past perfect continuous activity, students play a pelmanism style game where they combine past perfect continuous and past simple sentence halves together with when to make logical sentences. We use the past continuous to talk about longer actions in progress at some point in the past, and we use past simple to talk about shorter finished actions in the past.
Online exercises with questions and simple past positive and negative sentences. Worksheet 2 past simple and past continuous 1 complete the sentences with the correct past simple or past continuous form of the verbs in brackets. Past simple, past continuous exercise 1 was doing, i broke was playing, was doing he drank, he ate i was having, i suddenly heard. Elicit what tense we use to talk about present habits. E x e r c i s e i ns t r u c t i o ns use the words in brackets to put the following into the correct tense the past simple or past continuous. Past simple or past continuous worksheet 2 answers. When we refer to a past state, we can only use used to i used to have would have a toyota celica mary used to bewould be a teacher but shes now retired. To talk about two simultaneous short actions we use simple tenses. Answers to past simple or past continuous exercise 2 1. When the teacher came in, they were studying english.
Past simple vs past continuous language on schools. Past simple past continuous, used to was writing delivered used to wear was writing rode a complete the sentences with the past simple form of the verbs in brackets. This downloadable handout is a great resource for high school and adults at preintermediate a2 and intermediate b1 level. We were playing volleyball with mary when you called me. It is used to talk about two actions in the past that happened at the same time and were continuous. Past simple, past continuous or past perfect english. It centers around the theme of culture, intercultural communication, crosscultural communication.
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