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English 4 ESO

Simple Past and Past Progressive

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http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/simpas-paspro

Simple Past Past Progressive
irregular verbs: see 2nd column of irregular verbsI spoke

regular verbs: verb + ed

I worked

 past form of ‘be’ + ing form of verb
I was speaking
you were speaking
he / she / it was speaking
we were speaking
they were speaking
Exceptions
Exceptions when adding ‘ed’ :

  • when the final letter is e, only add d.Example: love – loved
  • after a short, stressed vowel, the final consonant is doubledExample: admit – admitted
  • final lis always doubled in British English (not in American English)Example: travel – travelled
  • after a consonant, final y becomes i. (but: not after a vowel)Example: worry – he worried
    but: play – he played
 Exceptions when adding ‘ing’ :

  • silent e is dropped (but: does not apply for -ee)Example: come – coming
    but: agree – agreeing
  • after a short, stressed vowel, the final consonant is doubledExample: sit – sitting
  • final lis always doubled in British English (not in American English)Example: travel – travelling
  • final ie becomes y.Example: lie – lying

See also explanations on Simple Past and Past Progressive

Use

After another or at the same time?

Do you want to express that the actions in the past happened one after another or at the same time?

Simple Past Past Progressive
after anotherShe came home, switched on the computer and checked her e-mails. at the same timeSimon was playing on the computer while his brother was watching TV.

New action or already in progress?

If you want to express that a new action happened in the middle of another action, you need both tenses: Simple Past the new action and Past Progressive for the action already in progress.

Simple Past Past Progressive
new actionMy mobile rang (when I was sitting in a meeting.) action already in progressWhile I was sitting in a meeting, (my mobile suddenly rang.)

Only mentioning or emphasising progress?

Do you just want to mention that an action took place in the past (also used for short actions)? Or do you want to put emphasis on the progress, e.g. that an action was taking place at a certain time?

Simple Past Past Progressive
just mentioningColin played football yesterday. emphasising progressYesterday at six o’clock, Colin was playing football.

Certain Verbs

The following verbs are usually only used in Simple Past (not in the progressive form).

  • state:be, cost, fit, mean, suitExample: We were on holiday.
  • possession:belong, haveExample: Sam had a cat.
  • senses:feel, hear, see, smell, taste, touchExample: He felt the cold.
  • feelings:hate, hope, like, love, prefer, regret, want, wishExample: Jane loved pizza.
  • brain work:believe, know, think, understandExample: I did not understand him.
  • introductory clauses for direct speech:answer, ask, reply, sayExample: “I am watching TV,“ he said.

Signal words

Simple Past Past Progressive
  • first
  • then
  • If-Satz Typ II (If I talked, …)
  • when
  • while
  • as long as

Exercises on Simple Past and Past Progressive

 

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English teacher IES Sedavi

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