We use the past progressive to talk about actions were in progress at special time in the past. While we were sit t ing at the breakfast table, the telephone rang. Learn the difference between the simple past and the past progressive in english grammar online with lingolia. You will hear some people say i seen it, when they should say i saw it. May 08, 2014 dan explains about using past progressive to show one action in progress when another action occurs. Did your parents call you last night while you were watching tv. Christine was eating dinner last night when you knocked on the door. I cycle through the park, when i hear a strange noise. Past perfect and past perfect continuous choose the past perfect, or the past perfect continuous 1.
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 simple past to express completed, sequential actions. Present perfect continuous tense vs past perfect continuous tense english grammar lesson duration. The past progressive describes actions or events in a time before now, which began in the past and is still going on at the time of speaking.
Past simple or past continuous worksheet 2 complete the sentences with the words in parentheses using the simple past or the past progressive. After reading the grammar explanation, students try the practice exercises. Or they will use the past tense instead of the correct past participle. On the other hand, past participle is a grammatical form of a verb when a perfect tense is used. Past simple vs past continuous worksheet 1 grammarbank. Pdf present simple vs present continuous past simple. Complete list of past continuous forms use 1 interrupted action in the past use the past continuous to indicate that a longer action in the past was interrupted. Heres an interactive exercise about the past simple and past continuous tenses choose the. Past simple or past progressive exercise 4 english4u. Past simple vs past continuous language on schools. They are typical mistakes that students do in past simple and past continuous tenses. Now that you understand each tense, how do we use the past simple and past continuous together. Present continuous and past continuous tenses english. Present and past tenses present simple real estate.
I was speaking you were speaking he she it was speaking we were speaking they were speaking. When or while simple past tense past continuous tense level. Sally was studying study while jan was playing play. To view and print this lesson, youll need to purchase a. We use the past simple for the short action and the past progressive for the long action. Past participle some people confuse the past tense with the past participle. For more tips, examples, and practice exercises, try the past perfect and the past perfect progressive lessons in the grammar practice worksheets section. We wait for jane, when suddenly louis come around the corner. The past simple tense vs the past continuous progressive. If you have any questions about issues, please report us to resolve them. Past simple past continuous past perfect simple answers a 1. The past continuous tense an elementary grammar worksheet fromanna grammarz the past continuous tense has these uses.
Past simple and past continuous english esl worksheets. Students learn the two main functions of the past progressive also called the past continuous. I to take took a shower, then i to get dressed got dressed and to leave left. Past tense simple is used to describe actions that happened in the past. According to the grammar notes, past progressive indicates continuing action, something that was happening at some point in the past. I began to study at nine last night and i was still studying at eleven. Jul 20, 2011 what is the difference between past and past participle. Simple past past progressive contrasted we sat was sitting were sitting at the breakfast table when the doorbell rang was ringing were ringing. Past simple, past continuous exercise 1 was doing, i broke was playing, was doing he drank, he ate i was having, i suddenly heard.
A multiplechoice interactive english grammar test on the past perfect progressive tense with a printable version for teachers. We were playing volleyball with mary when you called me. Past participle is used in passive voice sentences. Simon was playing on the computer while his brother was watching tv. Complete the following sentences using the correct form of the past progressive tense of the verbs. However, the past progressive also known as the past continuous can be confusing since its not as commonly used in english. This tense form is also used to talk about events happening at the same time that.
Present simple vs present continuous past simple presentation o. Past simple or past continuous worksheet 2 answers. In the free exercises, you can practise these tenses. Usually, they will use the past participle instead of the correct past tense. Past simple and past continuous inspiration macmillan.
It is used to talk about something that was happening at some time in the past. Past simple or past continuous worksheet 1 grammarbank. The interruption is usually a shorter action in the simple past. I am trying to figure out the difference between past progressive and past perfect progressive. The past progressive also known as the past continuous, on the other hand, can be tricky for students to learn because it is not commonly used in english. Past simple and past continuous grammar past tense. This is a worksheet i prepared last year for my elementary students as an introduction of these tenses. We were sit t ing at the breakfast table when the telephone rang. Past continuous v simple past interactive worksheet.
The past progressive describes actions or events in a time before now, which began in the past and is still going on at the time of speaking in other words, it expresses an unfinished or incomplete action in the past uses of the past progressive. Learn english with lets talk free english lessons 1,507,800 views. Past tenses simple or progressive continuous free english online exercise. Exercise on simple past and past progressive ex08 ex08. Her pets watched her while she was setting t he table. The boys clothes are dirty because he play in the mud. If an action happened, while another action took place. Live worksheets english english as a second language esl present simple and present continuous the past simple tense vs the past continuous progressive tense the past simple tense vs the past continuous progressive tense. Past simple and past continuous cambridge university press. The task is to complete the sentences with the correct verb form firstly, students should decide which tense to use and secondly, they should fill in.
Online exercises comparison of tenses, comparison of tenses questions and comparison of tenses negative sentences. Use your imagination to answer the questions in the simple past. Present continuous and past continuous tenses download pdf complete the following sentences using an appropriate present continuous or past continuous tense form. When the teacher came in, they were studying english. Past progressive practice complete the following sentences using the correct form of the past progressive tense of the verbs provided. Aug 19, 2012 practice the past progressive or past continuous and past simple tenses, using this esl grammar interactive monkey fun game activity for preintermediate was working, was driving, was walking, etc. Difference between past progressive and past perfect progressive. Heres an interactive exercise about the past simple and past continuous tenses choose the correct tense. Past simple or past continuous worksheet 1 answers. When the boys arrived at the cinema, the film had already started, 3. We use the past progressive to talk about actions were in progress at.
Last week i was visiting visit my brother in france. Free english online grammar exercise on the use of past tense simple and progressive, past tense continuous. While i cycle past some villages, i see some people in their gardens. Put the verbs into the correct tense simple past or past progressive. I had been doing the homework for an hour when my mother came in. These lessons include mixed exercises that compare the past perfect and. After you have interviewed a classmate or the teacher with the questions above, write a short paragraph reporting what you learned from them. Fill in the blanks with a correct form, the past simple or the past continuous. I to eat was eating cornflakes while dad to read was reading the newspaper. Present simple tense exercise 3 simple past, present perfect, or present progressive 1. She was singing sing while they were eating eat dinner. Present simple, present continuous, past simple english. Pdf past progressive grammar practice worksheets lucas.
In other words, it expresses an unfinished or incomplete action in the past. Learn the difference between the simple past and the past progressive in english grammar with lingolias tense comparison table. Remember sometimes the continuous tenses are called the progressive tenses. It is commonly used and relatively easy to learn aside from having to memorize irregular verb forms. Shows that an action in the past lasted a long time. The past continuous tenseto show what somebody was doing at a particular time in the past, we use the past continuous tense. Present simple vs past simple ed when do people use the past form. He met was meeting were meeting a lot of friendly people while he worked was working were working in california. Past participle is also used in the third conditional.
Past progressive, past continuous, past simple, verb tenses. The past progressive can be tricky for students to grasp since its not commonly used in english. As i was walking in the streets of holland, i met an old friend of mine. Difference between past progressive and past perfect. Heres another exercise to practise the verb tenses. Read each situation below and answer the following questions. Although they are both past tenses their uses are quite different. Teachers also might say the past simple or the simple past, these are just different names. The simple past is a very common verb tense that is learned early on by english language learners. The action in the simple past pink interrupts the action in the past. Difference between past and past participle compare the. The past continuous tense is mainly used to talk about past events that were in progress at a particular point of time in the past. What characteristics and interests did elyse and paula have in common.
She came home, switched on the computer and checked her emails. Jun 18, 2017 in our latest grammar point we would like to explain the usage of the past simple and the past continuous tenses in english. Finally, click here to download this exercise in pdf with answers. Fluent speakers of english know when and how to use past simple and past continuous to talk.
English esl past simple and past continuous worksheets most. Check out the following easy method for presenting and. Past continuous v simple past fill in the blanks with the correct form of the verb. Use the words in brackets to put the following into the correct tense the past simple or past continuous. We use the simple past as the narrative form of the past to express completed, sequential actions. When jack dropped by to visit me, i was having dinner. Comparison of tenses simple past and past continuous with free online exercises, passive rules and passive voice examples.
Use thepast simple and past continuous verb tenses as much as possible. Past tense simple or past progressive complete the sentences with the verbs. Remember this can be a real interruption or just an interruption in time. Lets begin to study the past simple vs past continuous. Dan explains about using past progressive to show one action in progress when another action occurs.
Mark the past tenses in two colors one for past simple and one for past continuous. Past simple and past continuous tense english grammar. Simple past or past progressive english tense comparison. This worksheet is created to revise three basic tenses present simple, present continuous and past simple. In my experience, presenting this verb tense using the diagram and chart seen here helps students grasp it more quickly. The simple past and the past progressive, also past continuous, are used to express actions in the past. We use the past progressive to set the scene and emphasise the process or duration of a past action. A verb in the past progressive indicates 1 the duration or repetition of a past activity or event. Past continuous vs past simple tense grammar point youtube. Decide if you need to use the present perfect simple or the progressive i study all day, but i am afraid i learnnot much. Last night i was reading in bed when i suddenly heard a scream. Past progressive story 1, page 1 past progressive story 1. They were standing stand on the corner when i saw them.
The past progressive and the simple past ernst klett verlag. George fell off the ladder while he was painting the ceiling. In this grammar point we start with some personal questions. Lets look at some sentences with verbs in the past form past simple and present form present simple to better understand the meaning the past form adds and why speakers choose to use it. Using them together so, the next time you sit down to write a story, or youre chatting with your friends about what you were doing at the weekend, remember the basic idea that the past simple and past continuous work together. In this exercise you will practise the past simple and past continuous tenses. The simple past and the past continuous are two tenses commonly used to make general statements about the past. We use the past progressive to say what was happening at a particular moment in the past. The simple past tense is only used to say that something happened at some time in the past. Exercise on simple past and past progressive ex03 ex03. The action had not finished at a particular time in the past.
1371 1261 1284 481 753 1459 1109 212 746 659 508 1209 1433 699 626 720 1316 321 1517 450 717 521 594 928 476 1154 707 601 667 686 276 1516 52 834 674 1370 569 342 569 835 603 760 1380 482