When the guests arrived, Jane was cooking dinner. We were watching television when the power went off.Ĭan you see a difference in the meaning of these two sentences? We often use these tenses to show an action interrupting another action.Īs I was going to work, I saw an old friend. While I was studying, I suddenly felt sleepy. 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. What were you doing this time last year? Past continuous and past simple I tried to give him some advice, but he wasn't listening. Three years ago, we were living in my home town. We make the past continuous with was or were and the - ing form of the verb. The past continuous can also show that an activity was in progress for some time, not just for a moment. This means that I started studying before 8 p.m. The past continuous shows us that the action was already in progress at a certain time in the past. We make the question form with did and then the subject and infinitive verb.ĭid Sam play basketball when he was at university? Past continuous We make the negative with didn't and the infinitive verb. Sam played basketball when he was at university. wake → woke, break → broke, feel → felt). Irregular verbs have a different form, usually with a different vowel sound (e.g. Regular past simple verbs have - ed at the end (e.g. The past simple shows us that an action was in the past, not in the present. The past continuous and the past simple help us to show how two past actions or situations are connected. Past continuous and past simple: Grammar test 1 When I woke up this morning, it was snowing. But no matter what you choose to do, just make sure your students practice the Past Simple in context, and not by memorizing lists of verbs.Look at these examples to see how the past continuous and past simple are used. Have them give a presentation on what people did 100 years ago. Ask them to write about their last vacation for homework. Tell students that the best way to learn which verbs are regular and irregular and remember the past form of irregular verbs is through lots of practice and not necessarily memorization. Students ask classmates Yes / No questions and classmates reply with short answers. INTRODUCE THE PAST SIMPLE - SHORT ANSWERSĪsk Yes / No questions and teach students to give short answers. If they are unsure as to how to ask a question, model it for them first. Make sure they ask questions in both singular and plural. First, they ask you, then they ask classmates, then they ask a classmate about another classmate (What did Bobby do last Model questions with what time, where, when, why, etc. INTRODUCE THE PAST SIMPLE - INTERROGATIVE FORMSĬontinue with more questions from students. Then have students do the same, always alternating between affirmative and negative statements. I didn’t talk to Sarah.’ Give more examples alternating between affirmative and negative statements.Īnd so on with all persons, singular and plural. INTRODUCE THE PAST SIMPLE - NEGATIVE FORMS T : I usually drink orange juice for breakfast. Go around the class and make statements in Present Simple which students must change to Past Simple. PRACTICE THE PAST SIMPLE OF IRREGULAR VERBS Give as many examples with irregular verbs as needed. Make sure students understand that the past form is the same for all persons. Give more examples with irregular verbs and write each verb in its past form on the board. INTRODUCE THE PAST SIMPLE OF IRREGULAR VERBS Now’s a good time to practice the different pronunciations of the -ed past form. Go around the class and make statements in Present Simple, which students must change to Past Simple… Give as many examples with regular verbs as needed. Give more examples with regular verbs and write each verb in its past form on the board. INTRODUCE THE PAST SIMPLE OF REGULAR VERBS Follow these steps to teach the Past Simple and keep your students right on track…. Then we hit them with the endless lists of irregular verbs to study, and their enthusiasm deflates like a balloon before your very eyes. As they learn that regular verbs simply need an -ed suffix, they jump for joy. However, ESL students must do just that: to learn the Simple Past tense. We re often told we should put the past behind us, not dwell in the past, etc.
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