Exercise 1
What were you doing at these times? Write sentences as in the examples. The past continuous is not always necessary.
1 (at 8 o’clock yesterday evening) …………………….
2 (at 5 o’clock last Monday) …………………….
3 (at 10.15 yesterday morning) …………………….
4 (at 4.30 this morning) …………………….
5 (at 7.45 yesterday evening) …………………….
6 (half an hour ago) …………………….
Answers
1
1 I was having dinner
2 I was on a bus on my way home.
3 I was working.
4 I was in bed asleep.
5 I was getting ready to go out.
6 I was watching TV at home.
Exercise 2
Use your own ideas to complete the sentences. Use the past continuous.
1 Matt phoned while we …………………….
2 The doorbell rang while I …………………….
3 The car began to make a strange noise when we …………………….
4 Jessica fell asleep while she …………………….
5 The television was on, but nobody …………………….
Answers
2
1 were having dinner
2 was having a shower
3 were driving home
4 was reading the paper
5 was watching it
Exercise 3
Put the verb into the correct form, past continuous or past simple.
1
I ……………………. (see) Sue in town yesterday, but she ……………………. (not I see) me. She ……………………. (look) the other way.
2
I ……………………. (meet) Tom and jane at the airport a few weeks ago. They ……………………. (go) to Paris and I ……………………. (go) to Rome. We ……………………. (have) a chat while we ……………………. (wait) for our flights.
3
I ……………………. (cycle) home yesterday when a man ……………………. (step) out into the road in front of me. I ……………………. (go) quite fast, but luckily I ……………………. (manage) to stop in time and ……………………. (not / hit) him.
Answers
3
1 saw … didn’t see … was looking
2 met … were going … was going … had … were waiting / waited
3 was cycling … stepped … was going … managed … didn’t hit
Exercise 4
Put the verb into the correct form, past continuous or past simple.
1 Jenny ……………………. (wait) for me when I ……………………. (arrive).
2 ‘What ……………………. (you I do) at this time yesterday?’ ‘I was asleep.’
3 ‘ ……………………. (you / go) out last night?’ ‘No, I was too tired.’
4 How fast ……………………. (you I drive) when the accident ……………………. (happen)?
5 Sam ……………………. (take) a picture of me while I ……………………. (not / look).
6 We were in a very difficult position. We ……………………. (not / know) what to do.
7 I haven’t seen Alan for ages. When I last ……………………. (see) him, he……………………. (try) to find a job.
8 I ……………………. (walk) along the street when suddenly I ……………………. (hear) footsteps behind me. Somebody ……………………. (follow) me. I was scared and I ……………………. (start) to run.
9 When I was young, I ……………………. (want) to be a pilot.
10 Last night I ……………………. (drop) a plate when I ……………………. (do) the washing-up. Fortunately it ……………………. (not I break).
Answers
4
1 was waiting
2 were you doing
3 Did you go
4 were you driving … happened
5 took … wasn’t looking
6 didn’t know
7 saw … was trying
8 was walking … heard … was
following … started
9 wanted
10 dropped … was doing … didn’t break
