Suddenly we use the past continuous for actions in progress in the past or longer actions interrupted by shorter actions in past simple. Tenses present perfect, past simple, continuous and. Fill each gap with a verb in either the past simple or past continuous tense. On the other hand, when asking questions or making negative sentences, simple past is preferred. Past simple vs past continuous language on schools. Genitive s vs of expressing possession gerunds and infinitives. English esl past simple vs continuous tense worksheets most. We can always use the past simple as an alternative to used to or would to talk about past states or habits. We use the past progressive to say what was happening at a particular moment in the past, to set the scene and to emphasise duration of a past action. Both would and used to can be used to talk about repeated actions in the past. Used to is used to express something that you did frequently in the past. May 12, 2017 this is the thing my students often have a problem withfiguring out which action should be said in past simple and which one should be said in past continuous. Past simple, past continuous, used to pechakucha youtube. Suddenly past simple vs past continuous we use the past simple for completed actions in the past, and we use the past continuous for actions in progress not finished in the past.
Past continuous and past simple grammar principiante a. Teaching english to adults free printable pdf grammar worksheets, quizzes and games, from a to z, for eflesl teachers. 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. It is better not to use used to in questions or negative forms. Fluent speakers of english know when and how to use past simple and past continuous to talk. Use the words in brackets to put the following into the correct tense the past simple or past continuous. Past simple used to test a2 b1 grammar exercises 18 multiple choice questions with answers past simple used to test a2 b1 grammar exercises. The past continuous also called past progressive is a verb tense which is used to show that an ongoing past action was happening at a specific moment of interruption, or that two ongoing actions were happening at the same time. Fill in the blanks with an appropriate verb phrase. Past simple or past continuous worksheet 1 grammarbank. The action a haircut happened before the other past action i noticed. This is a question and answer worksheet to help students understand how to use the past continuous tense.
Exercises simple past he went and past continuous he was going elementary exercise 1. Heres an interactive exercise about the past simple and past continuous tenses choose the correct tense. When the teacher came in, they were studying english. Although they are both past tenses their uses are quite different. Use the words in brackets to complete each of the following. Test comprising exercises with present simlpe, present continuous. This exercise focuses on the difference between the past simple and the past perfect. Dec 04, 2017 fill in the blanks with an appropriate verb phrase. Complete the sentences with the past simple or past continuous form of the verb.
Use either used to or the past simple to complete each of the sentences. The simple past tense, sometimes called the preterite, is used to talk about a completed action in a time before now. Last night i was walking home and listening to my ipod when the sun was shinning and lots of tourists were lying on the beach. The simple past and the past progressive, also past continuous, are used to express actions in the past. In this exercise you will practise the past simple and past continuous tenses. More past tenses including the past continuous and used to. B complete the sentences with the past continuous form of the. 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.
Heres another exercise to practise the verb tenses. Past tense simple is used to describe actions that happened in the past. 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. Past simple or used to gap fill exercise esl lounge. Past continuous and past simple page 2 of 3 test english. We were playing volleyball with mary when you called me. Helen do her weekly shopping when she meet her old friend, june. The simple past and the past continuous are two tenses commonly used to make general statements about the past.
Simple past or past progressive english tense comparison. Before the exercise,there is a small tip about these thre. Nov 22, 2019 used to is used to express something that you did frequently in the past. We use did here because the statement is in the past tense. The past continuous and the past simple help us to show how two past actions or situations are connected. Students learn about the characteristics and needs of tenses present perfect, past simple, continuous and perfect. 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. Irregular verbs have a different form, usually with a different vowel sound e. This sheet may be photocopied and used within the class. Please note that specific times and dates in the past can also be used. Complete the sentences below by putting the verb in brackets into the past perfect simple or past perfect continuous. Home page grammar exercises intermediate past simple or used to gap fill exercise. Students can use their imaginations to answer the questions while hopefully using the correct grammar.
Past simple or past continuous worksheet 1 answers. Past continuous affirmative, negative and questions. We use the past progressive to talk about actions were in progress at special time in the past. Past simple used to test a2 b1 grammar exercises english.
The simple past is the basic form of past tense in english. Also, the past simple doesnt make it so clear that the thing is no longer true. We use the past perfect for the action which happened first to make the time order clear to the listener. Past continuous we use the past continuous the set the scene in a story. As i was walking in the streets of holland, i met an old friend of mine. 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. Use 1 habit in the past used to expresses the idea that something was an old habit that stopped in the past. The past simple shows us that an action was in the past, not in the present. Simple past vs past continuous exercise grammarbank.
Past simple or used to gap fill exercise esl lounge student. Multiple choice questions and complete the sentences exercise about past tenses. It is better to ask questions and create negative sentences using simple past. English grammar today a reference to written and spoken english grammar and usage cambridge dictionary.
The past simple is used to talk about finished actions in the past. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. The time of the action can be in the recent past or the distant past and action duration is not important. English esl past simple vs continuous tense worksheets. Jul 31, 2018 past simple used to test a2 b1 grammar exercises 18 multiple choice questions with answers past simple used to test a2 b1 grammar exercises. Future perfect simple and continuous progressive tense. Simple past and past continuous flashcards quizlet. 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. Simple past both simple past and used to can be used to describe past habits, past facts and past generalizations. Simple past vs past continuous exercise 3 grammarbank. English esl past simple and past continuous worksheets most.
And used to is interesting because it is used to compare the past and present. English grammar practice exercise, upperintermediate advanced level. Past perfect and past perfect continuous exercises past perfect i had gone and past perfect continuous i had been going. In each sentence, fill the gaps with one past continuous verb and one past simple verb. In this exercise you will practise the past simple tense exercise instructions. This chapter introduces tenses present perfect, past simple, continuous and perfect to students of class 5. Past simple, past perfect and past continuous brickfield. Past simple and past continuous author last modified by. The past continuous of any verb is composed of two parts. 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. English grammar practice exercise, for preintermediate and intermediate level. A common mistake students make is to use the past continuous when the action was carried out over a long period of time. Past simple or past continuous exercise esl lounge student.
We often use the past continuous at the beginning of a story to describe the situation. Dec 19, 2015 past simple, past continuous, used to pechakucha. Past simple, past continuous exercise 1 was doing, i broke was playing, was doing he drank, he ate i was having, i suddenly heard. Read on for detailed descriptions, examples, and past continuous exercises. Learn to use past simple and past continuous really. Heres another interactive exercise about the past simple and past continuous tenses choose the correct tense. The main difference is that the past simple doesnt emphasise the repeated or continuous nature of the action or situation. English esl past simple and past continuous worksheets. Present simple, present continuous, or past simple. We use the simple past as the narrative form of the past to express completed, sequential actions. 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. 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.
Past simple and past continuous 1 complete the sentences with the correct past simple or past continuous form of the verbs in brackets. Choose simple past or past continuous tense to complete the sentences. Two common signal words for the past continuous are, when and while. 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. The past simple refers to something you did once at a specific time in the past. The simple past tense is only used to say that something happened at some time in the past. Past continuous is used to describe action that were in progress still happening not finished at a certain time in the past. The pictures are story pictures with two actions happening at the same time. These are some pdf s with additional information to help you understand the past continuous correctly.
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