Past Continuous

 The past continuous is made from the past tense of the verb be and the –ing form of a verb:

I was working

You were playing

We use the past continuous to talk about the past:

• for something which happened before and after another action:

The children were doing their homework when I got home.

Compare: The children did their homework when (= after) I got home.

This use of the past continuous is very common at the beginning of a story:

The other day I was waiting for a bus when …
Last week, as I was driving to work, … 

• for something that happened before and after a specific time:

It was eight o'clock. I was writing a letter.

Compare: At eight o'clock I wrote (= started writing) some letters.

• to show that something continued for some time:

My head was aching.
Everyone was shouting.

• for something that happened again and again:

I was practising every day, three times a day.
They were meeting secretly after school.
They were always quarrelling.

• with verbs which show change or growth:

The children were growing up quickly.
Her English was improving.
My hair was going grey.
The town was changing quickly.

We do not normally use the past continuous with stative verbs. We use the past simple instead:

When I got home, I really needed (NOT was needing) a shower.

Make up 5 sentences with the verb in Past Continuous and post them below. 

‘Never give up,’ says teenager who landed BBC job after dozens of rejections

 

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Read the article and answer the questions:

1. What grades did Tyreek obtain in his A-levels?

2. What problems did he encounter while he was doing job-hunting?

3. How did he obtain his current job and what is it about?

4. What advice did Tyreek give to jobless people?

Hundreds of migrants and refugees camped at Belarus-Poland border

 

Watch the video and answer the questions:

1. Where are the refugees heading?

2. What is the reaction of the European Commission in response to the crisis?

3. What is the origin of the problem, according to the Russian foreign minister?

‘My grandmother hid Jewish children’: Poland’s underground refugee network

 

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Read the article and answer the questions:

1. What is the standoff between Poland and Belarus?

2. How do the Poles help the refugees?

3. Which situation in the past does the story resemble?

The Muslims who saved Jews from the Holocaust

 

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Read the article and answer the questions:

1. What role did Muslims play in the salvation of Jews during the Holocaust?

2. How many Muslims are there in Britain, according to the 2011 Census?

3. Why did the number of Jews increase in Albania during the Second World War?

 

Past simple or present perfect

Definite time in the past

We use the past simple to refer to definite time in the past (when we specify the time or how long) and usually with past time expressions such as yesterday, two weeks ago, last year, in 1995:

We met in January 1975. We went to America together in 1978.

Not: We have met in January 1975. We have gone to America together in 1978.

Time up to now

We use the present perfect to talk about time up to now, that is, events that took place in the past but which connect with the present. The present perfect is often used with time expressions which indicate time up to now, for example today, this year, in the last six months:

I haven’t seen her since January 1995.

Not: I didn’t see her since January 1995.

Compare

I haven’t seen her for over 20 years.	The last time I saw her was over 20 years ago.
I didn’t see her for over 20 years and then I bumped into her last week.	I saw her last week but the last time I saw her before last week was over 20 years ago.

 

Compare

I finished my homework an hour ago.	Definite time in the past. I finished my homework at a time in the past (one hour ago).
I haven’t finished my homework yet.	From a time in the past up to now. I started my homework at a time in the past and it is not finished yet (yet means ‘up to now’).
We had a good day yesterday.	Definite time in the past. We had a good day in the past (yesterday).
We have had a good day so far.	From a time in the past up to now. The day has been good until now but it hasn’t finished yet.
We didn’t see Diana last week.	Definite time in the past (last week).

We haven’t seen Diana this week.	From the beginning of the week until now.
I didn’t have any lunch today.	Today is not finished but it is almost the end of the day and past lunchtime.
I haven’t had any lunch today.	It is still today and not too late to have lunch.

Make up 5 sentences with Present Perfect and Past Simple and post them below.

Efforts to save Iran nuclear deal ‘reaching the end of the road’

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Read the article and answer the questions:

1. What changes have there occurred in the relations between Europe and Iran since the 2015 Iran nuclear deal?

2. What policy does the US pursue in this matter? 

3. What happened to the IAEA cameras placed at Karaj near Tehran?