Past Simple VS Past Continuous

Past Simple VS Past Continuous

What did you do yesterday?

Yesterday, I went to the cinema.

Past Simple

• finished actions in the past (I went to the cinema.)

• habits or states in the past (When I was 5, I rode my bike every day.)

• actions happening one after the other in the past (I woke up, brushed my teeth and had breakfast.)

He used to play the saxophone.

Is this a habit or a state?

Keywords/phrases

yesterday, in the past, last night/year/month etc./in 2020 etc.

Multiple Choice

True or False:

For regular verbs, you can add -ed to form the Past Simple.

• True

• False

Regular verbs

• -ed: played

• -d: danced

• -(c)ed: robbed

• -ied: cry -> cried

Past continuous

What were you doing at 6' yesterday?

Past continuous

• actions happening at a specific time in the past (I was watching TV yesterday at 6'.)

• story narrative (It was snowing and the kids were playing...)

• Parallel actions (I was studying while my sister was cooking.)

Keywords/phrases

at that time, at that moment, then, at 9' o'clock yesterday, while, as etc.

Multiple Choice

Correct or Incorrect:

My sister was chatting with her friends when the bell was ringing.

• Correct

• Incorrect

When VS While

When + Past Simple (short action)

While + Past Continuous (long action)

used to VS would to

• used to for past habits or states (with verbs like be, know, understand, like etc.)

• would ONLY for past habits

Multiple Choice

True or False:

Used to and would can be used in the same way.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

True or False:

Both used to and would describe habits in the past.

• True

• False

Questions?