Vi. PAST Continuous (I was doing) and PAST simple(i did)

PAST CONTINUOUS	PAST SIMPLE
· an activity in progress around a specific time in the past: I was studying for my exams this time last year. – … готовился …	· events which happened in the past: I woke up early and got out of bed. – … проснулся … и встал …
· a temporary situation in the past: Bill was using my office until I came back from America. – … пользовался …	· a regular or habitual activity in the past: She lived just outside London. –… жила …
· an activity that was in progress when another action happened – the second action is in the PAST SIMPLE: He was watching television when the doorbell rang. – Он смотрел телевизор, когда в дверь позвонили.
· two or more actions in progress at the same time in the past (with time expressions while, when): John was fixing the car while his wife was cooking dinner. –… ремонтировал … готовила …	· if two things happened one after another: As soon as he saw me, he waved. – … увидел … помахал …

Exercise 1. Make the following sentences: a) negative; b) interrogative.

1. She was working on her report all Sunday. (Who? When?)

2. You were looking through my papers when I entered the room. (Who? When? What?)

3. We were working at that time. (When? Who?)

4. It was raining at noon. (When?)

5. I was thinking about him. And wondering a lot, too. (Who…about?)

6. You were speaking wonderfully at the yesterday’s conference. (Who? Where? How?)

7. This time last year we were living in Brazil. (Where? Who? When?)

8. Tom was trying to achieve promotion for the whole year. (What? Who?)

9. She was waiting for a very important call yesterday at noon. (What…for? When?)

Exercise 2. Choose the correct tense in the following sentences.

1. I was not listening / did not listen, so I missed what the teacher said. 2. I work in a travel agency now. Before that I worked / was working in a shop. 3. She was passing / passed her examination from 6 to 7 yesterday. 4.My father taught / was teaching me driving when our cousin came. 5. The two small firms merged / were merging into one large company last year. 6. The sellers were doing / did their best to avoid the cancellation of the contract. 7. The agents charged / were charging a commission of 10 per cent for this service. 8. We were offering / offered them our help, but they refused it. 9. The businessman flew / was flying to England yesterday. 10. I did not hear what he said / was saying. I typed / was typing at the moment.

Exercise 3. Join the sentences using as, when or while, as in the example.

1. Tina was cooking. She burnt herself.

As/When/While Tina was cooking, she burnt herself.

Tina was cooking when she burnt herself.

2. Laura was making some tea. She dropped the kettle.

3. Mrs. Jason was sitting in the garden. It started raining.

4. Peter was driving his car. He got a flat tyre.

5. She was walking in the park. A dog attacked her.

Exercise 4. Put the verbs in brackets into the PAST SIMPLE or PAST CONTINUOUS. Which is the longer action in each sentence?

1. As I was doing (do) the washing-up, I broke (break) a glass. “Doing the washing-up is the longer action.”

2. We_______ (walk) in the woods when the storm _______ (begin).

3. John ______ (repair) his motor bike when his mother _______ (arrive).

4. I _______ (eat) my lunch when the phone ________ (ring).

5. He ______ (ride) his bicycle to school when he ______ (drop) his bag.

6. We _______ (see) a bad accident as we _______ (drive) to the airport.

7. Tom ______ (watch) the match when the TV _______ (break down).

8. We ________ (talk) when she _______ (come) into the room.

Exercise 5. Match column A with column B.

Column A
1. While I was driving home, 2. We were watching the children 3. He cut his finger 4. At eight o’clock yesterday morning 5. As she was crossing the street 6. While they were talking
	Column B
	b. as he was chopping wood. c. he was sleeping in his bed. d. while they were playing. e. she slipped and fell. f. I ran out of petrol. g. the doorbell rang.

Exercise 6. Choose the correct form of the verbs.

1. Mary met her husband while she worked / was working / used to worked in the States. 2. Why does Warren keep shouting at people? He wasn’t / wasn’t being / didn’t use to be so bad-tempered. 3. How long is it since you had / were having / used to have a holiday? 4. The government provided / were providing / used to provide much more help for disabled people than they do now. 5. It’s all very well complaining you haven’t any money, but while you were traveling around the world, I studied / was studying / used to study sixteen hours a day for my exams. 6. The only time I ever rode / was riding / used to ride a horse, I fell / was falling / used to fall off in the first five minutes.

Exercise 7. Choose the correct form of the verbs.

TOMAS EDISON ⁽¹⁾ started / was starting work on the railway when he was twelve, selling newspapers and snacks. There were long periods with nothing for him to do so he ⁽²⁾ built / was building himself a little laboratory in the luggage van where he could carry out experiments when he ⁽³⁾ didn’t sell / wasn’t selling things to passengers. Another way that he ⁽⁴⁾ occupied / was occupying himself was by reading. He joined a library and ⁽⁵⁾ read / was reading every single book in it. One day, when he ⁽⁶⁾ waited / was waiting at a station he ⁽⁷⁾ noticed / was noticing a small boy who ⁽⁸⁾ played / was playing by the track, unaware that a train ⁽⁹⁾ approached / was approaching. Edison ⁽¹⁰⁾ ran / was running out and ⁽¹¹⁾ grabbed / was grabbing the child just in time. The child’s father was so grateful that he ⁽¹²⁾ offered / was offering to teach Edison to be a telegraph operator. Edison accepted the offer and soon he ⁽¹³⁾ had / was having regular lessons. After a year, he was good enough to get a job in the telegraph office. He continued to read and experiment, whenever he ⁽¹⁴⁾ had / was having time. At twenty-one he ⁽¹⁵⁾ left / was leaving the telegraph office to devote all his time to being an inventor. He ⁽¹⁶⁾ went / was going on to invent the electric light bulbs, the photograph and the movie camera.

Exercise 8. Finish these sentences using the PAST SIMPLE or the PAST CONTINUOUS.

1. While I was studying for my exams, …

… my brother was having a party.

… I gained a lot of weight.

2. While I was studying for my exams, …

3. While I heard the good news, …

4. While I was waiting for the bus, …

5. When I first came to the school, …

6. When I woke up this morning, …

7. While everyone was having a good time at the party, …

Exercise 9. Correct the mistakes.

1. Philip was washing the car while the fire started. 2. Neil was studying when his sister was listening to music. 3. Harriet was opening the door and walked into the house. 4. We were having lunch at a lovely restaurant every day when we were on holiday. 5. Brian drank tea at five o’clock yesterday afternoon. 6. Dad was repairing the TV while Mum cooked dinner. 7. I was going to the cinema last Saturday. 8. I was buying a new dress for my party yesterday. 9. While Jeff built the garden shed, he hurt himself. 10. While the teacher were speaking, the students were listening to him.

Exercise 10. Choose the most suitable words underlined.

1. When you passed the town hall clock, did you notice / were you noticing what time it was?

2. Last night my neighbours were shouting / would shout for hours and I couldn’t get to sleep.

3. When you lived in London, did you use to travel / were you traveling by bus?

4. Everyone was having a good time, although not many people danced / were dancing.

5. - Excuse me, but this seat is mine.

- I’m sorry, I didn’t realize / hadn’t realized that you were sitting here.

6. Jill didn’t eat / hadn’t eaten all day, so she was really hungry at this point.

7. - Paul has forgotten to book the tickets I’m afraid.

- He was always doing / would do something like that!

8. It took a while for me to notice, but then I did. Everyone stared / was staring at me. What had I done wrong?

9. Nobody bothered to tell me that the school decided / had decided to have a special holiday that Friday.

10. I was trying / tried to get in touch with you all day yesterday. Where were you?

Exercise 11. Put each verb in brackets into a suitable tense. All sentences refer to past time. Suggest alternative tenses if necessary where the PAST PERECT or another tense might be possible.

1. I realized that someone was stealing (steal) my wallet when I felt (feel) their hand in my jacket pocket.

2. When I _______ (phone) Helen last night she _______ (wash) her hair and she _______ (not finish) when I finally _______ (get to her house).

3. Peter _______ (offer) me another drink but I decided I ________ (drink) enough.

4. Nobody _______ (watch), so the little boy _______ (take) the packet of sweets from the shelf and ________ (put) it in his pocket.

5. I ________ (not realize) that I ________ (leave) my umbrella on the bus until it ________ (start) to rain.

6. At school I _______ (dislike) the maths teacher because he _______ (always pick) on me.

7. Wherever Marion ________ (find) a job, there was someone who ________ (know) that she _________ (go) to prison.

8. It was only much later I ________ (find out) that during all the time I ________ (write) to my penfriend, my mother ________ (open) and reading the replies!

9. I ________ (not understand) what ________ (go on). Several people ________ (shout) at me, and one ________ (wave) a newspaper in front of my face.

10. I ________ (know) I _______ (do) well in my exams even before I _______ (receive) the official results.

Exercise 12. Complete the sentences below using the information in the box opposite.

DISCOVERIES

1.   2.   3.   4.   5,   6.   7.   8.

Flemming was studying influenza ______________ Columbus discovered America _______________ Hillary and Tenzing reached the top of Everest ________ Scott reached the South Pole in 1912 ________________ Franklin was flying a kite when __________________ Before Columbus discovered America ____________ Newton made his great discovery ______________ Climbers had been trying to conquer Everest _________

a)   b) c)   d)   e)   f)   g)   h)

after they had been climbing for several days. when be discovered penicillin. but Amundsen had beaten him by a month.. he discovered the principle of the lightning conductor. though at first he believed he had reached Asia. and several had lost their lives in the attempt. people had believed that the Earth was flat. while he was sitting under an apple tree.

Exercise 13. Decide whether the tense underlined is suitable or not in the context given. If you decide it is unsuitable, write a correction.

1. The train ⁽¹⁾ ground to a halt at a small station miles from London, and it ⁽²⁾ became apparent that the engine ⁽³⁾ had broken down. Everyone ⁽⁴⁾ was getting their cases down from the luggage racks, and we ⁽⁵⁾ were waiting on the platform in the freezing wind for hours until the next train ⁽⁶⁾ had turned up.

a) (suitable) b) __________ c) __________

d) ___________ e) ___________ f) ___________

2. The other strange thing about our neighbour Mrs Black was that she ⁽¹⁾ would never go out if it was raining. She ⁽²⁾ used to look up at the sky whenever ⁽³⁾ it was getting cloudy, and as soon as even the smallest drop of rain ⁽⁴⁾ was falling she ⁽⁵⁾ had scuttled back into her house and ⁽⁶⁾ was locking herself in the bedroom!

a) (suitable) b) __________ c) __________

d) ___________ e) ___________ f) ___________

3. Inspector Gorse ⁽¹⁾ was in touch with Thames Valley Police six months before Professor Dowson ⁽²⁾ was disappearing, because the Professor’s wife Jean ⁽³⁾ would write to him, accusing her husband of plotting to murder her. And now it was the Professor who ⁽⁴⁾ disappeared. Gorse ⁽⁵⁾ considered what his next step should be when the phone rang. It was Sergeant Adams from Thames Valley. A fisherman ⁽⁶⁾ discovered a body in the Thames near Reading, and it fitted the description of the Professor.

a) (had been) b) __________ c) __________

d) ___________ e) ___________ f) ___________

Exercise 14. Put each verb in brackets into a suitable past tense. Only use the PAST PERFECT where this is absolutely necessary.

This time last year I ⁽¹⁾ was cycling (cycle) in the rain along a country road in France with a friend of mine. We ⁽²⁾ ________ (decide) to go on a cycling holiday in Normandy. Neither of us ⁽³⁾ ________ (go) to France before, but we ⁽⁴⁾ ________ (know) some French from our time at school and we ⁽⁵⁾ _______ (manage) to brush up on the basics. Now we ⁽⁶⁾ ________ (wonder) if we ⁽⁷⁾ ________ (make) the right decision. We ⁽⁸⁾ ________ (plan) our route carefully in advance, but we ⁽⁹⁾ _______ (forget) one important thing, the weather. It ⁽¹⁰⁾ ________ (rain) solidly since our arrival and that night we ⁽¹¹⁾ _________ (end up) sleeping in the waiting room at a railway station. Then the next morning as we ⁽¹²⁾ _______ (ride) down a steep hill my bike ⁽¹³⁾ ________ (skid) on the wet road and I ⁽¹⁴⁾ _______ (fall off). I ⁽¹⁵⁾ ________ (realize) immediately that I ⁽¹⁶⁾ ________ (break) my arm, and after a visit to the local hospital I ⁽¹⁷⁾ ________ (catch) the next train to Calais for the ferry home. Unfortunately my parents ⁽¹⁸⁾ _______ (not expect) me home for a fortnight, and ⁽¹⁹⁾ _______ (go) away on holiday. So I ⁽²⁰⁾ _______ (spend) a miserable couple of weeks alone, reading Teach Yourself French.

Exercise 15. In each sentence decide whether one or both of the alternative tenses given are appropriate.

1. In those days, I always used to get up / got up early in the morning (both appropriate). 2. When I got to the cinema Jack had been waiting / was waiting for me. 3. We would always have / were always having breakfast in bed on Sundays. 4. Mary was always falling / always fell ill before important examinations. 5. My sister used to own / would own a motorcycle and sidecar. 6. Pay no attention to Dave’s remarks. He wasn’t meaning / didn’t mean it. 7. I felt awful after lunch. I ate / had eaten too much. 8. Brenda left / had left before I had time to talk to her. 9. The explanation was simple. In 1781 HMS Sovereign on her way back from India had sighted / sighted an empty boat drifting off the African coast. 10. Pauline has changed a lot. She didn’t always use to look / wasn’t always looking like that.

* Exercise 16. Rewrite each sentence so that it contains the word or words in capitals. Do not change the words in any way.

1. I intended to call you yesterday, but I forgot. I was going to call you yesterday, but I forgot. 2. We used to spend Sunday afternoons working in the garden. 3. Paul had the irritating habit of making trouble. 4. Diana wasn’t always as rude as that. 5. I felt happy about the improvement in Jean’s condition. 6. I wasn’t very keen on sport in those days. 7. I might possibly go to the theater tonight. 8. I had to go past your house so I decided to drop in. 9. Susan booked out before we got to her hotel. 10. What did you do at the moment of the explosion?

GOING   WOULD ALWAYS BE BETTER USE WAS PASSING BY THE TIME WHEN

Exercise 17. Choose the most appropriate time expression in bold type.

1. Once / afterwards I’d read the manual, I found I could use the computer quite well. 2. It was more than a month before / until I realized what had happened. 3. I managed to talk to Carol just as / while she was leaving. 4. It wasn’t until / up 1983 that Nigel could afford to take holidays abroad. 5. George always let me know by the time / whenever he was going to be late. 6. I was having a bath at the time / that time, so I didn’t hear the doorbell. 7. We bought our tickets and five minutes after / later that train arrived. 8. According to Grandpa, people used to dress formally those days / in this day. 9. Everyone was talking but stopped at the time / the moment Mr Smith entered the room. 10. The letter still hadn’t arrived by / until the end of the week.

* Exercise 18. Put each verb in brackets into a suitable past tense. Only use the PAST PERFECT where this is absolutely necessary.

Harry went back to the camp the following morning, but it was in some confusion. Soldiers ⁽¹⁾ were wondering (wander) around carrying equipment from one place to another, but there ⁽²⁾ _________ (not seem) to be any purpose to what they ⁽³⁾ ________ (do). Harry ⁽⁴⁾ _______ (never be) in any army camp before, but it ⁽⁵⁾ ________ (not take) a genius to realise that most of the officers ⁽⁶⁾ _______ (take) the first opportunity to abandon the men and head for safety. He ⁽⁷⁾ ________ (try) to phone the newspaper, but something ⁽⁸⁾ ________ (happen) to the telephone lines. He ⁽⁹⁾ ________ (try) to find out what exactly ⁽¹⁰⁾ ________ (go on), when the first plane ⁽¹¹⁾ _______ (fly) over the camp. A wooden building a few hundred yards away suddenly ⁽¹²⁾ _______ (disappear) in an explosion of flame. Before long bombs ⁽¹³⁾ _________ (explode) all around him, and then everything ⁽¹⁴⁾ ________ (go) quiet. The planes ⁽¹⁵⁾ ________ (vanish) as suddenly as they ⁽¹⁶⁾ _________ (appear). Smoke ⁽¹⁷⁾ ________ (rise) from burning buildings. A dead man ⁽¹⁸⁾ ________ (lie) next to Harry, the first dead person he ⁽¹⁹⁾_______ (ever see). And suddenly it ⁽²⁰⁾ _________ (begin) to rain.

Exercise 19. Translate into English.

1. Опубликованные исследования показали прочную связь между прибылью и долей рынка. 2. Около 100 лет назад стандартная рабочая неделя составляла более 60 часов. 3. Письмо пришло вчера, верно? Кто принес его? Почему вы не отдали мне его сразу? 4. Наиболее важным достижением последних лет была разработка информационной технологии. 5. Он, бывало, часами говорил о своих путешествиях. 6. Что вы делали вчера весь вечер? 7. Когда Дэнни уехал в Лондон? 8. Я как раз открывала ваше письмо, когда зазвонил телефон. 9. Она накрывала на стол, когда мы пришли. 10. Она подняла трубку и набрала номер телефона Алисы. 11. Я думал об этом весь вечер. 12. Я впервые поехал за границу, когда мне было семнадцать. 13. Фрэнк позвонил вчера и оставил сообщение.

---

Дата добавления: 2015-11-14