Page 68 - Oxford_English_Grammar_Course_Basic_2015

Note the difference when we use the past progressive and the simple past together.
Past progressive: longer action or situation.
Simple past: complete shorter action that happened while the longer action was happening.
While I was having a bath, While I was talking to my brother,

r

^ PAST NOW PAST NOW

the phone rang. Bill came in.

Put simple past and past progressive verbs in the right places.
► While I ..was down the road, I Bill, [walk] see)

1 While I .........................................the newspaper, the cat..........................................on to the table.

[read] jump)
2 Alan.............. .....Helen while he...........................................in Morocco, [meet; travel)
3 Sally.............. .....her leg while she......................................... [break; ski)

4 While I .......... .......... , somebody..........................................my car. [shop; steal)
5 Ruth.............. .....me eight times yesterday while I ...........................................[phone; work)
6 The police..... ............... me while .........................................home, [stop; drive)
I
7 I .................... an interesting report on the radio while I .........................................breakfast.
[hear, have)
8 Dad............... .... to sleep again while he.........................................TV. [go; watch)
9 While I ........... ....... I .......................................... a glass, [wash up; break)
10 I .................... my hand while I ........................................in the kitchen, [cut; work)
11 When I .......... ........ the house I took my coat because i t .........................................

[leave; snow)
12 When I .......... the door they.........................................about me. [open; talk)
13 The telephone ..........while I .......................................... lunch, [ring; cook)
14 When I last.... .....from Harry he.......................................... in Portugal, [hear; work)

Q Correct (/) or not (x)?
1 This morning I listened to the news before I was going out........

2 I walked up to the policeman and asked him the way to the station.
3 When Ann arrived I was writing letters........

4 The cat was bringing in a mouse while I was having breakfast........
5 I didn't go out because when I looked out of the window it rained..
6 When I went to sleep the teacher was talking about grammar........
7 The teacher was still talking about grammar when I woke up........
8 Jenny and Takashi got married while she worked in Tokyo........

Put in words from the box, in the simple past or past progressive.

drive open pass pull run shine/ sing start turn turn wait

It was a beautiful morning. The sun ►..VY£?.$h^h^0... and birds i ............................... About five thousand

people 2..............................in front of the palace. At 10.00, the guards 3..............................the Palace gates,
and the President's car 4..............................out and 5..............................left into Democracy Street.
The crowds 6..............................to sing the National Anthem. The President's car 7............................
right into Constitution Square. Then suddenly, just as it 8............................ the Ritz Hotel, a man
9..............................out in front of it and io..............................a gun from his pocket.

In some answers, both contracted forms (for example I'm, don't) and full PAST TENSES 53
forms (for example / am, do not) are possible. Normally both are correct.