03 PI-REVIEW: Past Simple, and Past Continuous, Prepositions in time expressions
Positive -Use The Past Simple expresses a completed past action. We played tennis last Sunday. John left two minutes ago.
was/were + verb -ing (present participle) Positive and negative -Use The Past Continuous expresses a past activity that has duration. I had a good time while I was living in Paris. The activity was in progress before and probably after a time in the past. At 8.00 last night we were watching TV.
We use was/wasn't or were/weren't in short answers.
Were you working yesterday? Yes, I was. / No, I wasn't.
Were you having a party last night? Yes, we were. / No, we weren't.
-Examples
What was Cho doing when he met Ed?
Where were they walking when they saw the tribe?
What were you doing at 8.00 last night?
Were you having a shower? Yes, I was.
Were they making a lot of noise? No, they weren't.
- The Past Simple expresses a completed action. The Past Continuous expresses an activity in progress. I washed my hair last night. (completed action) I was washing my hair when you phoned. (activity in progress) - A Past Simple action can interrupt a Past Continuous activity. When I phoned Simon, he was having a shower. I was doing my homework when Jane arrived. - In stories, the Past Continuous describes the scene and the Past Simple tells the action. The sun was shining and the birds were singing. We decided to go for a walk.
- We use time expressions to say when something happens.
We often use prepositions with time expressions.
at
six o'clock / midnight / Christmas / the weekend
in
2007 / the morning/ afternoon/ evening / summer / two weeks' time
on
Saturday / Monday morning / Christmas Day / January 18
- Some time expressions have no preposition.
tonight two weeks ago last month
yesterday evening this afternoon tomorrow morning
- Examples
The journey finished in August, 2010.
I was lying in my hammock last night.
I fell asleep at 3.00 a.m.
My birthday is on June S.
She left university two years ago.
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