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Past simple or past continuous

Past simple or  Preterite continuous (BE + -ING)?

1) Preterite

How to use: Short actions in the past.

How to build: 

regular verbs : V + -ed

Jordan locked the door 


irregular verbs : you should learn them on the site :)

Then, he left (forme irrégulière du verbe to leave)  

                    -Questions: use DID

Did + subject + verb

Did he smile? 

except for the auxiliary BE:
Was he happy?

                    -Negation: use "didn't".

Subject + didn't + Verb

 Mike didn't understand the lesson.     

except for the auxiliary BE:

 He was not sick.   He wasn't sick.

2) Past continuous

How to use: a longer action in the past was interrupted.

How to build: to be (past simple) + verb ending in -ING

 I was sleeping when the phone rang.

                    Questions:

                    Were you sleeping when the phone rang ?

                    Negation:

                   I wasn't sleeping when the phone rang.

Caution : 1-syllable verb ending in: consonant+vowel+consonant = 2 final consonants

Example : sitting
But NOT with: helping

EXERCISE - Complete these sentences with one of these two tenses.

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English exercise "Past simple or past continuous" created by lucile83 with The test builder. [More lessons & exercises from lucile83]
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I (watch) TV when my wife called me. When she (look) up, I realised that she was crying. I immediately (think) that something terrible had happened. Actually, a mouse (run) in the kitchen. I (open) the door and it left. It was late and my son (sleep). I (switch) off the light in his bedroom, but he (hear) me and he woke up. So, I (decide) to read a story but while I (read), I realised that he had fallen asleep again.