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Past Simple or Past Continuous

Past Simple

- Used when talking about something that happened in the past at a specific time. The actions are now finished:

Tom and Mary visited me last Saturday.

- For a duration in the past:

I lived in Russia for 2 years.

- When showing habits in the past:

When I was a child I rode a bike every day.

- It is also used for past facts or generalizations:

Tamara was a very lazy girl when she attended school.

- When talking about a series of completed actions in the past:

I ate dinner, left home and visited them.

Past Continuous

- Used when talking about an action that was happening before. To show that a longer action in the past was interrupted by another action ( past simple ):

While I was vacuuming my house, the telephone rang.

- When describing an action in progress at a precise  moment in the past:

At 11 o'clock yesterday, I was watching TV.

- For two actions when they were happening at the same time:

I was writing a report while she was playing the piano.

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1. - Were you watchingWas you watchingDid you watchI don't know the film at seven o'clock last night? - No, I wasn't. I was reading a book.

2. John donedoeswas doingI don't know his homework while his sister was drawing a picture.

3. Nick's parents became angry because he was failingfailedfailsI don't know his university entrance exam.

4. Yesterday I went to visit him, then I had dinner and later on I was meetingmeetedmetI don't know them.

5. Kate felt a rumble in her tummy while she runranwas runningI don't know.

6. My friend Eric always was gonewentwas goingI don't know fishing on Saturdays when he was a child.

7. I was tillyingwas tillingtillI don't know my grandfather's farmland all day yesterday.

8. What did you doingwere you doingdoing youI don't know last week after work?

9. I hadhavehadeI don't know breakfast at 8 o'clock, took a bath and then went to work.

10. Marcus was goingdidn't gowentI don't know to preschool today because he felt dizzy.

11. We stayed at home all day because it snowingsnowswas snowingI don't know hard.

12. This time last year they travelledwere travellingwas travellingI don't know around the world.

13. I was talking with Peter while my son were playedwas playingplaysI don't know in the garden.

14. I were livingwas livinglivedI don't know in this city for ten years. I don't live there anymore.

15. I tried to explain that to my parents but they wasn't listeningweren't listeninglistenedI don't know.

16. We were learninglearnedwas learnedI don't know biology while they were watching a film.

17. He was reading a book when his mother come inwas coming incame inI don't know.

18. The sun was shiningshinedis shiningI don't know, so we went for a walk.

19. We wanted to buy this car but it was costingcostedcostI don't know too much.