Practice Past Tense and Time Clauses

 Click on the link below and scroll down to #1 to practice using past time clauses in sentences such as this:

1. Kate was skatedskatedwas skatingI don't know when she fell and broke her leg.    (You will click on the arrow in the box to show more choices, then click on verb form you think is correct) LINK: Practice past time clauses

Lessons and Exercises on Past Progressive/Continuous Tense

I am behind on posting what we've been doing in class, so I'm going to catch up with the most recent lessons and work my way backwards. Last week we studied the past progressive and simple past tenses and using them in time clauses. For instance, while is usually used with the past progressive tense: While I was watching television, while they were sleeping, etc. When, on the other hand, likes the simple past tense: The little boy was happy when his father came home.

My suggestion: Click on the links below for lessons and exercises on the past progressive/continuous tense and using it in time clauses:

LINK: Lesson on Uses and Forms of the Past Progressive Tense at myenglishpages.com 

LINK: Exercise on Forming the Past Progressive at myenglishpages.com

LINK: Lesson on Past Progressive Tense and Time Clauses at grammarbank.com

LINK: Exercise on Past Progressive Tense (scroll down to sentences 1-10)



Then click on these links to practice choosing between the simple past and past progressive tenses:

LINK: Simple Past or Past Progressive at ego4u.com

LINK: Simple Past or Past Progressive at Englishpage.com

LINK: Simple Past or Past Progressive at Perfect-English-Grammar.com

LINK: Simple Past or Past Progressive at a4esl.org

Past Continuous Tense, Celsa Practice

The present continuous tense is formed by using a PRESENT form of the verb to be as a helping verb, then adding another verb ending in -ing. We use it to talk about an ongoing action or state at the present time.

I am singing my favorite song. Why are you covering your ears? Are you feeling sick?

Today we briefly discussed the past continuous tense. The past continuous tense is formed by using a PAST form of the verb to be as a helping verb and adding another verb that ends in -ing:

I was singing my favorite song when the phone rang.

We use the past continuous tense when two past actions happened at the same time, but one interrupted the other, or one action was longer than the other. The simple past tense is used for the shorter action, and the past continuous is used for the longer, ongoing action.

I tripped as I was running to answer the phone.

My suggestion: Read Dennis Oliver's lesson about how to form this tense at the esl cafe:

Past Continuous Tense #1

Then read about how to use the past continuous tense:
 
Past Continuous Tense #2

Try this quiz at www.a4esl.org to test your ability to judge when to use the simple past tense and when to use past continuous. You have to think of the correct form of the verb (using the negative form if it says to) and then click on the box to see whether you got it right. This is also good practice for the Celsa grammar test.

Simple Past or Past Continuous--A Dialog