1. Look and match. Then listen, check and repeat.
2 Read the story in Lesson 5 again. How many words about buildings can you find?
1 the steps outside the entrance to the primary school
2 the corridor at her grandma’s house
3 a beautiful bedroom with a painting of a castle on the wall
4 the stairs to the top floor of a skyscraper
Grammar Explanation – Past Continuous
a) Form
|
Subject |
Past Continuous |
|
I / He / She |
was + verb + ing → I was playing |
|
You / We / They |
were + verb + ing → They were playing |
|
Negative |
was/were + not + verb + ing → She wasn’t reading |
|
Question |
Was/Were + subject + verb + ing? → Were they playing? |
b) Usage
- Longer action in the past: something that was in progress over time.
- Omar was drawing in his sketchbook.
- The guide was talking to them.
- Shorter action / interruption: something that happened suddenly or interrupted the ongoing action.
- Suddenly, Omar fell.
- Rakan called Omar.
- Past Continuous + Past Simple:
- The longer action = Past Continuous
- The shorter / interrupting action = Past Simple
Example: - Omar was touching a bookcase when he fell.
- They were walking through the entrance when Omar looked at the painting.
Tips / Clues:
- Look for time clues like when, while, as to identify which action is longer.
- Use was / were + verb + ing for the action that was in progress.
- Use Past Simple for the action that interrupts or occurs suddenly.
Examples
- Longer action:
- Omar was drawing in his sketchbook.
- The guide was talking to the visitors.
- Shorter / interrupting action:
- Omar fell from the bookcase.
- Rakan called Omar.
- Combined sentence:
- Omar was touching a bookcase when it moved.
3 Read the story again. Match the actions. Which actions are longer? Which are shorter?
1 Omar was drawing b (longer / shorter)
2 The guide was talking c (longer / shorter)
3 Omar was holding his sketchbook e (longer / shorter)
4 Omar was touching a bookcase d (longer / shorter)
5 Omar woke up a (shorter / longer)
a when Rakan was talking to him.
b when Rakan called Omar.
c when they walked through the entrance.
d when he fell. e when he looked at the painting.
4 Read the grammar table. Then read the rule and circle the correct options.
5. Listen to four children. Which places do they talk about?
1 the steps outside the entrance to the primary school
2 the corridor at her grandma’s house
3 a beautiful bedroom with a painting of a castle on the wall
4 the stairs to the top floor of a skyscraper
