1.2.1: Simple Past and Past Progressive-Usage and Practice
- Page ID
- 304373
\( \newcommand{\vecs}[1]{\overset { \scriptstyle \rightharpoonup} {\mathbf{#1}} } \)
\( \newcommand{\vecd}[1]{\overset{-\!-\!\rightharpoonup}{\vphantom{a}\smash {#1}}} \)
\( \newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\)
( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\)
\( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\) \( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\)
\( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\) \( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\)
\( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\)
\( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\)
\( \newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\)
\( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\)
\( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\)
\( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\)
\( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\)
\( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\)
\( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\)
\( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\)
\( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\)
\( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \( \newcommand{\AA}{\unicode[.8,0]{x212B}}\)
\( \newcommand{\vectorA}[1]{\vec{#1}} % arrow\)
\( \newcommand{\vectorAt}[1]{\vec{\text{#1}}} % arrow\)
\( \newcommand{\vectorB}[1]{\overset { \scriptstyle \rightharpoonup} {\mathbf{#1}} } \)
\( \newcommand{\vectorC}[1]{\textbf{#1}} \)
\( \newcommand{\vectorD}[1]{\overrightarrow{#1}} \)
\( \newcommand{\vectorDt}[1]{\overrightarrow{\text{#1}}} \)
\( \newcommand{\vectE}[1]{\overset{-\!-\!\rightharpoonup}{\vphantom{a}\smash{\mathbf {#1}}}} \)
\( \newcommand{\vecs}[1]{\overset { \scriptstyle \rightharpoonup} {\mathbf{#1}} } \)
\( \newcommand{\vecd}[1]{\overset{-\!-\!\rightharpoonup}{\vphantom{a}\smash {#1}}} \)
\(\newcommand{\avec}{\mathbf a}\) \(\newcommand{\bvec}{\mathbf b}\) \(\newcommand{\cvec}{\mathbf c}\) \(\newcommand{\dvec}{\mathbf d}\) \(\newcommand{\dtil}{\widetilde{\mathbf d}}\) \(\newcommand{\evec}{\mathbf e}\) \(\newcommand{\fvec}{\mathbf f}\) \(\newcommand{\nvec}{\mathbf n}\) \(\newcommand{\pvec}{\mathbf p}\) \(\newcommand{\qvec}{\mathbf q}\) \(\newcommand{\svec}{\mathbf s}\) \(\newcommand{\tvec}{\mathbf t}\) \(\newcommand{\uvec}{\mathbf u}\) \(\newcommand{\vvec}{\mathbf v}\) \(\newcommand{\wvec}{\mathbf w}\) \(\newcommand{\xvec}{\mathbf x}\) \(\newcommand{\yvec}{\mathbf y}\) \(\newcommand{\zvec}{\mathbf z}\) \(\newcommand{\rvec}{\mathbf r}\) \(\newcommand{\mvec}{\mathbf m}\) \(\newcommand{\zerovec}{\mathbf 0}\) \(\newcommand{\onevec}{\mathbf 1}\) \(\newcommand{\real}{\mathbb R}\) \(\newcommand{\twovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\ctwovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\threevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cthreevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\mattwo}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{rr}#1 \amp #2 \\ #3 \amp #4 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\laspan}[1]{\text{Span}\{#1\}}\) \(\newcommand{\bcal}{\cal B}\) \(\newcommand{\ccal}{\cal C}\) \(\newcommand{\scal}{\cal S}\) \(\newcommand{\wcal}{\cal W}\) \(\newcommand{\ecal}{\cal E}\) \(\newcommand{\coords}[2]{\left\{#1\right\}_{#2}}\) \(\newcommand{\gray}[1]{\color{gray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\lgray}[1]{\color{lightgray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\rank}{\operatorname{rank}}\) \(\newcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\col}{\text{Col}}\) \(\renewcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\nul}{\text{Nul}}\) \(\newcommand{\var}{\text{Var}}\) \(\newcommand{\corr}{\text{corr}}\) \(\newcommand{\len}[1]{\left|#1\right|}\) \(\newcommand{\bbar}{\overline{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bhat}{\widehat{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bperp}{\bvec^\perp}\) \(\newcommand{\xhat}{\widehat{\xvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\vhat}{\widehat{\vvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\uhat}{\widehat{\uvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\what}{\widehat{\wvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\Sighat}{\widehat{\Sigma}}\) \(\newcommand{\lt}{<}\) \(\newcommand{\gt}{>}\) \(\newcommand{\amp}{&}\) \(\definecolor{fillinmathshade}{gray}{0.9}\)Past Progressive and Simple Past--Usage
Simple Past Tense Usage Chart
| Usage | Explanation | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Completed Actions | Describes actions that were completed in the past. | - I visited Paris last summer. - She finished her homework yesterday. |
| Past Habits | Refers to repeated actions or habits in the past (often used with time expressions like "always"). | - He always walked to school when he was a kid. - They played chess every evening. |
| Specific Time in the Past | Indicates actions that happened at a specific time in the past. | - We arrived at 8 PM. - She called me last night. |
| Series of Events | Describes a sequence of actions in the past. | - He came in, turned on the light, and sat down. |
| States in the Past | Refers to situations or conditions that existed in the past. | - The weather was cold yesterday. - She seemed happy. |
Past Progressive Tense Usage Chart
| Usage | Explanation | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Actions in Progress in the Past | Describes actions that were ongoing at a specific moment in the past. | - At 8 PM, I was watching TV. - She was reading while it rained. |
| Interrupted Actions | Refers to an ongoing action in the past that was interrupted by another action. | - I was cooking when the phone rang. - We were playing tennis when it started to rain. |
| Parallel Actions | Describes two or more actions happening simultaneously in the past. | - While I was studying, she was watching TV. - They were laughing and talking. |
| Setting the Scene | Used to provide background information or describe a scene in a story. | - The sun was setting, and the birds were singing. - People were chatting at the party. |
| Temporary Past Situations | Refers to temporary situations or actions in the past. | - He was staying at his friend's house for a week. - They were working on a project last month. |
(Charts created in ChatGPT)
Punctuation Rule
Some of the above example sentences are examples of complex sentences. Complex sentences contain two clauses (parts of sentences that include a subject and verb combination). The examples are made up of a time clause and a main clause. If the time clause comes first, it is followed by a comma.
Main Clause Time Clause
I was watching a movie while I was ironing my clothes.
Time Clause Main Clause
While my son was driving my car, I was sitting next to him.
Past Progressive-Practice: Exercise 2.1: Ongoing Actions in the Past
Use the pictures to complete the response to the question. What were you doing at midnight on December 31st ? Use past progressive tense.
Photo by Jae Park on Unsplash
1. "I was at Disney World in Florida with my family. At midnight, we.....
________________________________________________________________________
Image by Freepik
2. "My friends and I were in Germany. We were outside in front of a restaurant. We........
________________________________________________________________________
Image by Freepik
3. "I was in a nightclub at a New Year's Eve party. When the clock struck midnight, I ......."
________________________________________________________________________
Image by Freepik
4. "I was in my apartment with my friends Gary and Liz. We were ...."
_________________________________________________________________________
Exercise 2.2: Simultaneous Actions
Read the story and answer the questions that follow. Write your answers in complete sentences. Don't forget to change "I" to "you" and "my" to "your." Use commas where necessary.
Yesterday evening, while I was cooking dinner, my sister was talking on the phone with her friend. The kids were playing in the backyard, and the dog was barking at a squirrel on the fence. Meanwhile, my dad was reading the newspaper in the living room, and my mom was knitting a scarf. The TV was on, but nobody was watching it. Outside, the rain was falling steadily, and the wind was blowing through the trees. At the same time, a neighbor was walking their dog with a big umbrella. Just as I was setting the table, the power went out, and everything suddenly became quiet.
Questions
Information Questions:
- What was my sister doing while I was cooking dinner?
- Where were the kids and the dog playing?
- What was my dad doing, and what was my mom doing at the same time?
- Why wasn’t anyone watching the TV? (Use your imagination!)
- What was happening outside while the rain was falling steadily?
Videos
Watch this video to learn about the simple past tense...
Watch this video to learn about the difference between simple and continuous past...
Watch this video and this video to learn more about the past continuous form...