Monday 20 April 2015

GRAMMAR - PAST CONTINUOUS TENSE: FORMATION AND USES

AFFIRMATIVE SENTENCES

NEGATIVE SENTENCES

QUESTIONS

WAS + V-ing*

You WERE + V-ing

He WAS + V-ing

She WAS + V-ing

It WAS + V-ing

We WERE + V-ing

You WERE + V-ing

They WERE + V-ing

 I WASN’T + V-ing

You WEREN’T + V-ing

He WASN’T + V-ing

She WASN’T + V-ing

It WASN’T + V-ing

We WEREN’T + V-ing

You WEREN’T + V-ing

They WEREN’T + V-ing

WAS I + V-ing?

WERE you + V-ing?

WAS he + V-ing?

WAS she + V-ing?

WAS it + V-ing?

WERE we + V-ing?

WERE you + V-ing?

WERE they + V-ing?



* SPELLING RULES:  

-       General rule: Add –ing at the end of the verb.  Do doing, watch watching, open opening,  play playing.
-       Verbs ending in mute -e: Omit –e before adding –ing. Make making, write writing, take taking.
-       Monosyllabic verbs ending consonant + vowel + consonant: Repeat last consonant + –ing.  Run running, sit sitting.
-       Bisyllabic verbs with final stress: Repeat last consonant + -ing . Begin Beginning. BUT: travelling.

1. USES:

- Long actions which were in progress when a short action happened.

-  Actions which were in progress at a concrete moment in the past.

- Various actions which happened simultaneously in the past.


2. TIME EXPRESSIONS:

- while + time clause (in the past)

- as + time clause (in the past)

- yesterday morning / afternoon / evening

- at + hour (past time)

- all day (yesterday)


3. CONTRAST PAST SIMPLE /PAST CONTINUOUS:

Temporal expressions for PAST SIMPLE (completed actions): Yesterday, last week/night…,
Temporal expressions for PAST CONTINUOUS (actions in progress at a concrete moment): at + hour, yesterday + moment of the day, all + moment of the day...

WHEN (“cuando”) + PAST SIMPLE (acción corta): When I called Mike, he was having a shower. / I was sleeping when I heard a terrible noise.

WHILE / AS (“mientras”) + PAST CONTINUOUS (acción larga o en progreso): While / As he was driving, he had an accident.