NARRATIVE TENSES EXERCISES

FOR THE REINFORCEMENT OF THE EXERCISES 2 AND 3 FROM PAGE 20 WE DID IN CLASS.

Simple Past – Past Progressive

Form

Simple Past	Past Progressive
irregular verbs: see 2nd column of irregular verbs I spoke regular verbs: verb + ed I worked	past form of 'be' + ing form of verb   I was speaking you were speaking he / she / it was speaking we were speaking they were speaking
Exceptions
Exceptions when adding 'ed' : §  when the final letter is e, only add d. Example: love - loved §  after a short, stressed vowel, the final consonant is doubled Example: admit - admitted §  final l is always doubled in British English (not in American English) Example: travel - travelled §  after a consonant, final y becomes i. (but: not after a vowel) Example: worry - he worried but: play - he played	Exceptions when adding 'ing' : §  silent e is dropped (but: does not apply for -ee) Example: come - coming but: agree - agreeing §  after a short, stressed vowel, the final consonant is doubled Example: sit - sitting §  final l is always doubled in British English (not in American English) Example: travel - travelling §  final ie becomes y. Example: lie - lying

 Use

After another or at the same time?

Do you want to express that the actions in the past happened one after another or at the same time?

Simple Past	Past Progressive
after another She came home, switched on the computer and checked her e-mails.	at the same time Simon was playing on the computer while his brother was watching TV.

New action or already in progress?

If you want to express that a new action happened in the middle of another action, you need both tenses: Simple Past the new action and Past Progressive for the action already in progress.

Simple Past	Past Progressive
new action My mobile rang (while I was sitting in a meeting.)	action already in progress While I was sitting in a meeting, (my mobile suddenly rang.)

Only mentioning or emphasising progress?

Do you just want to mention that an action took place in the past (also used for short actions)? Or do you want to put emphasis on the progress, e.g. that an action was taking place at a certain time?

Simple Past	Past Progressive
just mentioning Colin played football yesterday.	emphasising progress Yesterday at six o'clock, Colin was playing football.

Certain Verbs

The following verbs are usually only used in Simple Past (not in the progressive form).

§  state: be, cost, fit, mean, suit

Example: We were on holiday.

§  possession: belong, have

Example: Sam had a cat.

§  senses: feel, hear, see, smell, taste, touch

Example: He felt the cold.

§  feelings: hate, hope, like, love, prefer, regret, want, wish

Example: Jane loved pizza.

§  brain work: believe, know, think, understand

Example: I did not understand him.

§  introductory clauses for direct speech: answer, ask, reply, say

Example: “I am watching TV,“ he said.

Signal words

Simple Past	Past Progressive
§  first §  then §  If-Satz Typ II (If I talked, …)	§  while §  as long as

Diferencias pasado simple y continuo

 1  El pasado simple describe acciones acabadas y el pasado continuo no especifica si la acciones finalizaron o no, sino que enfatiza que estaban en desarrollo.

He travelled around the world.

Viajó por todo el mundo.

I was travelling around the world.

Estaba viajando por todo el mundo.

 2  Para acciones simultáneas:

Si las acciones son consecutivas, los verbos irán en pasado simple.

As I saw her I left the room.

Cuando la ví dejé la habitación.

Cuando hay un pasado simple y uno continuo este último resalta la duración de la acción.

As I was watching tv the telephone rang.

Cuando estaba viendo la tele sonó el teléfono.

Si las dos acciones tienen lugar durante un mismo periodo de tiempo se usará el pasado continuo en las dos.

As I was having dinner, she was watching tv.

Cuando estaba cenando ella estaba viendo la tv.

 3  Para hablar de acciones habituales se suele usar el pasado simple.

She visited her parents every day.

Sin embargo podemos usar el pasado continuo para enfatizar que la acción tuvo lugar temporalmente.

When I was ill he was visiting me twice a day.

Cuando estaba enfermo me visitaba dos veces al día (también es posible usar el pasado simple en las dos).

 4  En narraciones o historias se usa el pasado continuo para describir o ambientar una acción.

He was walking quickly. He was not wearing her glasses. Suddenly he fall...

Estaba andando rápido. No llevaba sus gafas. De pronto se cayó...

The Prime Minister died while he was sitting at his desk.

El Primer Ministro murió mientras estaba sentado en su mesa.

 5  Con los verbos de estado en pasado, siempre que no tengan un significado especial como ocurre en las diferencias entre presente simple y continuo.

I loved him.

Le amaba (verbo estado pasado).

I was tasting his cake.

Estaba probando su tarta (verbo acción voluntaria).

She was being silly.

Estaba siendo tonta (verbo estado temporal).

Exercises on Simple Past and Past Progressive

• one after another or at the same time: Exercise 1, Exercise 2
• new or already in progress: Exercise 3, Exercise 4
• just mentioning or emphasising progress: Exercise 5, Exercise 6
• mixed exercises: Exercise 7, Exercise 8