PAST CONTINUOUS Grammar

Uses of the past continuous To describe a past action in progress at a certain time. What were you doing yesterday at 8 o’clock? I was watching the news on TV

Past continuous form Affirmative She He It was eating watching TV We You They were

Past continuous form I She He It wasn’t reading We You They weren’t Negative Interrogative I She He It wasn’t reading We You They weren’t Was I she he It reading? Were we you they

This woman is a great gossip. She enjoys talking about other people. But there’s more! She also likes watching what people in the building opposite hers do using her binoculars. photostock/FreeDigitalPhotos.net Ambro/FreeDigitalPhotos.net Images:

Yesterday at 9.15 a.m. she was spying on her neighbours. What were they doing?

3rd 2nd A B 1st They were watching TV. She was talking on the phone. He was eating. David Castillo Dominici/FreeDigitalPhotos.net photostock / FreeDigitalPhotos.net Phaitoon/FreeDigitalPhotos.net Ambro/FreeDigitalPhotos.net Images: They were having a coffee. They were reading.

What about you? What were you doing yesterday at 9.15 a.m.? I was….

She was running I was taking a shower The police officer broke her leg when she was running. She broke her leg She was running I was taking a shower when the phone rang. The phone rang I was taking a shower

Time expressions with the past continuous While While the band was playing, a mobile phone rang. While Jane was doing the washing-up, I was doing the ironing. When I was walking home when I met Dave.

Discussion Questions Dance is a very important part of the lives of the geisha, gauchos, and the Navajo Indians. How important is dancing to you? The Sherpa people often help people climb mountains like Mount Everest. When was the last time you climbed a mountain? What do you think would be the most exciting part of cowboy life for you? What would be the most boring part? What Korean traditions do you think the rest of the world would think are interesting? Who in Korea has a unique traditional way of life like the gauchos or geisha? What are some Korean traditions that are disappearing now, and how do you feel about that? What is your favorite Korean food? How would you describe it in English? What was the most recent injury you’ve had? What were you doing when it happened? What was the most serious injury you’ve ever had? What were you doing when it happened? What were you doing at 7:30 this morning? What were you doing at 1:00 yesterday afternoon? What were you doing at 10:00 last night?

Homework for Next Week Your homework is already available online at http://myelt.heinle.com Study for next week’s quiz on the vocabulary and grammar from Units 1-3.