Past Continuous  Form = was/were + verb-ing  Ex. Yone was trying to find a date for the party when Vicki gave the directions for the assignment.

 Past Continuous is used for an action in progress as a specific time in the past.  EX. Sharifa was laughing at 10:00A.M. yesterday in Tom’s class.

 Past Continuous is used for a past action that was in progress when another action happened.  Ex. We were having a normal ESL class when something unbelievable happened.  Ex. Crystal and Stacey were screaming when the creatures walked in.

 When two actions in the past happen at the same time and we emphasize the duration of each action, we use past continuous for both.  Karl was hiding while Sikander was fighting the aliens.

 Past Continuous is often used with clauses while and as.  While Sikander was fighting the aliens, QingMei was calling the police.

 Past Continuous is not used with non-action verbs.  NO-- Ngoc was smelling the aliens.

 Past Continuous sometimes expresses repetition in the past.  Parvin was hiding all night long!  Past continuous with forever, constantly, and always expresses a frequent activity in the past about which we feel emotion.  Ex. Ma was forever falling in love with aliens!

 Use past continuous in indirect speech when the direct quote is in the present continuous.  Ex. Vicki said, “The alien is asking Kristina to marry him.” Vicki said the alien was asking Kristina to marry him.

Simple Past  Simple past is used for an action that interrupts or happens during the past continuous action.  Ex. The aliens were laughing when Sikander punched them.

After when the verb is usually in a simple tense such as the simple past. Simple past can also be used after while and as. Here the meaning is continuous. Ex. We were all standing around when the door opened. Ex. While the class watched in horror, the strange object landed.

 Simple past can be used for non- action verbs. Ngoc smelled the aliens!!  Simple past can be used for repetition in the past.  Ex. Tony screamed all afternoon.

 Use simple past in indirect speech when the direct quote is in the simple present.  Ex. “Harwinder often cries in class”, Deepti said.  Deepti said Harwinder often cried in class.

 What are the main differences between the simple past and the past continuous verb tense?  1. Past Continuous indicates incomplete action vs. a completed action in the simple past.  Ex. He was drowning in the lake. Vs. He drowned in the lake.

Another Difference  2. Simple past sees the event as being complete with no room for change; the past continuous extends the event in time and allows for a change or interruption.  Ex. He left when I came in. Vs. He was leaving when I came in. ( He may have changed his mind and stayed.