2. THE GOOD OLD DAYS
‘I’m a very old man now, and things
change. When I was young, everything was
different. There weren’t so many decisions. We
were not as free as young people today.
Take marriage for example. Who were you
going to marry? It was simple. Just ask your
parents. They were happy to find a wife for you.
My father and my mother looked for a wife for
me. They decided, not me. I didn’t choose my
wıfe. Things were different in those days.’
3. Past Simple.
• Used for actions that finished in the past.
• Some time time expressions are:
For example;
- I went to Rome last year.
- John had an accident two months ago.
last
yearweek
two
days
ago
a
century
yesterday
4. Past Continuous
• Used to focus on the duration of an action in the
past.
-I was watching a TV show at 9 p.m yesterday.
• Used with ‘when’ to talk about the simple past
action.
-I was watching a TV show when you called me.
• Used with ‘while’ to talk about two continuous
actions
-My brother came home while I was watching TV.
-While I was watching TV, my mother was cooking
dinner.
5. Form of Past Continuous:
S+ WAS/WERE+Ving+(rest of the sentence).
I was checking my e-mails when he came.
S+WASN’T/WEREN’T+Ving+(rest of the sentence).
You weren’t doing anything wrong when he shouted
at you.
WAS/WERE+S+Ving+(rest of the sentence).
Were the students talking when the teacher warned
them?
6. Watch Out!
• What’s the difference between these sentences?
A sentence that has two simple past forms:
-I heard the doorbell when I went downstairs.
A sentence that has one simple and one
continuous form:
-I heard the doorbell while I was going downstairs.
7. Watch Out!
• Do not use state (non-action) verbs with
past continuous. Use the past simple with
state verbs.
-I was understanding what you said.
-I understood what you said.
8. Watch Out!
• Use WHEN or WHILE at the beginning or in
the middle of a sentence + be careful with
punctuation:
When you called, I was going out. (with a comma)
or
I was going out when you called.
While I was going out, you called. (with a comma)
or
You called while I was going out.
15. Now it’s your turn!
• In small groups, talk about life in your country 50 years
ago. What was a typical woman’s life like? How about
men? You can talk about their jobs, education, eating
habits and so on.
• Take some notes based on your and your friends’ ideas.
• Then talk about life in your country today. Are
women’s and men’s roles changing?
• After comparing past and present, use your notes and
write a short paragraph of 40-50 words.
