simple past vs past continuous

1. Answer these questions. What is the
difference between these questions?
 What did you do yesterday?
 What were you doing last night
at 7:00 pm?

2. Verb Tenses Show the Time of Action or State.
I am in English class.

3. Simple Past

5. Use the simple past if:
1. The action occurred in the past and
does not include the present.
2. The action is completed.
3. The action happened at a specific past time.
Time expressions: yesterday, last night
two days ago, 2010, etc.

6. SUBJECT MAIN VERB/Simple
past form V2
REST OF SENTENCE
SUBJECT AUXILIARY VERB
DID/ NOT (didn’t)
MAIN VERB/
Simple present
form
REST OF SENTENCE
QUESTION
WORD
AUXILIARY VERB
(DID)
SUBJECT MAIN VERB
/Simple
present form
REST OF
SENTENCE
Interrogative sentences
Simple Past - Sentence structure
Affirmative sentences
Negative sentences
Completed actions in the past
Did you study English yerteday?
Yes, I did. No, I did not.
What did you do yesterday?
I worked /t/ all day.
I studied English.
I wrote a letter.
She didn’t (did not) watch TV last
night.

7. Formative assignment.

8. Past Continuous

10. SUBJECT VERB BE / NOT MAIN VERB REST OF SENTENCE
QUESTION
WORD
VERB BE SUBJECT MAIN
VERB
REST OF
SENTENCE
Interrogative sentences
Past Continuous - Sentence structure
Affirmative sentences
Negative sentences
Carlos was reading the newspaper.
I was listening to teacher Rosalba.
I was not paying attention to teacher Rosalba.
What were you doing during your
last English
class with
me?

13. The past continuous is useful for setting
the scene and describing the background,
so it's great for giving reasons, and
explaining why things happened.
The past simple is great for describing the
main events in a story.

16. Formative assignment.

17. Past continuous:
Subject + BE in the past
(was/were) + Main verb/ing +
Rest of sentence.
Past simple:
Subject + V2 (past simple
of main verb) + Rest of
sentence.