This document provides a grammar lesson on the past progressive/continuous tense in English. It begins by presenting example sentences using the past progressive and asks students to identify the common structure. The main topics of the lesson are then introduced as the past progressive tense and how it emphasizes ongoing past actions or two simultaneous past actions. Key points covered include how to form positive, negative, and question sentences in the past progressive and spelling rules. The lesson distinguishes between using "while" and "when" with the past progressive and provides tips on their proper usage, such as using "while" for actions with a duration and "when" for longer states or periods. Students are then directed to online practice exercises to reinforce the concepts.

1. GRAMMAR
LESSON
Tawil Duha

2. Let’s guess today’s topic?
~ I was speaking a lot in yesterday’s meeting.
~ When you came in I was having dinner.
~ While Sarah was watching TV her father was washing the car.
1. Can you tell me what is common between the three given sentences?
2. Could you come up with a sentence structure for how these sentences were
formed?
3. What do you anticipate being the subject of today’s discussion?

3. You guessed it!
Our theme for today’s
lesson is going to be
the past progressive/
continuous

4. Past progressive
~ Puts emphasis on the course of an action in the past.
Example: He was playing football.
~ Two actions happening at the same time (in the past).
Example: While she was preparing dinner, he was washing the dishes.
~ Action going on at a certain time in the past.
Example: When I was having breakfast, the phone suddenly rang.
1. How is the past progressive different from the simple past tense?

5. How to form sentences?
Positive Negative Question
I / he / she / it I was speaking. I was not speaking. Was I speaking?
you / we / they You were speaking. You were not
speaking.
Were you speaking?
Your turn to try!
Please form 3 different sentences using the
past progressive – positive, negative and
question.

6. Spelling rules
Exceptions in spelling when adding ing Example
final e is dropped (but: ee is not changed) come – coming
(but: agree – agreeing)
after a short, stressed vowel, the final
consonant is doubled
sit – sitting
l as final consonant after a vowel is doubled (in
British English)
travel – travelling
final ie becomes y lie – lying

7. While and When
~ With the Past Continuous sentences have clauses that start with
'while' or 'when’.
~While usually starts the clause with the Past Continuous.
~When usually starts the clause with the Past Simple.

8. Tip #1
~ In some sentences, you can use either without a great change in
meaning.
~ Generally, if you want to focus on an action that has a duration
being in progress, use a while + a progressive tense.
~ For example: While I was washing the dishes, my wife came
home.* (Washing the dishes has a duration, e.g. 4 minutes.)
(*Note you can also use when here, but as a general rule, while is
suitable.)

9. Tip #2
~ Use while with actions that have a limited duration.
1. When I was a child, I played soccer. (correct)
2. While I was a child, I played soccer. (Not natural)
Why is #2 not natural?
Well, when an action is too long (e.g. I was a child), we lose focus. The period of
twelve years when you were a child is too long to use a progressive tense. We
don't use 'while' to talk about long periods of our lives. Instead, we use when and
past simple. There's another reason.

10. Tip #3
~ Use While with Action Verbs
Also, "While I was a child" is unnatural because the BE verb (was a child) is
a state verb. State verbs are not action verbs (e.g. jump, kick, shower, drink).
Instead, state verbs describe states or conditions (e.g. BE, live, understand,
know, exist). We do not use progressive tenses with state verbs. As a result, we
generally don't use while with state verbs.

11. Compare:
~ While she was driving, I played with the radio. (Natural)
This is correct. Driving is an action verb and the action is limited in duration. In
other words, driving is a short activity that has a clear start and end.
~While When I lived in my hometown, my mother made me dinner. (While is not
natural)
Live is a state verb, and also, the action of living in my hometown probably had a
duration of 18 years. This is too long to focus on.

12. Time to practice :P
■ https://www.liveworksheets.com/worksheets/en/English_as_a_Second_Language_(ESL)
/Past_continuous/Past_Continuous_Tense_ug3134274gr
■ https://www.liveworksheets.com/worksheets/en/English_as_a_Second_Language_(ESL)
/Past_continuous/Past_continuous_du7862cq