While I was having coffee in the city park, I saw a man reading a newspaper next to his briefcase. Suddenly, a woman ran by and snatched the man's red briefcase. The owner of the briefcase was very upset after it was stolen. The document then discusses using the past progressive and simple past tenses to describe actions that were interrupted or occurred simultaneously in the past. It provides examples of how to use while and when clauses with both tenses.

1. 1
Past Progressive
and Simple Past
Someone Stole His
Briefcase!
Focus on Grammar 3
Part I, Unit 4
By Ruth Luman, Gabriele Steiner, and BJ Wells
Copyright © 2006. Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

2. Reporting to the Police 1
Reporting to the Police 1
It having a ten in the
I was was aboutcup of coffee,
morning, andwatching the in
and I was I was sitting
Maxi’s Caféin the City Park.
people near café.
What did you
What were
yousee?
doing?

3. Reporting to the Police 2
Reporting to the Police 2
To my left,
man. He was
To my right,there was another young man. He
Suddenly, there was a young woman. She
drinking coffee briefcase and newspaper.
was eating a huge dish of ice cream. She A
snatched the redand reading a ran away with it
big fast that no one knew what was happening.
was enjoying it.
so red briefcase was standing next to his feet.
After the man stole the briefcase,
we were all talking loudly. The
owner of the briefcase was very
upset!

4. Past Progressive
Past Progressive
Use the past progressive to describe an action
that was in progress at a specific time in the past.
I was having coffee.
She was eating ice cream.
10 a.m.
now
past
was having
was eating
future

5. Be Careful!
Be Careful!
Non-action verbs are not usually used in the
progressive. Note the exception with have.
I was having a headache.
I had a headache.
I was having coffee.
She was having ice cream.
Here the meaning
of have is eat or drink.
drink

6. Past Progressive & Simple Past 1
Past Progressive & Simple Past 1
Use past progressive with simple past to describe an
action that was interrupted by another action.
They were enjoying the
morning when the thief
stole the briefcase.
stole
past
were enjoying
now
future

7. Past Progressive & Simple Past 2
Past Progressive & Simple Past 2
Use past progressive for the action in progress. Use
when and the simple past for the action that interrupts.
The man was reading the
newspaper when the thief
snatched his briefcase.
snatched
past
was reading
now
future

8. Past Progressive & Simple Past 3
Past Progressive & Simple Past 3
Use past progressive to focus on the duration of an action.
Use simple past to focus on the completion of an action.
I was sitting in Maxi’s Café
and watching people.
the people there.
The thief stole the briefcase
and ran away.
past
now
was sitting / was watching
future

9. Practice 1
What were you and others
doing? Answer the questions
using the past progressive.
Example:
What were you doing when I called this morning?
I was trying to wake up when you called.
called
1. What were you doing when the phone rang last night?
2. What were your friends doing at 6 p.m. yesterday evening?
3. What were you doing last weekend?
4. What was the teacher doing when you first saw her/him today?

10. Past Progressive with While 1
Past Progressive with While 1
Use past progressive with while to describe two
actions in progress at the same time in the past.
The man was reading
the newspaper while the
woman was eating her
ice cream.
now
past
was reading
was eating
future

11. Past Progressive with While 2
Past Progressive with While 2
Use past progressive with while to describe two
actions in progress at the same time in the past.
While
While I was describing
the theft, the police
the theft, the police
officer was writing
officer was writing
everything down.
everything down.
past
now
was describing
was writing
future

12. Time Clauses
Time Clauses
The time clause (= the part with while or when) can
come at the beginning or the end of the sentence.
no
co
mm
a
They were having coffee
when the thief snatched the briefcase.
,
When the thief snatched the briefcase
they were having coffee.
!!!
!
ma
com

13. Be Careful!
Be Careful!
Sentences with both clauses in the simple past have a
different meaning from sentences with one clause in the
simple past and one in the past progressive.
When the waiter came,
came
I looked at the menu.
When the waiter came,
came
I was looking at the menu.
came
past came
was looking
looked
now
First the waiter
First the waiter
came; then I I
came; then
looked at the
looked at the
First I Iwas
menu.
First was
menu.
looking at the
looking at the
menu; then the
menu; then the
waiter came.
waiter came.
future

14. Practice 2
Form sentences with while.
Use the past progressive.
Example: read / steal
While the man was reading, the prisoner was stealing his
reading
wallet.
1. talk / drink
4. not look / burn
3. play / watch
5. talk / sit
2. shine / splash
4. While the woman was not looking, the toastthe was
5. While the woman was talking onthey phone,manman was
3. While one sun waswere talking, fountain waswas tea.
man wasshininglookingthe other splashing.
playing pool,
1.
talking
2.
the women shining, the the were drinking
splashing
burning.
burning
sitting in the chair.
watching.
watching

15. References
References
Copyright © 2006 Pearson Education and
its licensors. All rights reserved.