PAST SIMPLE or PAST CONTINUOUS 1.

Complete the sentences with the Past Simple or the Past Continuous forms of the verbs in brackets. a. ____________ you ______________ (watch) the football match on TV when I ____________ (phone) you? b. The teachers _______________ (speak) when you _______________ (arrive) to school. c. We _______________ (not like) the movie. It was boring. d. I _________________ (not listen) to music last night. I ______________ (study) Chemistry. e. She _______________ (have) a shower when you ______________ (knock) at the door. f. They _____________ (not go) to the theatre last month. The tickets were all sold. g. While Chris and Jane ___________________ (travel) on Saturday, we _________________ (prepare) the party for their arrival. h. The children _______________ (sing) some songs last week, at the Christmas Festival. i. Yesterday, I _______________ (hear) a strange noise while I _______________ (put on) my pyjamas. j. We _________________ (write) notes in class, when the Headmaster _____________ (come) in. k. What __________ you __________ (do) last Tuesday at 11 p.m.? 2. Underline the correct answer. a. While my mother [cooked / was cooking], she [watched / was watching] TV. b. We [slept / were sleeping] in our bedrooms at 6 oclock. c. The boys [played / were playing] baseball when it [started / was starting] to rain. d. My cousin [had / was having] dinner when the telephone [rang / was ringing]. e. When I [got / was getting] up, my father [read / was reading] the newspaper. f. Emilio [fell / was falling] when he [painted / was painting] the wall. g. The doctor [examined / was examining] my eyesight yesterday. 3. Complete the following text with the Past Simple of the Past Continuous forms of the verbs in brackets. I _________________(be) with some friends and we _______________ (run) in a race. It was a marathon. There _____________ (be) hundreds of runners around us, men and women, and it _____________ (be) extremely hot. As we _____________ (cross) a bridge over a river, I suddenly _____________ (notice) that everyone in the race _______________ (have) the same face, even my friends! They were all the same person! I _____________ (want) to stop, but there ______________ (be) so many people behind me that I _______________ (have to) keep running. Then I _________________ (wake up) screaming. 4. Choose which verb tense (simple past or past continuous) fits better. 1. I ________ - I didn't hear you come in. a) was sleeping b) slept 2. I ________ to see her twice, but she wasn't home. a) was coming b) came 3. What ________? I was watching TV. a) did you do b) were you doing 4. Robin Hood was a character who ________ from the rich and gave to the poor. a) stole b) was stealing 5. Hey, did you talk to her? Yes, I ________ to her. a) was talking b) talked 6. I ________ home very late last night.

a) came b) was coming 7. How long ________ the flu? a) did you have b) were you having 8. ________ a good time in Brazil? Yes, I had a blast! a) Were you having b) Did you have 9. We ________ breakfast when she walked into the room. a) had b) were having 10. Last month I decided to buy a new car, and today I finally ________ it. a) bought b) was buying 5. Below there is a short biography of Bill Gates. Complete the text using the verbs below either in the Past Simple or the Past Continuous. be, be born, make, grow up, drop out, started (2), go, study, work, grow into, sell, meet, get Bill Gates story . in 1955. He .. in Seattle, where he ... with his parents and two sisters. His father .... . a lawyer and his mother a teacher. When he was thirteen, he .... to become interested in computers and the development of computer software. In 1972 he . .. his first big profit of $4,200 when he .. timetable software to his school. Bill Gates .. to Harvard University and while he .. there he started Microsoft. It was obvious that the new business was going to be a great success so, in 1976, he .. after doing three years of a four-year course. Microsoft ... an enormous international company that employs 54,000 people all over the world. Gates .... his wife, Melinda, in 1987 when she .. for Microsoft. They . married in 1994 and now have two children.

6. Read the story and put the verbs in the right form (Present Simple or Past Continuous). A DISASTROUS DINNER Last Friday, Mrs. Anderson (plan) to have a delicious dinner. She (buy) a T-bone steak and some cream and apples for an apple pie. When she (come) home from the shops she (put) her shopping on the table. While she .... (sit) the table, her two pets .. (sit) underneath it and .. (watch) her. Then she.. (go) to the kitchen to make the pastry for the pie. She.. (be) a little tired after a whole day at work, so she . (not realize) the steak, cream and apples (be) still on the table. In fact, while she (make) the pastry, the dog . (jump) on a chair and .. (look) longingly at the steak. At last it .. (take) the steak in its mouth and . (jumped off) the chair, just as Mrs. Anderson (come) back into the dining room. Having seen what the dog had just done, Mrs. Anderson .. (scream), the dog (run) into the garden and Mrs. Anderson .. (run) after it. While she . .. (chase) the dog, the cat. (jump) on the table and (start) drinking the cream. Mrs. Anderson. (not manage) to catch the dog, so she (come) back into the dining room. When she (see) what the cat

(do), she .. (shriek), and the cat . (get) such a fright that it (jump) a meter into the air, And . (leap) out of the window. Mrs. Anderson .. (throw) her broom at the cat, but she . (miss), and .. (break) the window. At the same time she .. .. (overbalance) and (put) her hand in the cream, spilling it all over the tablecloth. Poor Mrs. Anderson she .. (have) no dinner, only a dirty tablecloth and a broken window.

7. Present Simple or Past Continuous: Jenny is telling her teacher why she couldn't study for an exam. It .. (be) impossible for me to concentrate! I (go) to my bedroom, but my mother. (clean) the carpet with the vacuum cleaner. Therefore, I .. (go) to the living room, but my brother Paul (lie) on the sofa. He .. (play) his guitar. After that I (decide) to go to the kitchen. There, my grandmother .. (cook) and she also (watch) TV. Finally, I .. (go) out to the garden, where I. .. (find) my sister. She .. (listen) to her Walkman and she .. (sing) at the top of her voice.