How to Teach the Past Continuous Tense The past continuous is another tense that is commonly taught to beginners,

usually after theyve learned the past simple. Although it has its nuances, we usually use it talk about actions that were in progress at a specific time in the past. We also use it in conjunction with thepast simple when talking about interruptions (I was doing my homework when the phone rang). As students should already be familiar with the present continuous, and the past of the verb to be, this tense usually doesn't pose great difficulties, and students are able to naturally incorporate it into their speech. How To Proceed 1. 1Introduce the Past Continuous Tell students what you usually do late at night, and lead in to the past continuous: I always go to bed at 11pm. So, last night at 11:30 I was sleeping. Write your typical schedule on the board with your usual everyday activities: 7:30 am breakfast 9 to 12 classes 12 lunch 1pm to 5pm classes 6pm gym 8pm dinner 11pm bedtime Now, give them examples of what you were doing exactly at a certain time yesterday: At noon, I was having lunch. At 1pm, I was giving a class. Ask students to tell you what you were doing, and have them answer in second person singular: You were sleeping at midnight. Students jot down their own daily schedules, or what they did yesterday, and then take turns first saying what they were doing at certain time: I was having breakfast at 7am. Then, they switch schedules with a classmate and say what he or she was doing: Juan was having breakfast at 10 am. Then, they make comparisons: I was studying. He was playing video games. Or find similarities: We were all sleeping at midnight. Heres a great worksheet to give students so they can practice the past continuous. 2. 2Introduce the Past Continuous Negative forms Use the same daily schedule of activities and make negative statements: I wasnt watching TV at 3pm; I was working. Juan wasnt having breakfast at 7am; he was sleeping. Use your students schedules as well. Then, ask them to do the same, first with theirs, and then with a classmates, but always alternating between negative and affirmative statements. 3. 3Introduce the Past Continuous Interrogative forms First, model yes or no questions, then, questions with what, where, which, etc: - T: Were you watching TV at midnight last night?

- S: No! - T: Ask me! - S: Were you watching TV at midnight last night? - T: What were you doing at 7am this morning? - S: I was sleeping. - T: Ask Juan! - S: What were you doing, Juan, at 7am? Continue with more questions from students. Encourage them to ask different types of questions in different singular and plural persons. If they are unsure as to how to ask a question, model it for them first. 4. 4Introduce the Past Continuous Short answers Ask yes or no questions and model the correct way to give short answers: - T: Were you watching TV yesterday at 10pm? - S: Yes, I was./No, I wasnt. Ask students to ask each other yes or no questions in past continuous, and have them practice replying with short answers. 5. 5Extended practice and contrast with Past Simple It is essential at this point, for them to not only practice with as many exercises as necessary, for example, those found at BusyTeacher.orgs Past Continuous worksheets section, but also to learn the difference between the past simple and the past continuous. There are numerous worksheets that deal with this contrast specifically.

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The main concept to introduce when teaching the past continuous is the idea that the past continuous expresses an interrupted action. In other words, the past continuous speaks about what was going on when something important happened. The past continuous can be used by itself to express what happened at a precise moment in the past. However, the most common use is together with the past simple - ... when something happened. You might want to consider teaching the past simple together with the past continuous for intermediate level classes, as the past simple will be review for students. Introducing the Past Continuous Start by Speaking about What Was Interrupted Describe an important past event and then fill in the details as a painter would fill in background details by using the past continuous form. This immediately illustrates the idea that the past continuous is used to set the context of what was happening at that moment in time.

I'd like to tell you about the day I met my wife. I was walking through the park, the birds were singing and it was raining just a little bit when I saw her! She was sitting on the bench and reading a book at that moment. I'll never be the same. etc. This example is admittedly exaggerated. However, it conveys the point. Continue introducing the past continuous by asking students simple questions in the past simple about events. Follow up these questions with a question asking what was happening when... When did you leave home this morning - At nine o'clock. What was your sister doing when you left home? Where did you meet your girlfriend? - At school. What were you doing when you met her? The next step in teaching the past continuous is to include simultaneous actions using 'while'. Explain that 'while' is used when two actions happen at the same time in the past. It's a good idea to point out the difference between while and during, as well to help avoid future confusion. Practicing the Past Continuous Explaining the Past Continuous on the Board Use a past continuous timeline to illustrate interrupted action. Contrasting this timeline withpast continuous for something happening at a specific point in the past may help illustrate the difference between the two uses. Make sure that students understand the use of time clauses with 'when' and 'while' to help them use the past continuous in context. Comprehension Activities Comprehension activities such as using photos in magazines will help with the past continuous. In this case, make it clear to students that they are to describe the event in the past. You can model this by using a photo in a magazine to describe such an event. Dialogues beginning with "What were you doing?" will help students practice. A creative writing exercise on the past continuous will also help students build their ability to integrate the past continuous into more advanced structures. Challenges with the Past Continuous The single greatest challenge to the past continuous is deciding which action is the main event. In other words, which event interrupted the action in progress in the past moment in time. Other challenges can include the use of the past continuous to express an activity that happened over a period of time. It's crucial for students to understand that the past continuous describes a particular moment in time, and not a completed event. Here are examples of this type of issue: I was studying my homework yesterday. She was cooking dinner last night. In other words, the past continuous needs the context of another event when stopped the action in progress at the time.

15 fun Past Continuous activities Amusing ways of giving students intensive practice of the Past Progressive tense Written by Alex Case for TEFL.net 1. Past Continuous Accusations This is not only a classic activity for the Past Continuous, but also an all time classic TEFL game. Students are given a list of strange actions and ask their partners to come up with innocent reasons why they were doing those things, e.g. When I saw you, you were painting over your windows. Why were you doing that? I was turning my whole house into a big flag to celebrate Independence Day. It is important that they say the When I saw you part each time, to make the use of the Past Continuous realistic. 2. Past Continuous Alibi Game This is another all time classic TEFL game. Students are divided into suspects and alibis and they have to concoct a story of where they were together at the time of the crime. They are then questioned separately, and too many differences between their stories mean that the suspect is guilty. You can make this more specific to Past Continuous by only allowing the detectives to ask questions about the time of the murder, e.g. What were you talking about? and Where was the waitress standing? 3. Green Card A more romantic version of The Alibi Game is to get students to pretend to be a couple and make up the story of when they first met. The other students then question them separately on the details of that first moment, e.g. what perfume she was wearing and who was standing near them. 4. Past Continuous Mimes Students mime an action and when their partner is sure what it is they shout Stop! They then guess the action with the sentence When I shouted stop, you were + ing, e.g. When I shouted stop, you were polishing your fingernails on your shirt to show how proud you are. It is important to use the When I shouted stop part of the sentence each time to make this the right tense, as otherwise You polished your fingernails is more natural. 5. Random pelmanism Students take two cards at random and try to make a sentence including those words or expressions with the Past Simple and Past Continuous. For example, if they pick the words alligator and wallpaper, they could say When I was covering my sons bedroom with teddy bear wallpaper, he suddenly came in and said he wanted alligator patterns instead. 6. Past Continuous Things in common Students try to find times when they were doing the exact same thing, e.g. What were you doing at 7 oclock this morning? I was taking a shower So was I! They cant use the same action more than once, e.g. only one sentence about sleeping!

7. All kinds of actions Put a list of actions on the board, e.g. tapping your fingers and yawning. Ask students to do any of the actions in any order they like and at some point shout Stop! The students then test each other on what their classmates were doing at the time the teacher shouted stop with questions like Who was polishing her fingernails? and What was Juan doing? 8. Past Continuous picture memory Give students a picture that shows lots of people doing different actions, e.g. a page from Wheres Wally? (=Wheres Waldo?) When they turn over the picture so that they cant see it, test them on what people were doing with questions like What was the old lady doing?, How many people were smoking? and Who was standing next to the counter? You can make the use of the Past Continuous more natural by using a picture with a clock in or by making it a situation that people might really be asked these questions about, e.g. the moment before a bank robbery. 9. Past Continuous memory challenge Students try to ask each other What were you doing when you first/ last? questions that their partners cant remember the answer to, e.g. What were you doing when you first tasted wine? or What were you doing when you last saw a double-decker bus? You can also make this into a bluff game by asking students who dont remember to make something up, e.g. I was cleaning up after my parents birthday party or I was flying low over London. Their partners then guess whether the answer is true or not. 10. Past photos Students pretend that a blank piece of paper is an important photo of theirs and describe it to their partners. As it is just as natural to use the Present Continuous to describe the actual actions in the picture, they should also describe what they were doing when the photo was taken (e.g. having their honeymoon), what people in the photo were doing at that time (e.g. studying at university), what was happening outside the frame of the photo, etc. 11. Continual nagging Students take turns complaining that they did all the work to prepare for something like a party or presentation, e.g. While I was making the sandwiches you answered your mobile three or four times or While I was cleaning the tables you were staring at pretty women out of the window. The other person should also say they their action was more useful than it seemed, e.g. Actually, I was waiting for the delivery van to arrive so that I could bring the paper plates upstairs, or retaliate with a worse accusation like While I was typing up the Powerpoint document, you were playing poker on your computer. 12. Who was doing that? Students make true sentences about what someone was doing when they saw that person, and the other students guess who it was, e.g. He was pulling across two lanes of traffic for a taxi driver or She was writing something down in a notebook for a traffic warden.

Past Continuous and Past Simple 1. The most common use of the past continuous tense is to talk about something that was happening around a particular time in the past.

What were you doing at 8 oclock last night? I was watching television.

I started watching television before 8 oclock and I continued watching it after 8 oclock.

In 1994 he was working in a small town in Poland. At 6 oclock on Saturday morning we were travelling to the airport.

2. We often use the past continuous and the past simple tense together. When this happens, the past continuousdescribes a longer, background action or situation and the past simple describes the action or events.

When I woke up this morning it was raining and my father was singing in the kitchen. I was walking home, whistling happily, when I saw two masked men run out of the bank.

Often, the action described by the past simple tense interrupts the situation described by the past continuous tense.

I broke my leg when I was skiing. I was playing a computer game when the doorbell rang.

Notice that the past continuous describes situations that go on for some time skiing and playing but the past simple describes actions that happen quickly broke and rang. Notice too the important difference between these two sentences.

When they arrived, Jeff was cooking dinner. Jeff started cooking before they arrived. When they arrived, Jeff cooked dinner. Jeff started cooking dinner after they arrived.