The Australian salute

Before I visited / have been visiting Australia, an Australian friend in London tells / told me Id
learn the Australian salute. Whats that? I have asked / asked Youll find out when you get there,
he says/ said.
I arrived / have arrived in Perth last week. Since then, I have been staying / stayed at a nice
hotel near a beautiful beach. I had never visited Australia before and I am enjoying my stay. I have
been swimming / swim every day from the time I arrived.
Yesterday an Australian friend had suggested / suggested a tour into the bush. I have agreed /
agreed at once. The first thing I noticed / notice when we are / were in the bush was the flies. After a
while I remembered the conversation I had had in London before I came here. Whats the Australian
salute? I ask / asked suddenly, as I waved my right arm to keep the flies away. Thats it! my friend
said as he waved back!
PAST SIMPLE or PAST CONTINUOUS? Read Toms story. Circle the correct form of the verb.
 Me and my brother Ben
I like my brother now, but I (1) didnt like / wasnt liking him when we
were children. He (2) did / was doing some really terrible things to me.
One day we (3) played / were playing in the park when it (4) started /
was starting to rain. My brother (5) wanted / was wanting my bike, but
I said no. I (6) got / was getting on my bike and while I (7) rode/ was
riding along the path, he (8) threw/ was throwing his coat over my face
and I (9) fell / was falling off the bike and (10) cut / was cutting my
knees. I (11) left / was leaving my bike in the park and I (12) ran /was
running home to tell my mother. When I (13) found / was finding her,
she (14) talked / was talking to our neighbor Mr Jones in the garden.
She (15) told / was telling him that my brother and I were good
friends. When I (16) told / was telling her what (17) happened/ was
happening in the park, she (18) said / was saying to Mr Jones, well,
they were friends yesterday!.

Past Simple or Continuous? Make sentences

1.David/ cross the street/ when/ a truck/ turn the coner very fast.
..................................................................................................................
2.My brother/ feed the hamster/ while/ mum / make a cake.
..................................................................................................................
3.We / watch a game on TV/ when / the electricity/ go out.
..................................................................................................................
4.Sally / listen to music in her room/ while / her neighbours/ have an argument.
..................................................................................................................
5.Henry / work in the garage on his car/ when / the gas tank / explode
..................................................................................................................
6. We / have our anniversary dinner/ when/ my uncle call.
.................................................................................................................

Study this example situation:

Yesterday Karen and Jim played tennis. They began at 10 o clock and finished at 11:30. So, at
10:30 they were playing tennis. They were playing = they were in the middle of playing.
Formation rules:
Affirmative: the past of be and the verb with ing.
I was sitting by the door. He was sleeping. She was driving. You were laughing. We were crying. They were eating.
Negative: the past of be + not + - ing. Was not = wasnt / were not = werent.
I wasnt listening. He wasnt playing. They werent looking.
Questions:- Yes/ No: inversion of the verb be. Was I sleeping? Was he reading? Were you waiting? Were
they leaving?
-Wh- questions: What were you writing? Why were they waiting? What was she wearing?
-We use the past continuous to say that somebody was in the middle of doing something
at a certain time. The action or situation had already started before this time but had not
finished :

I started doing I was doing I finished doing

past past now

-What were you doing at the following times?
1( at 8 o clock yesterday evening).
2( at 5 o clock last Saturday)
3( at 10.15 yesterday morning).
4( at 4: 30 this morning).
5( half an hour ago) .
-Use your ideas to complete
1 Tom burnt his hand while he .
2 The doorbell rang while I
3 We saw an accident while we
4 Mary fell asleep while she .
5 The TV was on but nobody .

Compare
Past continuous ( in the middle of an action) Past simple ( complete action)
- I was walking home when I met Dave. -I walked home after the party last night.( all
- Ann was watching TV when the phone rang. the way, completely)
- Ann watched TV a lot when she was ill last
week.
We use the past simple and the past continuous together to say that something happened in the
middle of something else:
While I was working in the garden, I hurt my back.
I saw you in the park yesterday. You were sitting on the grass and reading a book.
Tom broke his leg when he was skiing last winter holidays.
Past continuous or past simple?

1.I ..........................( see) Sue in town yesterday but she................................ ( not / see ) me. She
.................................( look ) the other way.
2. I ...........................( meet) Tom and Ann at the airport a few weeks ago. They ............................( go)to Berlin and
I ..............................( go) to Madrid. We .............................( have ) a chat while we .............................. (wait ) for our
flights.
3. I ...........................( cycle) home yesterday when suddenly a man ..........................( step) out into the road in front of
me. I .................................(go) quite fast but luckily I ................................(manage) to stop in time
and .................................( not / hit) him.

Complete these sentences with the verbs in brackets.

Put one verb in the past simple and one in the past continuous.
1 Miss Jackson _________ the servants, who _______________
in the kitchen. (hear, talk)
2 While Miss Jackson _______________ her hands, someone
_________ her ring. (wash, take)
3 When she _________ into the bathroom, the ring _______________
on the table. (go, lie)
4 Henry _______________ in the garden when it _________ to rain.
(work, start)
5 Charles ________ the bird, which _____________ in the tree. (see, sit)