3 Past Progressive and Simple Past

UNIT

Someone Stole
His Briefcase!
Reporting to the Police
1
It was about ten in the
morning, and I was sitting in
Maxi’s Café near City Park.

What
Whatwere
did you
you
doing?
see?
Reporting to the Police
2
Tomy
To myright,
left,there
Suddenly, there was
therewas aa young
wasanother man.
youngyoung
woman.He was
She
man. He
drinking
was eating
snatched coffee
theared and
huge reading
dish
briefcase iceacream.
of and newspaper.
ran Shewith
away A big
was it so
red briefcase
fast that no one was standing
enjoying
knew what nexthappening.
it. was to his feet.
After the man stole the briefcase, we
were all talking loudly. The owner of
the briefcase was very upset!
 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 future
was having
was eating
 Be Careful!
Non-action verbs are not usually used in the
progressive. Note the exception with have.

I was
I had
having
a headache.
a headache.

I was having coffee.

She was having ice cream.

Here the meaning

of have is eat or drink.
 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 now future
were enjoying
 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
now
past future
was reading
 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 thiefstole
stole the briefcase
and ran
ran away.

now
past future
was sitting / was watching
 What were you and others
Practice 1 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.

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?
 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
future
past was reading
was eating
 Past Progressive with While 2

Use past progressive with while to describe two actions in

progress at the same time in the past.

While II was
While was describing
describing
the theft, the police
was writing
officer was writing
everything down.
now
past future
was describing
was writing
 Time Clauses

The time clause (= the part with while or when) can come
at the beginning or the end of the sentence.

They were having coffee when the

thief snatched the briefcase.

When the thief snatched the briefcase

they were having coffee.
,
 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.

First the waiter

When the waiter came, I came; then I
looked at the
looked at the menu. menu.
First I was
When the waiter came, I looking at the
was looking at the menu; then the
waiter came.
menu.
came
now
came future
was looking
past
looked
 Form sentences with while.
Practice 2 Use the past progressive.

Example: read / steal

While the man was reading, the prisoner was stealing his wallet.

1. talk / drink 3. play / watch 4. not look / burn

2. shine / splash 5. talk / sit
3.
5.
1. While
2.
4. one
While the manwas
the woman
woman
sun
women was playing
was
was talking
shining,
werenot pool,
on
looking,
the
talking, the
the other
phone,
fountain
theythe toast
were wasman
the
was was
man was
splashing.
drinkingburning.
tea.
watching.
sitting in the chair.