A group of people were staying in a hotel. One evening the fire alarm rang. Use the words in brackets to make sentences saying what each person was doing at the time.

Example: (Don / have / a bath) …..Don was having a bath …….

1. (Ann / write / a letter in her room) Ann ............ .

2. (George / get / ready to go out) George

3. (Carol and Dennis / have / dinner) Carol and Dennis

4. (Tom /make /a phone call) Tom

7. Make sentences from the words in brackets. Put the verbs into the correct form, past simple (I did) or past continuous (I was doing).

Example: (I / fall / asleep when I / watch / television)

….I fell asleep when I was watching television………

1. (the phone / ring / when I / have / a shower). The phone……….

2. (it / begin / to rain when I / walk / home). ………………………

3. (we / see / an accident when we / wait / for the bus). …………..

Put the verb into the correct form, past continuous or past simple.

Example: While Tom ....was cooking.... (cook) the dinner, the phone............rang.........(ring).

1. George................... (fall) off the ladder while he..............(paint) the ceiling.

2. Last night I...........(read) in bed when suddenly I................(hear) a scream.

3. .................................(you/watch) television when I phoned you?

4. Ann...............................(wait) for me when I................................(arrive).

5. I....................(not/drive) very fast when the accident............................(happen).

6. I....................(break) a plate last night. I...........................(do) the washing-up

when it...........(slip) out of my hand.

7. Tom................(take) a photograph of me while I................................(not/look).

8. We................................(not/go) out because it................................(rain).

9. What................................(you/do) at (this time yesterday?

10. I..........(see). Carol at the party. She.......(wear) a really beautiful dress.

9. Put the verbs in brackets into the past simple or the past continuous. Which was the longer action in each sentence?

1. They ...were cleaning... (clean) the windows when it ...started... (start) to rain.

Cleaning the windows was the longer action.

2. As he................... (drive) to work, ............. (remember) that his briefcase

was still at home.

3. Melanie ............ (cook) dinner when her husband....................(come) home.

4. I..............(hear) a loud crash as I.................(sit) in the garden.

5. She........... (type) a letter when her boss................................(arrive).

6. While the dog.....................(dig) in the gar­den, it.................(find) a bone.

7. Mary............ (ride) her bicycle when she...................(notice) the tiny kitten.

8. While I .................. (do) my homework, the phone...................(ring).

10. A policeman is asking Mrs Hutchinson about a car accident she happened to see yesterday. Put the verbs in brackets into the past simple or the past continuous.

P: What 1) ...were you doing... (you/do) when you 2)..........(see) the accident, madam?

H: I 3).....................................(walk) down the street.

P: What exactly 4).....................................(you/see)?

H: Well, the driver of the car 5) ...............(drive) down the road when suddenly the old man just 6)..........(step) in front of him! It 7)............................(be) terrible!

P: 8)..............................................(the driver/speed)?

H: No, not really, but the old man 9) ....................(not/look) both ways before

he 10)............(try) to cross the road.

P: 11)..........(anyone else/see) the accident?

H: Yes; the lady in the post office.

P: Thank you very much.

Put the verbs in brackets into the past simple or the past continuous.

A. As soon as Margaret 1) ...got... (get) off the train, she 2)........(pull) her coat around her. Rain 3)..........(fall) heavily and a cold wind 4)...........(blow) across the platform. She 5)............(look) around, but no one 6)...............(wait) to meet her. She 7).............(turn) to leave when she 8).........(hear) footsteps. A man 9)............(walk) towards her. He 10)..............(smile) at her, then he 11)..........say), 'You're finally here.'

В. George 1).......(pick) up his bag then, 2) .......... (throw) it over his shoulder. It 3)...............(get) dark and he 4) .……. (have) a long way to go. He wished that he had let someone know that he was coming. It 5)............(start) to rain, and he was feeling cold and tired from the long journey. Suddenly, he 6) ..............(hear) a noise, then he 7) ...........(see) two bright lights on the road ahead. A car 8) ........... (head) towards him. It slowed down and finally 9) .................(stop) beside him. A man 10)...........(sit) at the wheel. He 11)..............(open) the door quickly and 12).............. (say) 'Get in, George.'

С. Andy 1)...........(step) into the house and 2).............(close) the door behind him.

Everything 3).............(be) quiet. His heart 4)......... (beat) fast and his hands

5)......(shake) as he crept silently into the empty house, but he was trying not to panic. He soon 6)............(find) what he 7)........(look) for. He smiled with relief as he put on the clothes. The men who 8)............... (follow) him would never recognize him now.

Imagine that you were present when these things happened, then, in pairs, ask and answer questions, as in the example.

SA What were you doing when the burglar broke in?

SB: / was watching TV.

SA What did you do?

SB: I called for help.

1. The burglar broke in.

2. The storm broke.

3. The lights went out.

4. The boat overturned.

5. The earthquake hit.

6. The building caught fire.