Complete the articles. Use the past simple of the verbs in the box
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There (0) ..... was...... a huge traffic jam on the M6 yesterday after two lorries (1) .............................. into each other. People (2) .............................. to wait in their cars for hours. ‘We (3) ............................. any food or water, so it was very difficult for the children,’ one driver said. Traffic eventually (4) .............................. moving at 5.00 p.m., eight hours after the accident.
City (5) .............................. match against United, 2— 0. City’s best striker, Anderson,
(6) .............................. because of a recent injury. After the match, their manager, Jimmy Simmons, (7) .............................. ‘We (7) well (8) .............................. and we know that we have to improve.’
Past simple and past continuous
- We use the past continuous to talk about an action or situation in progress at a particular time in the past: I was working at eight o’clock last night.
- We also use the past continuous to describe the background scene in a story: The sun was shining and I was walking along the High Street.
- When a short action interrupts an action in progress, we use when before the action in the past simple and while/when before the action in the past continuous: When he arrived, I was working. My car broke down while/when I was driving home.
- When one action happens after another, we use the past simple: When Sam arrived, I cookeda meal. (= Sam arrived and then I cooked a meal.)
- We don’t usually use state verbs in continuous tenses: When I met her, she seemed upset. (Not she was seeming upset)
Complete the sentences. Use the past simple or past continuous of the verbs in brackets.
0 Sarah wasn’t here in June. She ......was travelling ...... round Europe. (travel)
1 This time last year we .............................. that big concert. (plan)
2 The museum was quite crowded when I visited it. A teacher .............................. a group of schoolchildren round and they .............................. some of the objects. (take, draw)
3 The police.............................. his story. (not believe)
4 It was eight o’clock in the morning. I was still in bed and my brother .............................. ready for school. (get)
5 I didn’t eat anything for lunch because I.............................. the food in the cafeteria. (not like)
6 We.............................. anything at ten. We were really tired. (not do)
7 It was chaos last night at the airport. Thousands of people .............................. for flights. (wait)
8 We.............................. to go, but we had to. (not want)
9 Rachel called earlier this morning. She .............................. very upset. (sound)
10 I .............................. to my new CD, so I didn’t hear the phone. (listen)
Circle the correct answer.
0 A: What were you saying /did you say when she asked you?
B: ‘Yes’.
1 A: Where was Laura going / did Laura go when we met her?
B: She was on her way to London.
2 A: Were you and Mark practising / Did you and Mark practise your songs when I called?
B: No. Mark wasn’t here.
3 A: How were you feeling / did you feel when you passed your driving test?
B: Incredibly pleased!
4 A: Were people dancing / Did people dance when you got to the party?
B: No. Everybody was in the kitchen.
5 A: What did you do / were you doing when you left school in June?
B: Nothing! I just wanted to rest.
6 A: Why did you hide / were you hiding your shopping bag when she came in?
B: Because there’s a present for her in it.
Complete the e-mail. Use the past simple or past continuous of the verbs in
New Message
I (0) ...... was walking ...... (walk) down the street this morning when I (1) .............................. (see) a lot of people in front of me. They(2) .............................. (watch) something. When I (3) .............................. (get) nearer, I saw what (4) .............................. (happen) a man (5) .............................. (lie) on the pavement. He (6) .............................. (bleed). Two other men (7) .............................. (stand) near him. One of them (8) .............................. (hold) a gun. A woman (9) .............................. (cry). I froze! Then suddenly, someone (10) .............................. (shout)
‘Cut!’ The woman (11) .............................. (stop) crying and the wounded man (12) .............................. (stand) up. Then I (13) .............................. (notice) a camera and (14) .............................. (realise) that they (15) .............................. (make) a film!
6. Complete this text with either the past simple or the past continuous form of the verbs in brackets:
While Trevor Baylis 1) ____________ (listen) to a radio programme about villages in rural Africa, he 2)____________ (have) a great idea. According to the programme, most villages 3)____________ (not have) electricity, so communication with the outside world 4)____________ (be) a problem. While people in cities 5)____________(receive) the latest health information, people in the countryside 6) ____________ (not get) enough information and education. Baylis 7)____________ (go) to his workshop and 8) ____________ (begin) experimenting. He soon 9) ____________ (make) a working radio with no batteries - wind-up radio. While he 10) ____________ (try), without luck, to sell his idea to companies, to sell his idea to companies, he 11) ____________ (have) a lucky break. His radio 12) ____________ (appear) on a BBC TV programme, and someone who had money to invest in the project 13) ____________ (watch). As a result, the Freeplay radio 14) ___________ (become) a huge success.
7. Complete the text with either the pas simple or the past continuous form of the verbs in brackets:
Anita Roddick, founder of the Body Shop, 1) _______________ (learn) customs and rituals from many different countries while she 2) ______________ (travel) around the world. In 1971, she 3)________ (marry) Gordon Roddick. They 4) ______________ (have) a small business in Brighton, but after a few years they 5) ______________ (decide) they 6) _________________ (want) a different way of life.
While her husband 7) ______________ (travel) in the USA in 1976, Anita 8) _____________ (open) the first Body Shop, selling natural cosmetics. She 9) ______________ (always think) about ways to develop environment-friendly products and packages. That’s why many environment-conscious people 10) ________ (like) her ideas and were interested in starting their own branch of the Body Shop.