☰ Year plan · English (Connect)

Unit 1 Egypt’s Heritage: pride, listening and past tenses

Week 2 · Unit 1 Egypt’s Heritage (A): a text about pride in a country and its past (reference only), gist, detail, opinion and meaning from context, civilization / heritage / neighbourhood, a talk on preserving old places (our own read-aloud text), identity / pride / restoring, the past simple and past continuous with while / when / as / during · 3 lessons
3

Past simple and past continuous: while, when and during

English Secondary 1 Term 1, Unit 1 Lesson 3: pp. 17–18
GoalUse the past simple and the past continuous, alone and together, with while, when, as and during.
New words
while · at the same time as; used with a long actionwhen · at the time that; used with a short actionduring · for the whole time of an event; used with a nounsuddenly · quickly and unexpectedlyin progress · happening at a moment in the past, not finishedstative verb · a verb for a state, such as know or like, not for an action
Explanation

We use the past simple for finished actions: I opened the door. The negative is didn’t + base verb and the question is Did you 
? We use the past continuous (was or were + verb-ing) for an action that was in progress at a moment in the past: At eight o’clock I was doing my homework. The negative is wasn’t or weren’t and the question is Were you 
? Use the two together when a short action interrupts a long action: I was walking home when it started to rain. Long action: past continuous. Short action: past simple. Use while, as or just as with the long action: While we were having dinner, the lights went out. Use when with the short action. Use during with a noun: We spoke quietly during the lesson. Two long actions at the same time can both be continuous: Sara was reading while her brother was drawing. Do not use the continuous with verbs of state such as be, know, like, love, want, seem and have (own): I knew the answer, not I was knowing the answer.

UsePatternExample
Finished actionpast simpleShe opened the window.
Action in progresswas / were + -ingShe was reading at nine.
Long action + short actionwas / were + -ing 
 when + past simpleI was walking when it rained.
State verbpast simple onlyI knew the answer.
Worked examples
Choose the tense: “While Dad ___ the car, the phone rang.” The long action is washing, so the answer is was washing.
Choose the tense: “The phone ___ while Dad was washing the car.” The short action interrupts, so the answer is rang.
Correct the mistake: “I was knowing the answer.” Know is a stative verb, so the sentence is: I knew the answer.
Yara

Where were you at six o’clock yesterday, Omar?

Omar

I was playing football in the yard. Why?

Yara

I called you three times, but you didn’t answer.

Omar

Sorry! My phone was in my bag, so I didn’t hear it. What were you doing?

Yara

I was waiting for the bus when I saw your brother, and we talked for ten minutes.

Omar

Did he tell you about our match? We won two to one!

Read the dialog.
Class activity

Strange day. Write a paragraph of 60 to 80 words about a day when the bus was late. Use at least two sentences with while or when, one with was or were plus -ing, and one with didn’t. Underline each past continuous verb in one colour and each past simple verb in another.

Practice
1
Complete with the correct form: While I ___ (walk) to school, I met my cousin.
2
Complete with the correct form: We ___ (have) lunch when the bell rang, and we stopped eating at once.
3
Complete with the correct form: The light ___ (go) out while we were reading.
4
Complete with the correct form: Yesterday I ___ (know) the answer, so I raised my hand.
5
Choose: Everybody was quiet ___ the film. (while / during / when)