Intermediate Lesson 3 -
The Good Samaritan
Grammar Exercise
This is the fifth part of Intermediate Lesson 3, or you can do it as an individual grammar lesson.
The Past Continuous Tense
We use the past continuous to talk about an action in the past that was not one single event. Many times, there is one event that takes place while this background action is happening.
Past continuous is formed using past simple tense of be (that is, was/were) + Verb-ing.
Here is a sentence from the passage. The past continuous tense is in blue.
The past simple tense is in orange.
- As a man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, robbers attacked him and grabbed everything he had.
The man began his trip from Jerusalem to Jericho at some point before he was attacked by robbers. He was attacked while he was traveling. In this example, the continuous action of “was going” was interrupted by an event, “attacked,” in the simple past.
A Diagram of the Past Continuous
Past continuous is often illustrated in a diagram like this:
“Was going” is represented by the blue arch indicating an ongoing, background event, and the acts of “attacking” and “grabbing” are represented by the orange X.
Example Two
Here is another example from Luke 6:1:
2. One Sabbath when Jesus and his disciples were walking through some wheat fields, the disciples picked some wheat.
In this sentence, the “walking” was not one specific event. It was ongoing over time. Then, the “walking” was interrupted by a single event, “picked,” in the past simple tense.
More Examples
Here are more examples of sentences containing the past continuous. The past simple event that interrupts this continuous action is in orange.
- I was reading the Bible when my neighbor knocked on the door.
- A: What were you doing when I called last night?
B: Oh, I was listening to a worship song, and I didn’t hear the phone. - As I was walking my dog in the park, I happened to see an old friend of mine.
Instead of using the past simple to indicate an event, you can also use a phrase that indicates a moment in time. Here are two examples with the time underlined:
- My husband and I were planting flowers in the garden at that time.
- Yesterday at noon, I was working on my project.
Using Past Continuous to Talk About Two Actions That Happened at the Same Time
The past continuous can also be used to talk about two or more actions that happen at the same time. Both actions provide background information to another event.
Sometimes the past continuous will not be interrupted by another event. Even though this even is not mentioned in the sentence, it is implied, or it might be mentioned later. Here are some examples:
- People were eating, drinking, and getting married right up to the day when Noah went into the big boat. (Luke 17:27)
- In Babylon the high officials were having a feast. … [Then something happened.] (Isaiah 21:5)
- When Lot lived, people were also eating and drinking. They were buying, selling, planting, and building. [Then something happened.] (Luke 17:28)
What's the Difference Between the Past Simple and the Past Continuous?
How do you know when to use the past simple and when to use the past continuous? Look at these two questions:
- What did you do last night?
- What were you doing last night?
Answering the first question is easy. The question is in the past simple, so you would also answer in the past simple. For example, you might say, “I watched a movie last night.”
The second question is more complicated. To answer it, you need more information. You need to know what time the question is referring to. Without more context, you can’t really answer this question. Even though it is a complete sentence, it is not a complete thought. Let’s add some more information to our sentence in the past continuous:
- What were you doing last night when it started to rain?
Now you have created a question that is easier to answer. Let’s answer it in the past continuous as well:
- I was watching a movie when it started to rain.
Practice Makes Perfect!
Using the past simple and the past continuous correctly can be a challenge. Don’t worry! Learning a second language is a time-consuming process. Enjoy the process, and keep moving forward!
There is much information you can find on the past continuous online. There are also interactive quizzes you can do online. Try this worksheet to start. Click “finish” at the bottom to check your answers.
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