English Exercises: Simple Past or Past Continuous?

Downloadable worksheets:

MULTIPLE CHOICE - FOUR TENSES 1
Level: elementary
Age: 10-14
Downloads: 5204

PAST CONTINUOUS AND PAST SIMPLE
Level: intermediate
Age: 10-14
Downloads: 5258

THE PAST CONTINUOUS TENSE
Level: elementary
Age: 12-14
Downloads: 3467

FOUR TENSES REVIEW -PRESENT SIMPLE- PRESENT CONTINUOUS-PAST SIMPLE AND PAST CONTINUOUS (B&W VERSION+ KEY INCLUDED)
Level: elementary
Age: 12-14
Downloads: 3576

Past simple - Past continuous
Level: intermediate
Age: 13-17
Downloads: 3087

Mixed Tenses Revision (B&W + KEY included)
Level: elementary
Age: 12-17
Downloads: 3301

Choose Simple Past or Past Continuous

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The continuous tense is used to show action which

lasts for a certain time/for more than a moment
- I�am wearing a coat today (and I am still wearing it).
an ongoing action interrupted by another action
- Ann was painting the house when the ladder broke.
something happening gradually
- It was getting dark.

And before you start please read the directions again. You have just read examples in different tenses, but what did the directions ask you to do?

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1. The Vikings (to drink) �lots of beer.

2. My neighbor came in while I (to read) .

3. As he (to play) �a heavy metal record, he could not hear me.

4. The dog ran off the minute it (to see) �the rabbit.

5. He (to go) �to sleep in the middle of the principal's speech.

6. While the opera singer (to sing) �the song, the audience fell asleep.

7. The car (to start) �with a lot of noise.

8.Everybody (to laugh) �when he fell off his chair.

9. Susan (to come) �to see me yesterday.

10. My friend (to stop) �when the teacher told him to.

11. We (to talk) �about her when she suddenly came in.

12. She (to have) �a bath when the telephone rang.

13. When the train (to arrive) �everybody ran to the doors.

14. While I (to eat) �my dinner my tooth (to break) .

15. As the king (to cross) �the hall, he slipped and fell.

16. When she (to come) �in, her dog (to sleep) �in her chair.

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