Grammar in Context 2Chapter 6

Simple Past and Past Continuous Verb Tenses with Time Clauses

How to Form – Past Continuous Tense

• I was ___________ + ing• She/He/It was ___________ + ing• You/We/They were ___________ + ing

– I was walking.– You were sleeping.– He was eating.– She was singing.– It was raining.– We were shopping.– They were running.

Past Continuous Verb Tense

• We often use the Past Continuous Verb Tense in a sentence that has 2 clauses. One clause will have the Past Continuous and the other clause will have a time clause.

• I was driving when I hit the tree.• He was dreaming about chocolate while his

mom was baking his birthday cake.

Past Continuous Verb

• When using the past continuous verb tense – you chose it because there is an ongoing action that took a length of time in the past, or if there were two actions then one was longer so that one is described with the past continuous verb tense.

• I was walking home when I tripped and fell.– Walking home might take 10 minutes but it only

took a second to trip, and a second to fall.

Past Continuous Verb

• We use the past continuous to describe a scene that happened in the past. – I was working hard. I was making cookies, baking

bread and singing songs when I dropped the telephone into the sink of water.

When + While + Until – Time Words

• Use When to show an interruption to the ongoing action– I was walking home when I tripped. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~X xo longer action short action

• Use While to show that two ongoing actions were taking place at the same time.– I was sleeping while my mom was baking bread.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Until

• Until--one action stops or changes another action.

– I wasn’t worrying until I heard that the test was today. (not worrying stopped, now I am worrying)

– He was sleeping until his parents came home and started watching tv. (he couldn’t sleep anymore because the tv was too loud)

When vs Until

• When – at that time OR after that time

X • Until – before that time (the action then stops

and changes)

When vs While

• When describing a state of being e.g. to be upset, to be happy then use “when” not while.– I was happy when you gave me the love letter.– I was angry when you hit me.

• When and While can both be used for actions in the past that took a length of time (duration).- When/While you were playing, I was working.But if you want to show that one action was longer than the other use the past continuous in the main clause only for the longer action.

I was working when you went out to play.

When vs Whenever• When – at that time or after that time.• Whenever – each time it happens. (which is almost the

same as “at that time” just a subtle difference)

– Whenever you were late, I worried.– When you were late, I worried. (could be one time, or could be

habitual past describing a repeated situation)

– Whenever the bells rang, I ran to class. (happened many times and each time I ran)

– When the bells rang, I ran to class. (happened one time)

• PUNCTUATION! If the time clause is first then use a comma!– While he was riding his bike home, his teacher was

talking to his mother about his homework.– When you called, I was shopping at the mall.

• Questions! When two clauses only the main clause has the verb order inverted (reversed subject verb) – the time clause just has regular word order.

Was I snoring when you came home?Were you working late while I was having fun?

Verb -- to Be

• Don’t use Past Continuous for the verb to be – the continuous is understood.– E.g. no such thing as:• “I was being at work when you called”.

– Should be:• “I was at work when you called.”

Time & If Clauses with the Future Tense

Time with Present Participles

More Time Words!

Exercises – Yeah time to work!• Make sure you read the readings about Einstein p. 142 and the

Canadian Education System p. 147-148.• Exercises #3, 4, & 5 answers only• Exercise #6 all• Exercise #7 answers only• Exercise #8 – 1 – 3 only• Exercise #9 all• Exercises #11 & #12 answers only• Exercises #13 & #14 do 1 – 4 for each• Exercise #15 answers only• Exercise #16 write out whole new sentence