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5 Past continuous e past simple (21-22)Past continuous - usoIl past continuous si usa per esprimere azioni che stanno accadendo in un tempo particolare del passato.

At 8.30 last night I was watching TV.

I was watching TV.

At 8.30 last night.

Il past continuous e il past simple si possono usare insieme per esprimere un’azione avvenuta nel passato mentre un’altra stava accadendo.

I was watching TV when the phone rang.

I was watching TV.

The phone rang.

Past continuous – forma

Forma affermativa (completa)

Ihesheit  was

youwethey   were

5.1 Photocopiable The Complete English Grammar © Oxford University Press

5.2 Photocopiable The Complete English Grammar © Oxford University Press

Forma negativa (contratta)

Ihesheit  wasn’t

youwethey   weren’t

Domande

was      Ihesheit

were      youwethey

Risposte breviUsa la forma afermativa o negativa di past simple di be. Per esempio:

Yes, I was. No, I wasn’t. Yes, they were. No, they weren’t.

Esercizi

1 Completa le frasi con il past continuous dei verbi tra parentesi. I (have) was having breakfast at 7 o’clock this morning. Sam and John (not/play) weren’t playing football yesterday. 1 It (rain) at 9 o’clock this morning. 2 I (watch) TV at 8.30 last night. 3 We (live) in Milan in 2008. 4 The school computers (not/work) this morning. 5 I was cold because I (not/wear) a coat.

?

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2 Scrivi le risposte brevi.

Was Sophy reading when her phone rang? (✘) No, she wasn’t.

Werethestudentsdoinganexamwhenthefirebellwentoff?(✔) Yes, they were.

1 Was the bus driving to London when it crashed? (✔)

2 Was Paul waiting for the bus when he saw his friend? (✘)

3 Were the teachers talking in the staff room when you knocked on the door? (✔)

4 Were you watching TV when your dad fell down the stairs? (✘)

3 Scegli l’alternativa corretta tra il past simple o il past continuous. 0 Bill Gates was studying / studied at Harvard University when

he was deciding / decided to start his computer company.

1 The Titanic sailed / was sailing to America when it hit / was hitting an iceberg.

2 JRR Tolkien wrote / was writing The Lord of the Rings when he taught / was teaching at Oxford University.

3 Newton had the idea of gravity when he sat / was sitting in a garden and an apple was falling / fell on his head.

5.3 Photocopiable The Complete English Grammar © Oxford University Press

5.4 Photocopiable The Complete English Grammar © Oxford University Press

4 Completa i dialoghi con la forma corretta del past continuous o del past simple dei verbi tra parentesi. Trovi l’elenco dei verbi irregolari alla pagina 416 di The Complete English Grammar.

A: I (see) saw you this morning. Were you (do) doing some shopping? B: Yes, I (buy) bought a lovely new skirt.

1 A: How John (break) his arm? B: He (climb) a tree and he (fall) . A: What he (do) in the tree? B: He (try) to rescue a cat!

2 A: (be) you outside when it (start) raining? B: Yes. We (play) football. We (get) wet.

3 A: I (see) you yesterday evening. You (come) out of the library. B: Oh yes. I (need) to return some books.

4 A: How you (meet) your girlfriend? B: She (work) in a café that

I always (go) to. One day I (ask) her out.