Transcript Past Progressive

Past
Progressive
Grammar and Beyond 2A
Unit 6
Watch the clip
 Video
 What
did you see on the video?
 What
was the special occasion?
Think about the following
questions
 What
were you doing on New Year’s eve,
2015?
 What is the best New Year’s Eve you have
ever had?
 How old were you on New Year’s Eve,
1999?
 Can you remember what you were doing
then?
Read and discuss
 Read
the blog and responses (Unit 6
pp.68-69)
 What were the bloggers doing?
 Emily
was watching TV with her family.
 Steve was standing with his friends in Times
Square.
 Bao was working. He wasn’t having fun!
Check your comprehension
(Unit 6 pp.69 ex.B)
1.
2.
3.
4.
They were worrying about the Y2K bug.
People were attending a concert at the
pyramids.
Over 2 million people were standing in
Times Square.
Bao was working in case the company’s
computers shut down.
Notice
 Look
at the text again
 What do you notice about the verbs ‘to
be’ in bold?
They’re in the past
(was/were)!
 What
do you notice about the ‘main’
verbs in bold?
They’re in the
progressive
(verb+ing)
Notice
(Unit 6 pp.69 ex.C)

1.
2.
3.
Circle the correct words in the sentences.
I was watching TV with my family when the Millennium
arrived.
On New Year’s Eve, my friends and I were standing in
Times Square.
I was sitting by the phones in case the company’s
computers shut down.
Discuss with a partner – What is the past progressive used for?
The past progressive describes actions that were in progress at
a time in the past.
Past Progressive
Affirmative and Negative Statements
Affirmative statements:
Subject + was/were + verb + ing
e.g. I was standing in Times Square.
We were standing in Times Square.

Negative statements:
Subject + wasn’t/weren’t + verb + ing
e.g. I wasn’t working in New York.
We weren’t working in New York

Past Progressive
Yes/No Questions
 Was/Were
+ subject + verb + ing
e.g. Was he standing in Times Square?
Yes, he was./No, he wasn’t.
Were they working in New York?
Yes, They were./No, They weren’t.
Past Progressive
Information Questions
Wh-word + was/were + subject + verb +ing
e.g. What was she doing?
What were they doing?
When do we use was/were?
Discuss with a partner
 Was
 Were
I
 You
 He
 We
 She
 They
 It
 Ben
Past Progressive and Time
Expressions

We often use the past progressive to talk about actions in progress
at a specific time in the past.

We use in, at, on, and last
Use in with a year/month/season/specific period of time (e.g.
semester)
Use on for a date or special day (e.g. New Year’s Eve)
Use at for a specific time (e.g. midnight)
Use last to talk about a specific previous time that repeats itself
(e.g. night)




We can place a time expression at the beginning or end of the main
clause. We usually put it at the end.
e.g. Last night, I was watching TV/I was watching TV last night.
When and While with the Past
Progressive
 We
use when/while and the past
progressive to show that something was in
progress; the main clause shows that
something happened.
E.g.
The Millennium arrived when I was watching
TV with my family.
While I was sitting at my desk, I only got one
call.
Past Progressive or Simple
Past?
 Use
the Past Progressive to to show that a
longer action was in progress in the past.
Use the Simple Past to talk about a short
completed action/habit/fact that
happened in the past.
A.

Time clauses with when or while show when
events happened.
The power went out while we were riding the
elevator.
We were riding the elevator when the power
went out.
The bold type shows the time clause.
B.
 Use
when/while in a past progressive time
clause to show an event that was in
progress when a second event
happened. Use the past simple in the
main clause.
The power went out while/when we were
riding the elevator.
C.
 Use
when, but not while, in a simple past
time clause to show an event that
happened while an event was already in
progress. Use the past progressive in the
main clause.
We were riding the elevator when the
power went out.
Now, do your homework:
 Study
for next week’s quiz on units 1,2, 4,
&5
 Do exercise 2.1 on page 71