PAST CONTINUOUS

🧩 1. Fill in the blanks — Form and Use

Conjugate the verb in brakets in the Past Continuous.

1. While I __________ (cook), my brother __________ (set) the table.
2. They __________ (not / watch) TV when the phone rang.
3. What __________ (you / do) at 8 p.m. yesterday?
4. I __________ (read) a novel while my parents __________ (talk) in the living room.
5. The students __________ (work) on their projects when the teacher entered.
6. It __________ (rain) all afternoon, so we stayed inside.
7. She __________ (not / pay) attention during the lesson.
8. We __________ (walk) home when we saw the accident.
9. The children __________ (play) football in the park.
10. He __________ (study) for his exam while his friends __________ (have) dinner.

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✏️ 2. Scrambled sentences — Everyday activities

Use the given scrambled words to make correct sentence in the Past Continuous.

1. was / the / listening / I / radio / to
2. doing / homework / were / they / their
3. not / raining / was / it
4. baking / cake / I / a / with / was / your / mum
5. reading / were / you / book / that / interesting
6. talking / were / we / about / our / holiday
7. was / dog / the / sleeping / sofa / on / the
8. playing / were / children / the / outside

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📚 3. Vocabulary practice — Everyday actions

Complete the sentences in the Past Continuous . Choose the right verb from the ones provided in the box below.

cook – write – clean – study – watch – talk – drive – shop – read – play

1. I __________ a message when my phone battery died.
2. They __________ a film when the lights went out.
3. She __________ for her English test all morning.
4. We __________ in the car when it started to rain.
5. My parents __________ dinner when I arrived.
6. The kids __________ football in the garden.
7. He __________ a novel about history.
8. You __________ at the supermarket when I called.
9. I __________ the kitchen when the guests came.
10. They __________ about their weekend plans.

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🔍 4. Mixed uses — Interrupted and simultaneous actions

Choose the correct answer

1. While I __________ (A. was walking / B. walked / C. am walking) home, I met my old friend.
2. She __________ (A. was studying / B. studied / C. studies) when the teacher asked her a question.
3. They __________ (A. were playing / B. play / C. played) cards while we __________ (A. were cooking / B. cooked / C. cook).
4. I __________ (A. was reading / B. read / C. have read) when the doorbell rang.
5. The sun __________ (A. was shining / B. shines / C. shone) and the birds __________ (A. were singing / B. sing / C. sang).

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💡 5. Creative writing mini‑task

Scrivi 5 frasi sul tuo pomeriggio di ieri usando il Past Continuous.
Esempio: Yesterday at 5 p.m. I was studying English grammar while my sister was listening to music.

© L. R. Capuana