Look at these examples to see how the past continuous and past simple are used.
When I woke up this morning, it was snowing.
I was sleeping when you called me.
Try this exercise to test your grammar.
- Grammar test 1
Read the explanation to learn more.
Grammar explanation
The past continuous and the past simple help us to show how two past actions or situations are connected.
Past simple
The past simple shows us that an action was in the past, not in the present. Regular past simple verbs have -ed at the end (e.g. called, played, arrived). Irregular verbs have a different form, usually with a different vowel sound (e.g. wake → woke, break → broke, feel → felt).
My parents called me yesterday.
I woke up early this morning.
Sam played basketball when he was at university.
We make the negative with didn't and the infinitive verb.
My parents didn't call me yesterday.
I didn't wake up early this morning.
We make the question form with did and then the subject and infinitive verb.
Did you wake up early this morning?
Did Sam play basketball when he was at university?
Past continuous
The past continuous shows us that the action was already in progress at a certain time in the past.
What were you doing at 8 p.m. last night? I was studying.
This means that I started studying before 8 p.m. and I continued after 8 p.m.
The past continuous can also show that an activity was in progress for some time, not just for a moment.
We were cleaning the house all morning.
We make the past continuous with was or were and the -ing form of the verb.
She couldn't come to the party. She was working.
Three years ago, we were living in my home town.
I tried to give him some advice, but he wasn't listening.
What were you doing this time last year?
Past continuous and past simple
When we use these two tenses together, it shows us that the past simple action happened in the middle of the past continuous action, while it was in progress.
While I was studying, I suddenly felt sleepy.
We often use these tenses to show an action interrupting another action.
I broke my leg when I was skiing.
As I was going to work, I saw an old friend.
We were watching television when the power went off.
Can you see a difference in the meaning of these two sentences?
When the guests arrived, Jane was cooking dinner.
When the guests arrived, Jane cooked dinner.
In the first one, Jane started cooking dinner before the guests arrived. We know that because it uses the past continuous. In the second sentence, the guests arrived first and then Jane started cooking.
Do this exercise to test your grammar again.
- Grammar test 2
Hello nataliaoey2912
Re: Grammar test 2 sentence 5, you could indeed also say 'They had already closed the shop when I got there' (using the past perfect) if the shop was indeed closed when you arrived. It's also possible to say 'The shop was already closed' to mean the same thing (though in this case, 'closed' is an adjective). 'They already closed the shop' sounds strange because 'already' refers to a time before you arrived, and when we refer to an earlier time like this, we use the past perfect to show that it was earlier.
'They closed the shop just as I got there' is also possible if they closed and locked the door just as you arrived, that is, in that exact moment.
'They were closing the shop' (the correct answer in this exercise) is grammatically correct. 'close a shop' doesn't refer to just closing and locking the door, it also refers to all of the things you do before you close it (e.g., make sure all the customers are out, turn off the lights, take the cash to deposit it in the bank, etc.), which is indeed a process that can take some time.
As for the other gap you ask about, 'Did it rain' is the correct answer because the response 'No, it was a nice day' wouldn't be appropriate for 'Was it raining'. The past simple refers to the whole day, which is what the response 'It was a nice day' also refers to. The past continuous form ('Was it raining yesterday?') could be correct in a specific context, but since there is no specific context here, the other answer is the best one.
That's quite a long answer! But I hope it helps you make sense of things. If you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to ask.
All the best
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team