Lesson 9 Past Continuous Cul es la diferencia entre decir: "Ayer estuve mirando la televisin" y "Ayer vi la televisin"?
Cuando decimos: "Ayer estuve mirando la televisin", ponemos nfasis en que la accin de mirar la televisin se prolong en el tiempo. Cuando decimos: "Ayer vi la televisin", ponemos nfasis en que la accin de mirar la televisin tuvo lugar ayer y termin. "Ayer estuve mirando la televisin" se dice en ingls "I was watching television yesterday." Veamos la estructura del "Past Continuous": Estructura: Sujeto + was/were + el verbo principal acabado en "ing". Ejemplo 1: I was working yersterday. Ejemplo 2: She was studying last month. Ejemplo 3. It was snowing last year. Recuerda: Past tense: aparece con yesterday, last week, last month, etc. Past Continuous: aparece con una referencia temporal horaria o relativa a un momento determinado, o una oracin en pasado. Qu hacer si las referencias temporales no son claras? Intenta traducir la oracin al espaol y ver qu tiene ms sentido segn el contexto de la oracin.
Ejemplo 4: They were looking for you [deigerlukingforiu]. Ellos/Ellas te estuvieron buscando.
Recuerda: el "Past Continuous" se forma igual que el "Present Continuous" pero cambiando "am/is/are" por "was/were" y sirve para hablar del pasado poniendo nfasis en que la accin se prolong en el tiempo. Equivale en espaol a la estructura: Yo/T..estuve/estuviste... + verbo principal acabado en ando/endo. Por ejemplo: Yo estuve durmiendo.
Cmo se pregunta con el "Past Continuous"?
Estructura preguntas: Was/Were + sujeto + verbo principal terminado en "ing"+?
Ejemplo: Was she working last year? [guasshiguorking lasier?] Estuvo ella trabajando el ao pasado?
Cmo se niega con el "Past Continuous?
Estructura negacin: Sujeto + was/were + not + verbo principal terminado en "ing"
Ejemplo: She was not (wasnt)working [Shiguasentguorking]. Ella no estuvo trabajando.
Repaso de las estructuras: PositivoSujeto+ was/were+VP terminado en "ing". You were working.
Negativo working.
Sujeto + was/were +not+VP terminado en"ing". You were not (weren't)
Pregunta
Was/were+ Sujeto+ VP terminado en "ing"+? Were you working?
Nota: En teora el "Past Continuous" es un tiempo verbal muy sencillo, pero en la prctica la mayora de los estudiantes confunden el "was" por el "were" y viceversa. Para evitar cometer errores hay que repetir muchas veces las estructuras.
EXERCISE A A group of people were staying in a hotel. One evening the fire alarm went off. Use the words in parentheses to make sentences saying what each person was doing at the time. Example: (Michael / take / a bath) Michael was taking a bath. 1(Ann / write / a letter in her room) Ann __________________________________________ 2. (George / get / ready to go out) George _________________________________________
3. (Carol and Dennis / have / dinner) Carol and Dennis .
4. (Tom / make / a phone call) Tom .
EXERCISE B Make sentences from the words in parentheses. Put the verbs into the correct form: SIMPLE PAST or PAST CONTINUOUS.
ANSWER
Example: (I / fall / asleep when I / watch / TV). I fell asleep when I was watching TV.
1. (the phone / ring / while I / take a shower) The phone .
2. (it / begin / to rain while I / walk / home) .
3. (we / see / an accident while we / wait / for the bus) .
EXERCISE C Put the verb into the correct form: PAST CONTINUOUS or SIMPLE PAST.
ANSWER
Example: While Tom was cooking (cook) dinner, the phone rang (ring).
1. George (fall) off the ladder while he (paint) the ceiling.
2. Last night I (read) in the bed when suddenly I (hear) a scream.
3. (you/watch) TV when I called you?
4. Ann (wait) for me when I (arrive).
5. I (not/drive) very fast when the accident (happened).
6. I (break) a plate last night. I (wash) the dishes when it (slip) out of my hand.
7. Tom (take) a picture of me while I (not/look).
8. We (not/go) out because it (rain).
9. What (you/do) at this time yesterday?
10. I (see) Carol at the party. She (wear) a new dress.
