LANGUAGE FOCUS - Past continuous: questions - Past simple and past continuous

• 1. Was the squirrel eating flowers?||a. No, it wasn't.
• 2. Were the two men posing?||c. Yes, they were.
• 3. What were the men doing?||d. They were using a computer.
• 4. Who was skiing?||b. Steve's friend.

• 1. Was the squirrel eating flowers?||a. No, it wasn't.
• 2. Were the two men posing?||c. Yes, they were.
• 3. What were the men doing?||d. They were using a computer.
• 4. Who was skiing?||b. Steve's friend.

RULE

We form past continuous questions with: (question word) + ¹  or ² + subject + -ing form

1. I  (take) photos of my friend while we  (cycle).

2. She  (climb) when she  (have) an accident.

3. We  (take) photos of elephants while we  (travel) across Đắk Lắk.

4. My parents  (not sleep) when I  (get) home late last night.

RULES

1. We use the ¹ past continuous || past simple for longer actions in progress and the ² past simple || past continuous for shorter actions.

2. We often use when before the ³ past simple || past continuous and while before the ⁴ past continuous || past simple.

1. I  (take) photos of my friend while we  (cycle).

2. She  (climb) when she  (have) an accident.

3. We  (take) photos of elephants while we  (travel) across Đắk Lắk.

4. My parents  (not sleep) when I  (get) home late last night.