Carmen

PAST SIMPLE TENCE

Examples: You called Carmen. Did you call Elisa? You did not call Ana.

Use the Simple Past to express the idea that an action started and finished at a specific time in the past. Sometimes, the speaker may not actually mention the specific time, but they do have one specific time in mind.

Examples: I saw a movie yesterday. I didn't see a play yesterday. Last year, I traveled to Spain. Last year, I didn't travel to France. Did you have dinner last night? She washed her car. He didn't wash his car.

We use the Simple Past to list a series of completed actions in the past. These actions happen 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and so on.

Examples: I finished work, walked to the beach, and found a nice place to swim. He arrived from the airport at 8:00, checked into the hotel at 9:00, and met the others at 10:00. Did you add flour, pour in the milk, and then add the eggs?

Past Continuous

[Was/were + present participle]

Examples: • You were studying when she called. • Were you studying when she called. • You were not studying when she called. • Interrupted Action in the Past

Use the Past Continuous to indicate that a longer action in the past was interrupted. The interruption is usually a shorter action in the Simple Past.

Examples: • Last night at 6 PM, I was eating dinner. • At midnight, we were still driving through the desert.

IMPORTANT: In the Simple Past, a specific time is used to show when an action began or finished. In the Past Continuous, a specific time only interrupts the action.

Examples:

• Last night at 6 PM, I ate dinner. I STARTED EATING AT 6 PM.

• Last night at 6 PM, I was eating dinner. I STARTED EARLIER; AND AT 6 PM, I WAS IN THE PROCESS OF EATING DINNER.

Credits:
http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/past-progressive
http://web2.uvcs.uvic.ca/elc/StudyZone/330/grammar/pascon.htm
http://www.lingolex.com/simplepast/indexsp.htm

Exercises:
http://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/verbs3.htm
http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises/questions/past_progressive2.htm