Unit

1 Present continuous (1am doing)

. example situation :
Study t h,s
She is on her way to work.
Sarah is in her car. ~ I \ ... ._,,.,,@
She is driving to work. .
. h . driving now, at th~ time of speaking.
This means. s e ,s_ .
Tl ~ ., . ,. ~
T~
·ng is the present continuous:
Am/is/are + -1
~ -- -
am (= I'm) driving
he/she/it is (= he's etc.)

~ ~
working
we/you/they are (= we're etc.) doing etc.

- . -- thing= I'm in the middle of doing it; I've started doing it and I haven't finis~
I am doing some . ' . k ( ) .
O please don 't make so much noise· I m trying
, to wor . not I try
O 'Where's Mark?' 'He'~ ha~i~g a shower. (not He has a ~ho":er)
0 Let's go out now. It isn training any more. (not It doesn train)
0 (at a party) Hi, Jane. Are yo u en~oying the p.arty?, (not Do _you enjoy)
0 What's all that noise? Whats going on? (=Whats happening?.)
1

Sometimes the action is not happening at the time of speaking. For example:

Steve is talking to a friend on the phone. He says:

I'm reading a really good book at the moment.

It's about a man who ...

Steve is not reading the book at the time of speaking.

He means that he has started it, but has not finished it yet.
He is in the middle of reading it.

Some more examples:

O Kate wants to work in Italy, so sh"!'s l~:'.l'."1,lng italian. (but perhaps she isn't learning
Italian
at the time of speaking)
0 Some friends of mine are building thei~own house. They hope to finish it next summer.

You can use the present continuous with today / this week/ this year etc. (periods around
now):
0 A: You're working hard today. (not You work hard today)
e: Yes, I have a lot to do.
0 The company I work for isn't doing so well this year.
-·- --- --------
We use the present continuous when we talk about ch~nges happening around now,
esg.ecially
with these verbs:
get change become increase rise fall grow improve begin start
0 Is your English getting better? (not Does your English get better)
0 The population of the world is increasing very fast. (not increases)
0 At first I didn't like my job, but I'm beginning to enjoy it now. (not I begin)

Present continuous and present simple ➔ Units 3-4 Present tenses for the future ➔ Unit 19
11111111
Tv-l
Exercises
. l h
• The sentences on the right fol ow t ose on the left · Which sentence goes wi·th which?
.

1 Please don't make so much noise. a It's getting late. 1 f

b They're lying.
2 I need to eat something soon. 2
3 I don't have anywhere to live right now. c It's starting to rain. 3
4 We need to leave soon. d They're trying to sell it. 4
5 They don't need their car any more. e I'm getting hungry. 5
6 Things are not so good at work. f -I'm trying to work.
6
7 It isn't true what they said. g I'm looking for an apartment. 7
a We're going to get wet. h The company is losing money. 8

- Complete the conversations.

1 A: I saw Brian a few days ago.
a: Oh, did you? ......½l\'.!Q,.f~...h~...4.P..~g...... these days? (what/ he/ do)
A: He's at university.
a: ····················-·····. .. .. ..... ......... ? (what/ he / study)
A: Psychology.
a: ................. ................. .. ........................................ it? (he/ enjoy)
A: Yes, he says it's a very good course.

2 A: Hi, Nicola. How ........................ .. ..... ... .......... ..... . . ................... .......................:.. ? (your new job/ go)
a: Not bad. It wasn't so good at first, but .................................. ... ........ .................. .............. better now.
(it/ get)
A: What about Daniel? Is he OK?
a: Yes, but ........................................ .................................... his work right now. (he / not/ enjoy)
He's been in the same job for a long time and .... ... ................ ............... ....... ..... .... ....:.. ...... .. to get bored
with it. (he/ begin)

• Put the verb into the correct form, positive (I'm doing etc.) or negative (I'm not doing etc.).
1 Please don't make so much noise. .....J.'..m...t.r.11~9...... (I / try) to work.
2 Let's go out now. .....J.t .~~n.'.!; ro.i..nixi9 ,. (it/ rain) any more.
3 You can turn off the radio. ... . ... . . . . I . .... ... ..... {I / listen) to it.
4 Kate phoned me last night. She's on holiday :n France. .... .............. ......... .... ...... {she/ have)
a great time and doesn't want to come back.
5 I want to lose weight, so this we~:.. ........ (I I eat) lunch.
6 Andrew has just started ev~ning r:'.:::s:;;:~ ................................. {he/ learn) Japanese.
7 Paul and Sally have Y\J J r, ~4 gur:1;;nt. .. • .. . ............................................................... {they/ speak)
to each othE>r.
8 .................. . ... (I / get) tired l need a rest.
9 Tim ................ (work) today. He's taken the day off.
10 ························..·····-······•··•·•·••·· .. . . {I / look) for Sophie. Do you know where she is?

- Complete the sentences using t he following verbs:

( start get iAcrease change rise )
1 The population of the world ...... k~ ..i-0.C!~.~9...... very fast.
2 The world ..............'.... ~................... ... . .... .... . . Things never stay the same.
3 The situation is already bad and it ...............................,..................................... worse.
4 The cost of living ...................... ........................ . .................. ."Every year things are more expensive.
5 The weather ........................................................................ to improve. The rain has stopped, and the wind isn't
as strong.

L
 Present simple (I do)

Alex is a bus driver, but now he is in bed asleep.

He is not driving a bus. (He is asleep.)
but He drives a bus. (He is a bus driver.)
Drive(s)/work(s)/do(es) etc. is the present simple:

1/we/,you/they drive/work/do etc.

he/she/it drives/works/does etc.

We use the present simple to talk a b o u t ~ We use it to say that something happe~
the time or repeatedly, or that something trtru~al:
O Nurses look after patients in hospitals.
0 I usually go away at weekends.
0 The earth goes round the sun.
0 The cafe opens at 7.30 in the morning.
Remember:
I work . .. but He works ...
They teach ... but My sister teaches ...
For spelling (-s or -es) , see Appendix 6.

We use do/does to make questions and negative sentences:

do I/we/you/they work? 1/we/you/they don't work

does he/she/it drive?
he/she/it doesn't drive
I do?
do
0 I come from Canada. Where do you come from?
0 I don't go away very often.
0 What does thi~word mean? (not What rr.ec;r.;; t:-1i~ worJ?\
0 Rice doesn't grow in cold climates. '
In the following examples, do is also the main verb (do you du/ d0es11't do etc.):
0 'What do you do?' 'I work in a shop.'
0 He's always so lazy. He doesn't do anything to help.

We use the present simple to say how often we do things:

0 I get up at 8 o'clock every morning.
0 How often do you go to the dentist?
0 Julie doesn't drink tea very often.
0 Robert usually goes away two or three times a year.
I promise / I apologise etc.
Sometimes we do things by saying something. For example, when you promise to do something,
you can say 'I promise .. .'; when you suggest something, you can say 'I suggest .. .':
0 I promise I won't be late. (not I'm promising)
0 'What do you suggest I do?' 'I suggest that you .. .'
In the same way we say: I apologise .. . / I advise ... / I insist ... / I agree ... / I refuse ... etc.

Present simple and present continu ous ➔ Units 3-4 Present tenses for the future ➔ Unit 19
 Exercises
- Complete the sentences using the following verbs :
cause(s) connect(s) drink(s) live(s) open(s) -speakfs-)- take{s)
•
1 Tanya ..... ~P·™ ·~....... German very well.
2 I don't often ..... . . .. . .... coffee.
ing.
3 The swimming pool ............... .............,.......... at 7.30 every morn
4 Bad driving ............. .. ............. ..... many accidents.
5 My parents ..... .................................... in a very small flat.
6 The Olympic Games ......................... .................. place every
four years.
7 The Panama Canal ................... ........... . ..., ... the Atlan tic and Pacific oceans.

- Put the verb into the correct form .

1 Julie ...... 4.o..~~ri1. 4.rmt . . (not/ drink) tea very often
.
....... (the banks I close) here?
2 What time . .......... ....... .. .. . ... . . .. ..... .......... . . ...........
......... (not / use) it much .
3 I've got a car, but 1........... ............. .......... ........ ... .. ............ .............
4 'Where ........ ...... .... ........ ...................... ....... ............... (Ricardo I come) from?' 'From Cuba .'
5 'What . ................. . . ................... (you/ do)?' 'I'm an electrician .'
6 It ...... ........ .. ... .. .. . .. ... . ...... .... ......... (take) me an hour to get to work. How long
...................... ............................................................... (it/ take) you?
7 Look at this sentence. What ............ ... .............. ..... ..........
......................... . .... (this word I mean)?
8 David isn't very fit. He ............................. .......... . ................ ..............
...... ...... . ........ (not / do) any sport.
times you need the negative:
- Use the following verbs to complete the sentences. Some
flow -ge- -g,ew- make rise tell translate
believe eat
7 An interpreter ........:............... .. .................... .. .. from one
1 The earth .... ,9Q~~..... round the sun.
language into another.
2 Rice ... M.~?.n\. 9rQ.W...... in Britain.
.............. in the east. 8 Liars are peop le who .. . ................................ ........... the
3 The sun .......................
4 Bees ............... ... ...................... . ... honey.
truth.
9 The River Amazon ... ........................... into
5 Vegetarians .............. ..................... meat.
6 An atheist .. .......................... in God. the Atlantic 0ce~r"I.
the qm:st;nns.
- You ask Lisa questions about herself and her family. Write
often. Ask her.
1 You know that Lisa plays tennis. You want to know how
How often ....M. . .!:19.½....P.~.J;~l'.l.l'.\~? .. ?
. Ask Lisa.
2 Perhaps Lisa's sister plays tennis too. You want to know
.. ................................................. ?
............ .................... your sister ..... .............................. . . . . . .. . .... ... ............
to know which one. Ask her.
3 You know that Lisa reads a newspaper every day. You want
.... ................. ?
what he does. Ask Lisa.
4 You know that Lisa's brother works. You want to know .... ?
............................................ ........................... ..............................
s
............................................................
You know that Lisa goes to the cinema a lot. You want to
know how often. Ask h·~;:. . . . . . . . .
....................... .................................................................... ...............
....................... ···························· ......... ?
to know. Ask Li~~: · ...................
6 You don't know where Lisa's grandparents live. You want
?

- Complete using the following: .

I apologise I insist I promise I recommend I suggest
calling him tomo
1 Mr Evans is not in the office today. ....J...?.½99.~~ t . you try rrow.
.. ..... ... . .. . . .. .
2 I won' t tell anybody what you said. .. ..... ... .............
.... .
3 {in a restaurant) You must let me pay for the meal. . . .... ..
n again .
4 ......................... .... ............ ... . .. for what I did. It won't happe
.. .. ...... . ....... . it.
s The new restaurant in Hill Street is very good . .... . .........
5
 ..
, - - -- -- . -- . -- .

Uni t Present con tinu ous and present sim ple 1

/ 3
------ . .
(I am doing and I do)
. .

Presen t contin uous (I am doing ) Presen t simple (1 do)

We use the contin uous for things happe ning at We use the simple for things in genera l or
or aroun d the time of speaki ng. things that happe n repeat edly.
The action is not compl ete.

I am doing . -- - -- - - I do - -- -- -- ...
past
now future past now future
0 The water is boiling. Can you turn it O Water boils at 100 degree s Celsius.
off?
0 Listen to those people . What langua ge O Excuse me, do you speak English?
are they speak ing?
0 Let's go out. It isn't raining now.
O It doesn 't rain very much in summ er.
0 'I'm busy.' 'What are you doing?'
O What do you usually do at weeke nds?
0 I'm gettin g hungr y. Let's go and eat.
O I always get hungry in the aftern oon.
0 Kate wants to work in Italy, so she's
learni ng Italian .
O Most people learn to swim when they
0 are children.
The popul ation of the world is
0 Every day the popula tion of the world
increa sing very fast.
increases by about 200,0 00 people.
We use ~he ~o.ntinu?us f ~ r y situati ons:
We use the simple for..f)er m~_[le['t situati ons:
0 I m living with some fnencl"Sufttil I find a
0 My parent s live in London . They have
place of my own.
lived there all t heir lives.
0 A : You're worki ng hard today.
0 Joe isn't lazy. He works hard most of
B: Yes, I have a lot to do.
t he time.
See Unit 1 for more inform ation.
See Unit 2 for more inform ation.

I alway s do and I'm alway s doin _ __ _

\
I alway s do (some thing - I do it every t ime:
0 I alway s go to work by car. (not !',n always going)
'I'm alway s doing somet hing' has a differe nt meaning. For examp
le:

I'm always losing t hings.

I'm alway s losing things = I lose things very often,

perhap s too often, or more often than normal.

More examp les:

O You're alway s playin g compu ter games. You should do somet hing more
active.
(= You play compu ter games too often)
O Tim is never satisfied. He's alway s complaining. (= He complains too much)

Presen t co ntinuo us and simple 2 ➔ Unit 4 Present t enses for the future ➔ Unit 19
Exercises
- Are the underlined verbs right or wrong? Correct them where necessary.
1 Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius. ......QK........................ .......................... ..........................................
2 The water boils. Can you turn it off? ······i§.····~.Q.Ym9 ······•·..··········.......................................
3 Look! That man !rifil to open the door of your car. ........................................................ .............
4 Can you hear those people? What do they talk about? ·..................................................................
S The moon eoes round the earth in about 27 days. ..... ·········...........................................
6 I must go now. ~ late. · ······· . · ··.......................................
7 I usually eo to work by car. ....... ........................................................
8 'Hurry up! It's time to leave.' 'OK, I come.' ········· ········•......................................
9 I hear you've got a new job. How do you~ on? ............... ·····•............................ ...........
10 Paul is never late. He's always eettinf: to work on time. ·······............... .... ................................... .........
11 They don't get on well. They're always areuini. .......................... · ··· .. ·······.......................................

- Put the verb into the correct form, present continuous or present simple.
1 Let's go out. .....Jt. i~.t11.. rQJ.ni,n9...... (it/ not/ rain) now.
2 Julia is very good at languages. ......~h~...~P..~ s ... (she / speak) four languages very well.
3 Hurry up! ......................................................................................................... (everybody/ wait) for you.
4 • .........................:........ ~.................................. .............. (you / listen) to the radio?' 'No, you can turn it off.'
S ' ................................................................... (you I listen) to the radio every day?' 'No, just occasionally.'
6 The River Nile ................................................................... (flow) into the Mediterranean.
7 The river .................................................................. (flow) very fast today- much faster than usual.
8 .................· - -··············....·····...·........................... (we/ usually/ grow) vegetables in our garden, but this year
......................................................................... ....... ......................: (we I not I grow) any.
9 A: How's your English?
e: Not bad. I think ...................................................................................... (it/ improve) slowly.
10 Rachel is in New York right now. ...................................................................................... (she/ stay) at the Park Hotel.
........................ ............................................................................... (she/ always/ stay) there when she's in New York.
11 Can we stop walking soon? .................................................................................... (1 / start) to feel tired.
12 A: Can you drive?
e: .......................................................................... (I/ learn). My father .......................................................................... (teach) me.
13 Normally ...................................................................................... (I / finish) work at five, but t his week
...................................................................................... (I I work) until six to earn a little more money.
14 My parents . ........................ ......... ............................. (live) in Manchester. They were born there and have never
lived anywhere else. Where ........................................................... . ................................................................... (your parents/ live)?
15 Sonia ................................................................ (look) for a place to live. .......................................................................... (she/ stay)
with her sister until she finds somewhere.
16 A: What ...................... ......... .................................................................... (your brother/ do)?
e: He's an architect, but ........................................................................................................ (he / not/ work) at the moment.
17 (at a party) ....................................................... ................................................. (I / usually enjoy) parties, but
..................................................... ................................. (I /not/ enjoy) this one very much.

- Finish B's sentences. Use always -ing.

1 A: I've lost my phone again.
e: Not again! ......Y.Q!6.~.t~...ajw~~....!P.~/,n9....!::JPl,H·p~one., ......................................................................... ·
2 A: The car has broken down again.
e: That car is useless. It
3 A: Look! You've made the same mistak~··~~ain. ............................................................... ·
e: Oh no, not again! I........... ............................................................... ... ·················... .........., ....................... .
,

4 A: Oh, I've forgotten my glasses again. '

e: Typical! ·········· . ...........................................................-.................................... .

7
 - - - - -- - - - - ---
L Unit Present continuous and present simple 2
4 (I am doing and I do)
We use continuous forms for actions and happenings that have started but not fin ished (t he_y are
eating/ it is raining etc.). Some verbs (for example, know and like) .a~e not _no~mally used in this
way. We don't say 'I am knowing' or 'they are liking'; we say 'I know , they like·
The following verbs are not normally used in the present continuous:
like want need prefer
know realise suppose mean understand believe remember
belong fit contain consist seem
0 I'm hungry. I want something to eat. (not I'm wanting)
0 Do you understand what I mean?

-
0 Anna doesn't seem very happy at the moment.
------
When think _mean~ or 'h ~ n• we do not use the continuous:
0 I think Mary 1s Canadian, but l'nu1 sure. (not I'm thinking)
0 ~hat do you think of my plan? (= What is your opinion?)
When think means 'consider', the continuous is possible:
0 I'm thinking about what happened. I often think about it .
0 Nicky is thinking of giving up her job. (= she is considering it)
----- ---------- ------------------------
See hear smell taste

We normally use the present simple (not continuous) wit h t hese verbs:
0 Do you see that man over there? (not Are you seeing)
0 This room smells. let's open a window.
We often use can + see/hear/smelVtaste:
0 I can hear a strange noise. Can you hear it?
Look feel
You can use the present simple or continuous to say how somebody looks or fe~b now:
0 You look well today. or You're looking well today.
0 How do you feel now? or How are you feeling now?
but
O I usually feel tired in the morning. (not I'm usually feeling)
He is selfish and He is being selfish
------------------
He's being= He's behaving/ He's acting. Compare:
O I can't understand why he's being so selfish. He isn't usually like that.
(being selfish = behaving selfishly at the moment)
O He never thinks about other people. He is very selfish. (not He is being)
(= He is selfish generally, not only at the moment)
We use am/is/are being to say how somebody is behaving. It is not usually possible in other
sentences:
O It's hot today. (not It is being hot)
O Sarah is very tired. (not is being t ired)

Present continuous and simple 1 ➔ Unit 3 Have ➔ Unit 17 Present t enses for the future ➔ Un•·t 19
Exercises
- Put the verb into the correct form, present continuous or present simple.
1 Are you hungry? .....J?Q... ~9.~....~.m t... (you / want) something to eat?
1
2 Don't put the dictionary away. ........................................................................... (II use) it.
3 Don't put the dictionary away. ............................................................................ (I I need) it.
4 Who is that man? What ·····································································...... (he/ want)?
5 Who is that man? Why .................................................. . (he/ look} at us? .
6 Alan says he's 80 years old, but nobody ............................................................................ (believe) him.
7 She told me her name, but .......................................................................... (I / not I remen:iber) it now.
8 .........................................:................................. (I / think} of selling my car. Would you be interested in buying it?
9 •···········.......... ................·-·············................ (I / think} you should sell your car. ........................................
(you I not I use) it very often.
10 Air .... .......................................................... (consist) mainly of nitrogen and oxygen.
- Use the words in brackets to make sentences. (You should also study Unit 3 before you do
this exercise.)

GJ

(yYo~not I s,eem I very happy today)

: : : v.~~::t;.:~:~ ~·'·· ··:

(the dinner/ smell/ good)

m
(these gk;,,e~i not / fit / me)

····························...........................................................
They're too small.
·····························································--······················..

- Are the underlined verbs right or wrong? Correct them where necessary.
1 Nicky is thinking of giving up her job. ......Ok .....
2 Are you believing in God? · ··············· ......... ··· ............................. ····· ················· ••··········
................................................
3 I'm feeling hungry. Is there anything to eat? .......................... ··········· ··············· ...................... ·············
4 This sauce is great. It's tasting really good. .......................... ··· ..........................................................
.................. ..........................
5 I'm thinking this is your key. Am I right? ·········..... ··········· ..........................................
........... ...................
- Complete the sentences using the·most suitable form of b U • . ····································
where possible; otherwise use am/is/are (simple). e. seam/is/are bea~g (continuous)
1 I can't understand why .....h!:/~...~.@9..... so selfish He i 't
2 Sarah ··································..········································ very nice to m.e at t~n usually like that.
3 You'll like Sophie when you meet her. She ........... e moment. I wonder why.
4 You're usually very patient, so why .................. ·· ·····•.......................................:···· very nice.
ten more minutes? ··············· ················· so unreasonable about waitin
5 Why isn't Steve at work today? ............................ .............. .......................... ill? g

9
 Unit
5 Past simple (I did)
A • - - • -
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was an Austrian
musician and composer. He lived from 1756 to
1791. He started composing at the age of five
and wrote more than 600 pieces of music. w.A.M ' , I !lfr~
1-
He was only 35 years old when he died.
Lived/started/wrote/was/died are all past simple.

Very often the past simple ends in -ed (regular verbs):

0 I work in a travel agency now. Before that I worked in a department st0 re.
0 We invited them to our party, but they decided not to come.
0 The police stopped me on my way home last night.
0 Laura passed her exam because she studied very hard.
For spelling (stopped, studied etc.), see Appendix 6.
But many verbs are irregular. The past simple does not end in -ed. For example :
write ➔ wrote O Mozart wrote more than 600 pieces of music.
see ➔ saw O We saw Tanya in town a few days ago.
go ➔ went O I went to the cinema three times last week.
shut ➔ shut O It was cold, so I shut the window.
For a list of irregular verbs, see Appendix 1.

In questions and negatives we use did/didn't+ infinitive (enjoy/see/go etc.):

enjoyed you enjoy? I enjoy
she saw did she see? she didn't see
they went they go? they go
0 A: Did you go out last night?
e: Yes, I went to the cinema, but I didn't enjoy the film much.
0 'When did Mr Thomas die?' 'About ten years ago.'
0 They didn't invite us to the party, so we didn't go.
0 'Did you have t ime to do the shopping?' 'No, I didn't.'
In the following examples, do is the main verb in the sentence (did ... do / didn't do) :
0 What did you do at the weekend? (not What did you at the weekend?)
0 I didn't do anything. (not I didn't anything)

The past of be (am/is/are) is was/were:

r - - - - r - - -- ---,
I/he/she/it was/wasn't was I/he/she/it?

j we/you/they were/weren't were we/you/they?

Note that we do not use did in negatives and questions w ith was/were:
I
j
O I was angry because they were late.
O Was the weather good when you were on holiday?
I
O They weren't able t o come because they were so busy.
O Did you go out last night or were you too t ired?

Past sim ple a nd past continu o us ➔ Unit 6 Past sim ple and p resent pe rfect ➔ Units 12- 14
Exercises
- Read what Laura says about a typical working day:

1usually get up at 7 o'clock and have a big breakfast.

I walk to work, which
takes me about half an hour. I.start work at 8.45. I never have lunch. I finish
•
work at 5 o'clock. I'm always tired when I get home. I usually cook a meal
in the evening. 1don't usually go out. I go to bed at about 11 o'clock, and 1
always sleep well.

Laura
Yesterday was a typical working day for Laura. Write what she did or didn't do yesterday.
1 .....S..he: ..99.t ~? ........ ................... ........... at 7 o'clock. 7 · ···········............. ··············· ·· ··· ················· · . at 5 o'clock
2 Sh e ........ ..... ... ............. ..................... a big breakfast. 8 ...................................... tired when . ................. .... . . home.
3 She .......... ....... ..... ... ... . .... ... ... .... ... . ..... 9 .................. ...... ....... ...... .... a meal yesterday evening:
4 It ....... . ................................................to get to work. 10 ..... ...................... ························ out yesterday evening.
5 ... ..................................... .................. .................... at 8.45. 11 .......... ................................................................. ..... at 11 o'clock.
6 ........................................................... .......... ... ... .. lunch. 12 ........ ...... .... ........ · · ............................. well last night.

- Complete the sentences using the following verbs in the correct form:
buy catch cost fall hurt sell spend teach throw -wfite-

1 Mozart ...wr.9.t:e.... more than 600 pieces of music.

2 'How did you learn to drive?' 'My father ......... ................ .......... me.
n t afford to keep our car, so we .... ....... ......... ............ .it.
3 We cou Id'
4 Dave .................................... down the stairs this morning and ............ .......................... his leg.
5 Joe ....... .. ..... .................... ... the ball to Sue, who ............ ......................... it.
6 Ann ........ .............. a lot of money yesterday. She ..... .. .. .................. .... .... a dress which
... £100.

- You ask James about his holiday. Write your questions.

Hi. How are things?
Fine, thanks. I've just had a great holiday.
1 Where . di4 W?!A... gq ... ?
To the U.S. We went on a trip from San Francisco to Denver.
2 How .......................... .. ? By car?
Yes, we hired a car in San Francisco.
3 It's a long way to drive. How long ....... ...... ..... .... ... .... ... .. ...... .... .......... ..... ... .... ...... t o ge t t o Denver.7
Two weeks.
4 Where ....... ........ .. . ............................ .................... ? In hotels?
Yes, small hotels or motels.
5 .... ............ .... ....... . ........................................ good?
Yes, but it was very hot - sometimes too hot.
6 .... . ..... ................. ..................................... ................. the Grand Canyon?
Of course. It was wonderful.
.
Complete th~ sentences. Put the verb into the correct form , pos1·t·ive or negative
1 It was warm, so I ......W.<'k.......off my coat. (take) ·
- · wasn 't very goo d. I .......d.uln't; · much. (enjoy)
· .... 1t
........... .~0.~
2 The film
3 . busy, so 1.........
1 knew Sarah was · ....... her. (d'1sturb)
4 We were very tired, so we ................. ........ th
5 The bed was very uncomfor table. I . . ... . .. ... .... e party early. (leave)
6 The window was open and a bird . .....:...... well. (sleep)
7 The hotel wasn't very expensive. It ... ................. .::::: .... . ...... · .. . ... ...... intomuch the room. (fly)
1 ..... ......... .. ..... to t h
8 1 was in a hurry, so . ......... .... ...... ... . ..... .. . . ... ... ... . . ... time to h~· .... · s ay t ere. (cost)
g It was hard carrying the bags. They .... .. ............ P ne you. (have)
····· very heavy. (be)

11
 -- -- -- -
Un it ·
6 Past co nti nu ou s (1was doing)
A Study this example situation:

Yesterday Karen and Jim played tenn is. They start

ed at
~ o 10 o'clock and finished at 11.3 0.
So, at 10.3 0 they wer e playing tenn is.
They wer e play ing= they were in the midd le
of playing.
They had not finished playing.
Was /wer e -ing is the past cont inuo us:

playing
I/he /she /it was
we/y ou/t hey wer e doin g
working etc.

I was doin g som ethi ng= I was in the midd le of

doin g som ethin g at a certa in time . The actio n -
.
situa tion had alrea dy start ed befo re this time , or
but had not finished:
I star ted doin g I was doin g I finished doin g -

past • ~ ~
0 This time last year I was living in Brazil.
•
past now
0 Wha t wer e you doin g at 10 o'clo ck last night?
0 I wav ed to Helen, but she was n't looking.

Com pare the past cont inuo us (I was doing) and

past simp le (I did) :
Past cont inuo us (in the midd le of an action)
Past simp le (cornpl.?.t c ~ct1on)
0 I was walk ing hom e whe n I met Dan.
0 I walked hon-, e afte r the part y last night.
(in the midd le of walking hom e)
(= all t he 'Na~1- com plet ely)
0 Kate was wat chin g TV whe n we
0 Kate wat ched TV a lot whe n she
arriv ed .
was ill last year.
·- --- - - -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
We ofte n use the past simp le and the past cont
inuo us toge ther to say that som ethin g happ ened
midd le of som ethi ng else: in the
0 Mat t pho ned while we wer e having dinn er.
0 It was raining whe n I got up.
O I saw you in the park yest erda y. You wer e sitti ng on
the gras s and reading a book.
0 I hur t my back whil e I was working in the gard
en.
But we use the past simp le to say that one thing
happ ened after
O I was walk ing alon g the road whe n I saw Dan. So I anot her:
stop ped, and we had a chat .
Com pare :
0 Whe n Karen arrived, we wer e having 0 Whe n Karen arrived, we had dinn er.
dinn er. (= we had alrea dy start ed (= Karen arrived, and then we had
befo re she arrived) dinner)
-Som
e verb s (for exam ple, kno w and wan t) are not
norm ally used in the cont inuo us (see Unit 4A):
O We were good friends. We kne w each othe r well.
(not
O I was enjo ying the party , but Chris wan ted to go hom We vyere knowing)
e. (not was wan ting)
Exercises
- What were you doing at these times? Write sentences as in the examples. The past continuous
is not always necessary (see the second example).
1 {at 8 o'clock yesterday evening) ...... J.....w.~ .J'.l~Y.~.9....4.m.r.iey:.,..................................._._......._
'clo k l t M d ) I wo.s Ol'L~...~~~....9.Y.l....~M....~.~....b..9..m~,...._ ..._._····..- ---·----
2 (at SO c as on ay ................................
3 (at 10.15 yesterday morning) ..................................................... ........ --.. - -.... _ _ _ __
4 (at 4.30 this morning) ................................................................
5 {at 7.45 yesterday evening) ..................................................................... ..........................
6 {half an hour ago) ............................................................................................. --··..--··- - - ·
st
- Use your own ideas to complete the sentences. Use the pa continuous.
1 Matt phoned while we ...... were...110..vi.ng... di.nn.~ ....................................................- - - - - - - ...·-·-·- .
2 The doorbell rang while I ....................................................................................................................- - - - - - · - -..··-·-- ·
3 The car began to make a strange noise when we ...................................................................................·-···•-·..-···..- - -
4 Jessica fell asleep while she .........................................................................................................................
5 The television was on, but nobody ................................................................................................................·-·····............._ _ __

- Put the verb into the correct form, past continuous or past simple. . ·.-

(I) J
4 Gates 1-10

1............................................................. (meet) 1.......................................... (cycle) home

I ...... ~.~ ··· ··· (see) Sue in town
Tom and Jane at the airport a yesterday when a man
yesterday, but she .................................
few weeks ago. They ........................ ..................................................... (step) out
...................................... (not/ see) me.
..................................... (go) to Paris and into the road in front of me. I
She ..............................................:.....'..:.:...~... .
(look) the other way. l .................................................................... (go) .. ..................................... (go) quite fast,
to Rome. We ........................... (have) but luckily I ....................- -
, a chat while we ......................................... {manage) to stop in time and
. .>. . . ... . . . . . (wait) for our flights. ....................................... (not/ hit) him.

- Put the verb into the correct form, past cont: ~u~us or past simple.
1 Jenny ......~\'A§.....~.~ 9...... (wait) for me when I......~rwed--, . (arrive).
2 'What ........................................................................... (you I do) at this time yesterday?' 'I was aslee .'
3 '.................................... ....................................... (ypu I go) out last night?'. 'No, I was too tired.' p
How fast ..................................................
4 (happen)? ...................................... (you/ drive) when the accident .........................................................
·
5 Sam ................ .................................................. (take) a picture of me while 1.............................
(not / look).
6 We were in a very difficult position. We .........................
7 I haven't seen Alan for ages. Wh~n I la~t .................................................................. (see) s:t~eknow) what to do.
................................................................... (try) to fmd a Job. '
8 I .....................................................:...................... (walk) along the street when suddenl 1
(hear) footsteps behind me. Somebody . .............................................. Y ···· ··· .......................................................
scared and I..............................,.................................... (start) to run. .............................................. (follow) me. I was
g When I was young, I.................................................................. (want) to be a pil0 t
10 Last night 1.................................................................. (drop) a plate when I.. ·
washing-up. Fortunately it .......................................................................... (n~~·-;-b· ~ ;~k) ..................... (do) the

,.. Additional exercise 1 (page 302)

15