We use the PAST PROGRESSIVE to talk about an action that was still in progress and not yet

completed at a particular point in the past.

The PAST PROGRESSIVE allows us to say that someone was in the middle of an action when
something else happened. Here we use the PAST PROGRESSIVE with the PAST SIMPLE:
She was reading a book when she heard a loud cry.
Or that someone was in the middle of the action at a certain time:
I was watching television at 10:00 last night.
We use the PAST PROGRESSIVE to talk about two actions if they were happening at the same
time:
As she was washing the dishes she was listening to the radio.

EXERCISE 1
PAST SIMPLE or PAST PROGRESSIVE? Circle the correct answer(s).
1. He ............... what ............... to be a very important document, so I ............... to disturb
him.
a. read
b. reads
c. reading
d. was reading
a. seem
b. seems
c. seemed
d. was seemed
a. want
b. don't want
c. wanted
d. didn't want
2. When I ............... the test I ............... into the schoolyard, where my friends ............... for
me.
a. finish
b. finished
c. finishing
d. was finishing
a. rush
b. rushed
c. rushing
d. was rushing
a. waited
b. didn't wait
c. were waiting
d. weren't waiting
3. It . hard when I ............... home this morning, so ............... back for my
umbrella.
a. rains
b. is raining
c. rained
d. was raining
a. leaves
b. leaving
c. left
d. was leaving
a. go
b. going
c. went
d. was going
4. Some friends ............... in unexpectedly last night, just as we ............... to bed.
a. drop
b. dropped
c. was dropping
d. were dropping
a. go
b. goes
c. was going
d. were going
5. When he ............... her reaction he ............... his mistake.
a. see
b. sees
c. saw

d. was seeing

a. realize

b. realized

c. realizing

d. was realizing

6. Rona ............... an accident last week. A car ............... her while she ...............
the street
near her house.
a. has
b. had
c. is having
d. was having
a. hit
b. hits
c. was hitting
d. was hit
a. cross
b. crossed
c. was crossing
d. was crossed
7. Maya ............... to tell me what ............... , so how could I possibly help her?!
a. wants
b. doesn't want
c. wanted
d. didn't want
a. bother
b. bothers
c. bothering
d. was bothering
8. I ............... two letters and a postcard while I ............... for you.
a. write
b. am writing
c. wrote
d. was writing
a. waits
b. is waiting
c. waited
d. was waiting
9. The little boy was so hungry that he ............... five biscuits while his mother
...............
the table for dinner.
a. eats
b. is eating
c. ate
d. was eating
a. lay
b. lays
c. laid
d. was laying
10. He ............... me three times yesterday, but unfortunately every time he ............... I
............... something so important that I couldn't talk to him.
a. telephoned
b. didn't telephone
c. was telephoning
d. wasn't telephoning
a. call
b. calls
c. called
d. was calling
a. did
b. didn't do
c. was doing
d. wasn't doing
11. It never ............... to him that somebody............... him and ............... to his telephone
calls.
a. occur
b. occurs
c. occurred
d. was occurring
a. watch
b. watching
c. was watching
d. were watching
a. listen
b. listens
c. listened
d. listening
12. Why............... me yesterday? I ............... the house the whole evening because I ...............
for your call.
a. did you call
b. didn't you call
c. were you calling
d. weren't you calling
a. left
b. didn't leave
c. was leaving
d. wasn't leaving
a. waited
b. was waiting
c. didn't wait
d. waiting
13. Who ............... to on the phone when I ............... the room? You ............... very excited
and pleased with yourself.
a. you talked
b. did you talk
c. you were talking
d. were you talking
a. enter
b. entered
c. entering
d. was entered
a. looks
b. looked
c. was looking
d. were looking

EXERCISE 2
PAST SIMPLE or PAST PROGRESSIVE?
1. When I _________(come), they ___________(watch) a movie and they
__________(ask) me not to talk.
2. When Dona _________( see) me she ___________( cross) the street
because she __________ (not want) me to see that she
___________(wear) my shirt.

3. Jane_________( read) a book when she ________(hear) a strange noise. She

_________(get) up and (see) that Galit _________(move) furniture in her room from place
to place.
4. When Lee __________(get) to school, the teacher _____already _________(teach). She
___________(stand) with her back to the class so Lee___________(run) to her sseat and
_________(sit) down.
5. Leah and Shelly ___________ ( try) to concentrate on what they___________(do) while
Eyal ___________(make) noise.
6. We____________(not take) umbrellas, because it___________(not rain) when we
___________(leave) home.
7. While Bill _________ (stand) at the corner of the street, he ___________(notice) a man who
___________(take) great interest in a jeweler's display. He ___________(walk) by the
window several times and then ___________(peer) at the display again. While he
___________(do) this, his right hand _____________(creep) into the
pocket of his raincoat.
Suddenly he _________(pull) something out and ________ (throw) it at
the window. Crash! The window _________(smash) into a hundred
pieces. Bill ___________(rush) to the man, _________(jump) on him
and ____________(bring) him to the ground. While Bill and the thief
___________( struggle) on the ground a policeman
____________(arrive) and ___________(arrest) the thief.

EXERCISE 3
Fill in with the correct form of the verb. Use Present Simple / Present
Proggessive / Past Simple / Past Progressive.
1. A few days ago I _______ (hear) that my friend Dan had broken his arm
and could not come to the office. I ___________(go) to visit him and
when I ________(come) in he ____________(lie) in bed and his wife
____________(argue) with someone on the phone. She
____________(not be) surprised to see me.
"Hi. " I said. "How's Dan. I ____________(not want) to disturb him
because he probably __________(need) a lot of rest now.
__________( he / rest) now or _______ he _______(have) a few minutes to see me?"
He told me how it all happened. "I _________(not take) an umbrella because it __________
(not rain) when I (leave) home yesterday. Unfortunately it soon __________ (begin) to rain
and I had to run all the way to the bus stop. While I (run)___________ I ________(trip) over a
stone. I ________(fall) and _________ (break) my arm."
2. As I _________(listen) to the radio, I suddenly ______ (hear) a strange noise. It
_________(be) at the backdoor. Somebody __________(try) to get in. I ___________(run)
downstairs quickly and ___________(open) the door. Outside a strange looking man
___________(stand) holding a big sack in his hand. The man __________(wear) dark glasses
and he ___________(smoke) a big cigar. When he _______(see) me he took off his glasses.
Then I ___________(realize) who it _______ (be)