​Do you know how to use the past continuous and past simple?

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​Look at these examples to see how the past continuous and past simple are used.

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​When I woke up this morning, it was snowing.

​I was sleeping when you called me.

​Grammar explanation

​The past continuous and the past simple help us to show how two past actions or situations are connected.

​PAST SIMPLE

​The past simple shows us that an action was in the past, not in the present

​My parents called me yesterday.

The past continuous shows us that the action was already in progress at a certain time in the past.

​PAST CONTINUOUS

​What were you doing at 8 p.m. last night? I was studying.

​Past continuous and past simple

​When we use these two tenses together, it shows us that the past simple action happened in the middle of the past continuous action, while it was in progress.

​While I was studying, I suddenly felt sleepy.

​I broke my leg when I was skiing.

​When the guests arrived, Jane was cooking dinner.

​When the guests arrived, Jane cooked dinner.

Can you see a difference in the meaning of these two sentences?​

​When the guests arrived, Rose was cooking dinner.

When the guests arrived, Rose cooked dinner.

​In the first one, Rose started cooking dinner before the guests arrived. We know that because it uses the past continuous. In the second sentence, the guests arrived first and then Rose started cooking.