This picture was taken last week at the station. What were the people doing?

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​Let's observe the picture

• What verbs do you see?

• What forms are being used in the verbs?

​QUESTIONS

The woman with a backpack was reading the newspaper.

Sentence

Past continuous

STRUCTURE

EXAMPLE:

The man and woman in formal clothes were running towards the train station.

Past continuous:

was / were + present participle (verb +ing)

Why do we use the past continuous?

PURPOSE

We use the past continuous to describe actions in progress at a specific time in the PAST.

Like setting the scene, describing the background.

​REMEMBER

WAS is used with HE, SHE and IT and singular nouns.

WERE is used with WE, YOU, and THEY and plural nouns.

LET'S PRACTICE!

Pair Work. ​

​PROMPT

Imagine you have a time machine. You travelled back to this city 100 years ago, on a Tuesday afternoon. What were people doing in the streets? Think for 30 seconds. Now, describe the scene to your partner using 3 sentences with 'Past Continuous'.

Example: People were using carriages to move through the city.

EXIT Ticket

Copy these sentences in a piece of paper and complete them with your own ideas. DON'T FORGET to USE PAST CONTINUOUS.

1. Yesterday evening at 7PM , I _____________.
2. While I was on the phone earlier, my friends ___________.