2D
A
What were you doing … ?
Last week there was a new 100m world record at the Olympics. What were the people in the picture doing
when they heard the news? Complete the sentences, using appropriate verbs in the past continuous form.
[Insert here pictures of people doing the activities as listed below. The people should be in a line across the page
from left to right. They shouldn’t be numbered. Each person has a letter on their t-shirt, which is the initial of
their name (letters listed below in brackets). The letters spell POLAND WON, so leave a gap between the people
drinking beer and the woman driving a car.
Activities: Man listening to music (P) [could be an Ipod], woman putting on make-up (O), two women waiting
for the bus (L and A), a man and woman drinking beer in the pub (N and D), a woman driving to work (W), a
boy riding his bike (O), a man chatting to his mate on the phone (N).
1
2
3
4
B
Norbert
Elizabeth
Wanda and Rachel
Ela and Colin
5 Olivia
6 Robert
7 David
to music.
make-up.
for the bus.
beer in the pub.
her car to work.
his bike.
to his mate on the phone.
What were you doing at the following times? Write your answers in the middle column. Then ask your partner and write
his / her answers in the right-hand column. Make sure you use past continuous forms!
What were you doing …
You
Your partner
at 8 o’clock this morning?
at 11 o’clock yesterday evening?
this time last Sunday?
half an hour ago?
C
Complete the sentences with either the past simple or past continuous form of the verb in brackets.
1
2
3
4
5
6
D
Sorry I
The postman
Sandra
When you
(not answer) the phone this morning, but I
(deliver) a letter when a cat
(you / drive) too quickly when the accident
(not watch) her bag and someone
(you / visit) Jane and Keith when you
(see) Clare at the party, what
(sleep).
(attack) him.
(happen)?
(steal) it.
(go) to Wales last month?
(she / wear)?
Complete the text by putting the verbs in brackets into the past simple or continuous.
Londoner Terry Carlisle is one of the unluckiest men alive. Three years ago, a car 1
when he
(cross) the road and he
2
4
(climb) a ladder to clean his windows when he
6
(injure) his back very badly. A short time after that, a dog
he
(run) through a park, but fortunately he
8
year, he
(fall) off and
5
(attack) him while
7
(not need) to go to hospital. Last
9
(go) to Austria on holiday with his wife. Although they
10
confident about skiing, they
12
(decide) to give it a go. What
14
(crash) into each other as they
16
(spend) the rest of their holiday in hospital.
Solutions 2nd edition Pre-Intermediate
(hit) him
(break) both his legs. A year later, he
3
15
13
11
(not feel) very
(happen)? They
(come) down the slope on the first day and
© OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS • PHOTOCOPIABLE
2D What were you doing …?
Aims To review and practise past simple and continuous
forms
Time 10–15 minutes
Materials 1 handout for each student
• Give each student a handout and ask them to do task
A. The initials on the T-shirts indicate the names of each
person.
ANSWER KEY
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
•
•
Norbert was listening to music
Elizabeth was putting on make-up.
Wanda and Rachel were waiting for the bus.
Ela and Colin were drinking beer in the pub.
Olivia was driving here car to work.
Robert was riding his bike.
David was chatting / speaking to his mate on the
phone.
In task B students write true sentences about what they
were doing at the times listed. Then working in pairs,
students interview each other and note the responses.
Task C requires students to use both past continuous and
simple forms at sentence level.
ANSWER KEY
1 didn’t answer, was sleeping 4 wasn’t watching, stole
2 was delivering, attacked
5 Did you visit, went
3 Were you driving, happened 6 saw, was she wearing
• In task D students read a paragraph and complete the
text.
ANSWER KEY
1
2
3
4
5
6
hit
was crossing
broke
was climbing
fell
injured
7
8
9
10
11
12
attacked
was running
didn’t need
went
weren’t feeling
decided
Solutions 2nd edition Pre-Intermediate
13
14
15
16
happened
crashed
were coming
spent
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