Quick past actions

Unscramble each word, then say: past simple or past continuous?

called (The phone ___ while I was waiting for a message.)
crying (She was ___ because she was worried.)
arrived (Mia ___ when we were talking.)
talking (They were ___ about moving house.)
dropped (I ___ the glass while I was cooking.)
driving (He was ___ when he saw the accident.)
met (We ___ at a party last summer.)
laughing (They were ___ when the teacher entered.)
sent (I ___ an excited message after the meeting.)
waiting (She was ___ for her friend outside.)

Past actions in a story

Action type	Form	Example
Action in progress	was/were + verb-ing	She was crying.
Completed event	past simple	Her friend called.

when often introduces the short event.

while often introduces an action already in progress.

Connect the two parts

Match each completed event with the action already in progress.

Connect each when-clause with the while-clause that completes the sentence

when the phone rang: while I was talking to my sister
when Mia arrived: while we were waiting outside
when I dropped the glass: while I was cooking dinner

Connect each when-clause with the while-clause that completes the sentence

when the lights went out: while we were having a meeting
when they heard the news: while they were moving house
when the baby woke up: while his parents were sleeping

Complete the sentences

Choose the form that fits the time clue. Say the complete sentence aloud.

While we [___] about the accident, Sam sent a message.
I [___] dinner when the doorbell rang.
While Mia [___] home, she met an old friend.
They [___] when they heard the exciting news.
He [___] to work when he saw the accident.
The baby [___] when the phone rang.

Choose the tense in the story

Read the story. Decide which statements are correct.

Anna was moving house with her brother. They were carrying boxes when Anna received a message from her friend Leo. Leo was worried because he had seen an accident near Anna's new home. While Anna was calling Leo, her brother dropped a box and everyone started laughing.

Pick the best form

While Anna [___] a box, Leo sent a message.
Her brother [___] a box when Anna was calling Leo.
They [___] house when the message arrived.
Leo [___] worried when he saw the accident.

What to remember

Use	Form	Example
Background action in the past	was/were + verb-ing	We were laughing.
Short completed event	past simple	The teacher entered.
Two actions in progress	often while	While I was waiting, she was talking.
An interrupting event	often when	I was driving when I saw the accident.

Say one rule for a background action and one rule for an interruption.

Quick past actions

Unscramble each word, then say: past simple or past continuous?

called (The phone ___ while I was waiting for a message.)
crying (She was ___ because she was worried.)
arrived (Mia ___ when we were talking.)
talking (They were ___ about moving house.)
dropped (I ___ the glass while I was cooking.)
driving (He was ___ when he saw the accident.)
met (We ___ at a party last summer.)
laughing (They were ___ when the teacher entered.)
sent (I ___ an excited message after the meeting.)
waiting (She was ___ for her friend outside.)