The Past Continuous Tense

1. Make the following sentences interrogative and negative:

Example: The courts were interpreting the acts of Parliament all day yesterday. – Were the courts interpreting the acts of Parliament all day yesterday? – The courts were not interpreting the acts of Parliament all day yesterday.

1. The investigator was preparing the materials of the case for a week. 2. It was raining cats and dogs but the policeman was fulfilling his duty. 3. They were making the expert examination for an hour yesterday. 4. The judge was loudly announcing the sentence. 5. The chief inspector was questioning the suspect for an hour. 6. They were examining the victim’s clothes in the morning.

2. Use the appropriate form of the verb (Past Continuous or Past Simple):

Example: They (were discussing, discussed) the sentence when the telephone rang. – They were discussing the sentence when the telephone rang.

1. They (carried out/ were carrying out) the expert examination an hour ago. 2. She (studied/ was studying) the report of the policeman when he came in. 3. The investigator (questioned/ was quesitioning) the suspect from 5 till 6 p.m. 4. The prisoner (was telling/ told) about the circumstances of the crime when his mother came to see him. 5. The judge (was calling/ called) the wintesses of the defence after the testimony of the plaintiff’s witness. 6. After the direct examination the defendant’s lawyer (was having/ had) a chance to question the witness.

3. Translate the following sentences into English:

1. Усі обговорювали майбутній вирок, коли прокурор повернувся. 2. Я розмовляв з адвокатом, коли задзвонив телефон. 3. Вони слухали доповідь із кримінального процесу, коли декан зайшов у аудиторію. 4. Слідчий допитував свідка дві години. 5. Експерти довго оглядали місце злочину. 6. Дівчина плакала, коли слідчий питав її про подію. 7. Він глянув у вікно. Вони стояли біля магазину та розмовляли. 8. Лист від адвокатів надійшов, саме коли вона готувала сніданок.