Past Continuous

Ex. 1. Make up sentences using the Past Continuous according to the model: John was writing letters all day long.

Jane	work / computer	all morning
Jack	watch / TV	all night long
Kate	send / telegrams	all Monday
Nick	do / exercises	at 5
Pete	write / texts	at 12
Steve	answer / questions	from 5 to 5
Jim	tell / fairy-tales	all evening
Mary	make /mistakes	all semester
Martha	read / magazines	from 11 to 12
Alice	listen to/ music	at 6
Sue	translate / article	when you came
I	do / homework	when she rang me up

Ex. 2. Use the Past Continuous in the following sentences:

1. The front door of the house stood open. Tom (to read) a letter without paying attention to her.

2. After a while he informed me that John (to do) a translation of some poems from English.

3. I knew Harry (to come) sometime on Monday.

4. You remember how he (to write) verses.

5. He glanced my way to see if I (to listen).

6. I was taught not to interrupt when people (to talk).

7. What you (to do) in New York, Mr Brown? I (to try) to find someone to buy my hotel.

8. It (to rain) when I left.

9. I looked into my father’s study. He (to work) no longer.

10. We guessed they (to have) a party.

Ex. 3. Use the Past Continuous or the Past Indefinite in the following sentences:

1. My teacher (to wait) on the platform when I (to arrive) at Camberly.

2. He (to see) to it that their publishing house (to become) a flourishing firm again.

3. Jack (to look) at her trying to guess what (to come).

4. He (to find) that he (to speak) in a low voice.

5. It (to be) suddenly clear to me that she (to act) a part and (to amuse) herself at our expense.

6. She (to sing) softly as she (to read) a book.

7. He (to listen) gravely while I (to complain) about my reading.

8. I looked at Nora. She (to sit) on the sofa and (to look through) journals and newspapers.

9. I (to revise) grammar rules when he came into the room.

10. We had some difficulty with Jerry, who (to work) at a new book and did not want to go away.

11. A brilliant satirical genius of Russian literature, M. Saltykov, (to write) under the pen-name of N. Shchedrin.

12. During this period Kipling (to create) several of his most popular works.

13. The writer (to leave) his descendants a legacy of books which were milestones not only in literature but also in the history of social thought.

14. G. Green (to print) excerpts from his new books and interviews.

15. The teacher (to prepare) text-books, dictionaries and visual aids for the lesson from 10 to 12 yesterday.