Unit 9: Things happen
Lesson A and B
P 85-89
What were they doing?


used to talk about actions in the past which
happen over a period of time
these actions may be temporary or unfinished
past
continuous
tense
l-------l
I was reading a book.
8:00pm
9:00pm
10:00pm
FORM
1.
2.
+ve sentence
•
subject + past BE verb + verb+-ing
I was playing.
They were waiting.
-ve sentence
•
subject +past BE verb + not + verb+-ing
I was not playing.
They weren’t waiting.
• What were you doing yesterday at this
time?
I was verb + -ing…
• What were you doing Friday night at 11pm?
• What were you doing this morning at 6am?
• What were you doing last week at this
time?
Your worst day! P85
• Tell your partner about your worst day.
Are you having a bad week?
• P 86 B


common in storytelling
used with the simple past tense to show the
relationship between 2 past actions:
 1 action is in progress
 the second action is a completed action
which interrupts the first action
l---*-----l
I was reading a book when he arrived.
8:00pm
9:00pm
*
10:00pm
1. Peter was playing tennis when his wife
called.
2. While I was watching TV, my friend
arrived.
3. When she turned around, three people
were looking at her.
4. The guys were smiling politely when she
said hello and ran back upstairs.

I was riding my bike when I got a flat tire.

I got a flat tire while I was riding my bike.

While I was riding my bike, I got a flat tire.
Try it out!
• P 87 A
Building Vocabulary
• Brainstorm body part names
Name that body part!
•
•
•
•
Make groups of 3 or 4.
One person is the “pointer” and judge.
The other people are going to guess.
The pointer points to a body part on their
own body and the first person to say the
name correctly gets a point.
• Change the roles.
Brainstorm common injuries
– got a black eye
– scraped/skinned my knee [used with “knee” usually]
– hurt my back [any body part]
– burned my finger [any body part]
– broke my leg [any body part with a bone]
– cut my elbow [any body part]
– sprained my ankle [joints like shoulder, fingers]
Grammar Point B: Past continuous
questions
USAGE
• used to ask about actions or events in progress in the
past
COMPARE:
Q: What were you doing when you fell?
=What activity was in progress before or at the time
you fell?
A: I was skating when I fell.
Q: What did you do when you fell?
=What activity did you begin after you fell?
A: I called for help when I fell.
Past continuous questions
FORM
• yes/no question
–
•
past BE verb + subject + verb+-ing
Q: Were you singing?
A:
information question
–
question word + past BE verb + subject + verb+ing
Q: What were you singing?
A:
Reflexive pronouns P90
USAGE
• used when the subject and the object of the verb
refer to the same person
I hurt myself.
He cut himself.
• also used with “by” to mean “alone” or “with no
one else”
I went by myself.
They studied by themselves.
Try it out!
• P 89 3A and B
• Tell a story to your partner using the
events in the pictures (flash cards).
• Remember to use the past continuous and
simple past tenses to talk about past
actions or events.
Two hikers were looking at their map when
they heard a sound. The woman hiker
decided to go ahead to see what made the
noise. She tripped on a tree branch, while
she was walking. While she was getting
up, she noticed a bear! The bear ate the
hiker.
The end.
Homework
• revise your story and bring it to next class
• we will use it next class