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Intermediate English Grammar (B2) Lesson 11 of 25

Past Continuous

Watch four videos using the past continuous in conversation.

Conversation 1

Man: Hey Laura. Where were you last night? How come you didn't come out with us?
Woman: I was studying for my exam. I forgot it was movie night. How was the movie?
Man: It was great. We saw Sky Drop.
Woman:I heard it's a good movie. Is it as scary as they say?
Man: It is? The best part was when the main character had to stop a plane from crashing. Everyone was screaming when that happened.
Woman: Wow! Don't spoil it for me. I want to see it.
Man: Well, I was thinking of seeing it again. We can see it together.
Woman: I'd like that. Just don't give away the ending.
Man: I won't. I promise.

Conversation 2

Woman: I got your message about the cooking class. How was it?
Man: Great. We learned how to make pasta from scratch as usual. I texted you, but you never texted me back.
Woman: I know. I was helping my grandmother. I was driving her to the doctor when you texted me, so I didn't see it right away.
Man: Oh, is she okay?
Woman: Yes, she's fine. She was just getting her prescriptions filled. So how was the class?
Man: It was a lot of fun. I'd love to invite you for dinner and share my new cooking skills. I can now make a mean spaghetti.
Woman: Awesome. I was hoping you would say that.

Conversation 3

Man: How was the game? Did you win?
Woman: No, we lost, but we were winning right up until the end.
Man: Oh no. What happened?
Woman: Well, they scored three goals in the last 10 minutes.
Man: I'm sorry to hear that. Well, as they say, you can't win them all.
Woman: It was so frustrating because we were playing so well until the end.
Man: Your coach must have been pretty disappointed.
Woman: She was! She was screaming at us the last 10 minutes to play better.
Man: Well, better luck next time.
Woman: Thanks. I'm sure we'll play better next time.

Conversation 4

Man: Welcome back! How was your vacation?
Woman: Terrible. My husband hurt his leg while we were hiking.
Man: Oh, no! What happened?
Woman: He fell while he was climbing a big rock. It was raining and the trail was slippery.
Man: That sounds dangerous. Were you alone?
Woman: No, we were with a group. As we were climbing the mountain, the guide warned us to stay on the trail and not climb the rocks.
Man: Why did you husband climb the rocks then?
Woman: He was trying to take a photo from a higher place with a better view.
Man: How terrible. Well, lesson learned. That sounds like the worst vacation ever.
Woman: Sadly, it was not the best.

Grammar Notes

Point 1: The past continuous tense is formed using the past tense of the verb to be (was/were) + the present participle (the base verb + -ing).
  1. I was sleeping when you called.
  2. I was thinking about you yesterday.
  3. I was hoping you would not notice.
  4. As I was walking, I saw some money on the ground.
Point 2: The past continuous is used to describe actions that were happening at a specific moment in the past.
  1. At 8 PM last night, I was studying.
  2. They were walking in the park when it started to rain.
  3. He was standing on a rock when he slipped.
  4. As he was taking a picture, he fell.
Point 3 : It is ofted used to show express a person's thoughts or feelings about someone or something in the past.
  1. I was just thinking about you.
  2. I was hoping you would stop by.
  3. My friends and I were just talking about you.
  4. We were thinking of ordeing pizza. Do you want some?
Point 4 : The past continuous is often used to describe an action that was interrupted by another action in the past.
  1. She was cooking dinner when the phone rang.
  2. We were watching TV when our friend knocked on our door.
  3. We were standing outside when the earthquake started.
  4. She was reading at a cafe when a cat jumped on her table.
Answer these questions about the interview.

Gap Fill: Listen to the audio. Type in the correct word!

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More Grammar Conversations for Intermediate Students (B1)

Grammar Listening Practice


B2-11 Past Participle Clause
B2-11 Past Continuous
The was reading when you called.

B2-12 Relative Clause with Quantifiers
B2-12 Indirect Objects
I sent the package to Gill.

B2-13 No Longer
B2-13 No Longer
She no longer works in my department.

B2-14 Adjectives + That Clauses (1)
B2-14 Adjectives + That Clauses (1)
I am not surprised that he did that.

B2-15 Adjectives + That Clauses (2)
B2-15 Adjectives + That Clauses (2)
It's weird that no one saw the accident.

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