A useful combination: past continuous + simple past

Wadjasay? American English Pronunciation Practice

A common and useful construction in English combines the past continuous and the simple past tenses. Here’s an example:

I was washing the dishes when my grandmother arrived.

The first part of the sentence describes an action that is happening in the past and is continuing. We don’t know how long the speaker was washing dishes—maybe for ten minutes, maybe for longer—but at some point in time, the dishwashing is interrupted by the arrival of grandmother.

Another way to describe this is with specific times:

— I started washing the dishes at 9am and I was still washing them at 9:20 when my grandmother arrived.

As always, the best way to learn this construction is by practicing it in lots of sentences. So let’s begin.

1) I was sleeping when someone knocked on the door.

2) I was sleeping when my dog began to bark.

3) I was sleeping when the storm started.

4) I was sleeping when the phone rang.

5) I was sleeping when the baby woke up.

6) I was reading when the electricity went out.

7) I was watching the news when the power failed.

8) I was taking a shower when the lights went out.

9) I was working on the computer when the power failed.

10) I was watching TV when the power failed.

11) I was emailing my sister when the power failed.

12) I was cooking dinner when the electricity went out.

13) I was studying English when my sister came home.

14) I was cleaning my apartment when my sister came home.

15) I was talking to my boss when my sister came home.

16) I was wondering about the future when my sister came home.

17) I was thinking about ancient history when my sister came home.

18) I was shopping for food when my phone rang.

19) I was thinking about work when my phone rang.

20) I was feeding the children when my phone rang.
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