Língua Inglesa: Past Continuous – Conexão Escola SME

Esta proposta de atividade de Língua Inglesa com base no DC/GO – Ampliado e é destinada aos estudantes do 7º Ano do Ensino Fundamental Anos Finais.

Imagem criada no canva.com

Understanding the Past Continuous Tense

The Past Continuous tense (also known as the past progressive) is used to describe actions that were happening at a specific time in the past. It often emphasizes the ongoing nature of the action, showing that it was in progress at a particular moment or over a period of time.

Formation of the Past Continuous:

The structure of the past continuous is:

Subject + was/were + verb(-ing)
“Was” is used with singular subjects (I, he, she, it).
“Were” is used with plural subjects (we, you, they).

Examples:

I was reading a book last night.
They were playing soccer when it started to rain.
She was cooking dinner when I arrived.

When to Use the Past Continuous:

Actions in progress at a specific time in the past: The past continuous describes actions that were happening at a particular point in time.
Example:
- At 8 PM, I was watching a movie.
- Yesterday at noon, they were having lunch.
Two actions happening at the same time: It is used to talk about two or more actions happening simultaneously in the past.
Example:
- While I was studying, my brother was playing video games.
- They were dancing while the band was playing.
Interrupted actions: The past continuous is often used with the simple past to show that an ongoing action was interrupted by another action.
Example:
- I was walking to the store when I saw my friend.
- They were eating dinner when the phone rang.
Setting the scene in the past: It’s commonly used in storytelling or descriptions to set the scene, describing what was happening at a certain moment.
Example:
- It was raining and people were running for shelter when the event started.
- The sun was setting and the birds were singing.

Common Time Expressions with the Past Continuous:

Certain time expressions are often used with the past continuous to specify when the action was happening:

At this time yesterday
Last night at 9 PM
When, while (to indicate simultaneous actions or interruptions)

Examples:

At this time yesterday, I was flying to Paris.
While I was cooking, the power went out.

Negative Form:

To form the negative in past continuous, you simply add “not” after “was/were”:

Subject + was/were + not + verb(-ing)

Examples:

I was not (wasn’t) watching TV at that time.
They were not (weren’t) listening to the teacher.

Questions in Past Continuous:

To ask questions, invert “was/were” and the subject:

Was/Were + subject + verb(-ing)?

Examples:

Was she studying when you called?
Were they playing football yesterday?

Key Points to Remember:

The past continuous focuses on the process or duration of an action in the past, rather than just the completion.
It’s ideal for describing background activities or actions that get interrupted by another event.
It is often paired with the simple past when describing interruptions or shorter actions.

The past continuous tense helps provide context and depth to past events, making it a valuable tool in narrative writing and storytelling. By focusing on actions that were in progress, it gives a richer and more vivid picture of the past!

Glossary:

Tense – Tempo verbal
Ongoing – Contínuo
Progress – Progresso
Moment – Momento
Period – Período
Specific – Específico
Interrupted – Interrompido
Simultaneously – Simultaneamente
Action – Ação
Storytelling – Narração
Background – Plano de fundo
Describe – Descrever
Negative – Negativo
Question – Pergunta
Examples – Exemplos

Leia a charge abaixo abaixo e responda as questões sobre a mesma:

Glossary:

What – O que

Were – Estava (no contexto do Past Continuous)

Doing – Fazendo

Last – Passada (no caso “last night” = “noite passada”)

Night – Noite

Watching – Assistindo

Movie – Filme

Called – Ligou

Working – Trabalhando

Sleeping – Dormindo

QUESTION 01

A estrutura de tempo que foi usada por Jake para descrever sua ação enquanto Anna ligava foi

(A) present Simple.
(B) past Continuous.
(C) future Continuous.
(D) present Continuous.

QUESTION 02

Quando Anna ligou Jake estava
(A) dormindo.
(B) assistindo a um filme.
(C) trabalhando em um projeto.
(D) estava lendo um livro.

QUESTION 03

Na noite passada Anna estava
(A) dormindo.
(B) assistindo a um filme.
(C) trabalhando em um projeto.
(D) estava lendo um livro.

QUESTION 04

Organize as palavras abaixo para formar uma frase no Past Continuous:

(A) was / dinner / cooking / I / last night / at 7 p.m.

__________________________________________________________

(B) playing / you / video games / were / all afternoon

__________________________________________________________

(D) working / they / on / were / the project / when I called them

__________________________________________________________

QUESTION 05

Passe as frases da questão 4 para a forma negativa:

(A) __________________________________________________________

(B) __________________________________________________________

(D) __________________________________________________________

Autoria	Profª Drª Sueidy Lourencio
Formação	Letras: Português/Inglês – Doutorado em Educação
Componente Curricular	Língua Inglesa
Habilidades	(EF07LI18) Utilizar o passado simples e o passado contínuo para produzir textos orais e escritos, mostrando relações de sequência e causalidade.
Referências	MAKAR, Barbara W. Primary Phonics. 1. ed. Chicago: Modern Curriculum Press, 2018. KOUSTAFF, Lesley. Oxford Discover. 2. ed. v. 1. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2018. FOLEY, Mike; HALL, Diane. New Total English Elementary student’s book, Essex: Pearson. Education Limited, 2011.