English Past Tense, 'Used To,' and Present Continuous

Complete the sentences with the verbs below in Past Simple:

walk, enjoy, like, watch, travel, finish, listen

1. Lucy liked her birthday presents.
2. Last weekend I walked in the mountains for 2 hours.
3. We enjoyed the party very much.
4. Ken listened to his favorite CD yesterday.
5. My sister studied Maths for an exam.
6. They traveled to the USA in 2003.
7. Dad washed his car last weekend.
8. The film finished at 11:30.

Write the sentences in negative:

1. Lucy didn't like her birthday presents.
2. Last weekend I didn't walk in the mountains for 2 hours.
3. We didn't enjoy the party very much.
4. Ken didn't listen to his favorite CD yesterday.
5. My sister didn't study months for German.
6. They didn't travel to the USA in 2003.
7. Dad didn't wash his car last weekend.
8. The film didn't finish at 11:30.

Examples:

• She went (go) to school on foot yesterday.
• My dad gave (give) me a CD.
• Paul ate (eat) sandwiches and an apple.
• I got (get) up very early last night.
• They found (find) 50 euros in the street.
• Ana had (have) a bath last Sunday.

Complete the sentences. Use the negative form of the underlined verbs. Yesterday:

• I drank coffee but I didn't drink tea.
• She found her purse but she didn't find her keys.
• The children broke the window but they didn't break the door.
• He had a shower but he didn't have breakfast.
• My father made a cake but he didn't make any pastries.
• We spoke English and French but we didn't speak German.

What I Used to Do:

What did you use to do in classes?

You used to pretend to sleep, to break footrests, to participate, etc.

At the age of 15

My friends and I practiced sports. We used to stay at school after classes and spend more time together.

At the age of 20

I didn't use to hang out with friends. I organized my sister's schedule to see her school.

At the age of 25

My current friends had more free time to visit me. We used to visit different places at Valle del Mezquital to deliver materials. Clients didn't use to be as friendly as they are now.

Examples:

• Aff: Magaly used to ask for the same topic 10 times.
• Neg: Magaly didn't use to ask for the same topic 10 times.
• Quest: Did she use to ask for the same topic 10 times?

More Examples:

• Television (people used to read more books)
• Electric (people used to rely on candles & oil lamps)
• Alarm clocks (people used to wake up to the crowing of roosters)

Used to = to describe repeated actions in the past, usually = (generally)

Used to: Sam used to work in a call center in 2023. Usually: Sam usually calls people to ask for more money (credits).

Describe five past and present facts about your life using "used to" and "usually" respectively:

• I used to exercise.
• I used to walk in the mornings.
• I usually make desserts for my family.
• I usually listen to music while doing things at the same time.

Present Continuous:

Structure:

• Aff: S + am/is/are + V-ing +... (He is playing)
• Neg: S + am/is/are + not + V-ing +... (He isn't playing)
• Quest: Am/Is/Are + S + V-ing + ...? (Is he playing?)

Rules for adding -ing:

1. Verbs ending in 'e', drop the 'e' and add 'ing' (e.g., Make becomes Making).
2. One-syllable verbs ending in consonant-vowel-consonant, double the last consonant before adding 'ing' (e.g., run becomes running).
3. Verbs ending in '-y', if the 'y' follows a consonant, keep the 'y' and add 'ing' (e.g., cry becomes crying).
4. Verbs ending in a vowel and '-y', just add 'ing' (e.g., play becomes playing).

Time Expressions:

Present Simple:

• Usually, Always, Often, etc.
• Every day/week, etc.
• In the morning/spring, etc.
• On Mondays/Monday morning, etc.
• At the weekend, At night, etc.
• Once/Twice/Three times, etc. a week/day, etc.

Present Continuous:

• Now, At the moment, Today, These days, This week/year, etc.
• Tonight, Tomorrow, etc. Next week, year, etc.

Present Continuous / Present Progressive Example:

Affirmative:

Camila is betting money and merchandise.

Negative:

Camila is not betting money and merchandise during her break.

Question:

Is Camila betting money and merchandise during her break? / Isn't she betting? (Informal)