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Past Simple vs. Past Continuous

Простое Прошедшее и Прошедшее Длительное

Past Simple используется для выражения:

 - событий, которые произошли и закончились в прошлом 

(I lost my key yesterday. Tchaikovsky was a great composer. He wrote many pieces of music.) 

Слова-помощники: yesterday, last week/month/year, two days/weeks/months/years ago 

Past Continuous используется для описания: 

- процесса или неоконченного действия в определенный момент в прошлом (Yesterday at 5 o’clock I was reading a book.) 

- часто используется в сочетании с Past Simple (Jane phoned me while I was having lunch.)

examples

Maddie came back at midnight.

Just as Ted was finishing his homework, he remembered another exercise he had to do.

I met Elisa when I was going to work.

We found the keys we were looking for yesterday.

I was studying at the library all day yesterday.

I went to Tokyo last month.

The bird was singing in the garden when the cat attacked it.

Which song were you singing when I came in?

I was reading when the doorbell rang.

Susie was watching a film when she heard the noise.