Monday
Objective: I will be able to use past
progressive/continuous tense in my writing.
Last week, we learned about simple past, present, and future tenses. We also learned
about the present progressive tense. Today we are going to learn the
past progressive
tense.
Actions Interrupted
Has someone ever interrupted you in the middle of something? Maybe you were reading,
and your little brother came in and begged to play? Maybe you were playing a video
game, and your mom called for you to come down to dinner? When you are completing
an action but get interrupted, we use the past progressive tense.
In this lesson, we'll look at the past progressive tense and some examples of how you use
them and what it's not.
Review:
First of all, let’s look at the following sentences and find the verb in each sentence.
1. Jeannie remembered to make her bed this morning.
2. Jake walks to school everyday.
The verb in the first sentence is remembered, and the verb in the second sentence is
walks. A verb is a word that shows an action or a state of being.
So, what Is the past progressive tense? The past progressive tense is used to talk about
activities that happen over a period of time in the past. They need the suffix ''ing'' at the
end of the base word, which is called the present participle. They also follow the
helping verb, ''to be'' in the past. Let's look at some examples.
• We went swimming all day yesterday.
''Went swimming'' is in the past progressive tense. It describes an event that happened
across an entire day, not just one moment. It uses the past tense verb of ''to be'' (''went'')
and adds ''ing'' to the verb (swim).
• The band was playing hit songs the whole concert.
''Was playing'' is also in the past progressive, since it uses ''was'', ''ing'', and describes
what the band did across the entirety of the concert.
• It was raining outside when she woke up.
''Was raining'' helps to set the stage for what happens next. It helps to describe the scene.
It uses the helping verb (''was'') with the present participle (''raining'').
Remember, the past progressive tense uses this format:
• I was + ing verb
• He was + ing verb
• She was +ing verb
• It was + ing verb
• They were + ing verb
Exercise:
The past progressive is used to describe an action that was occurring at the same time as
another past action.
• Yesterday I was walking to school when you saw me.
(simultaneous actions: was walking and saw)
The past progressive tense describes what was in the process of happening when another
event occurs. It sets the stage for other events to happen. In this lesson, we'll look at the
past progressive tense and when to use it.
Use the verb suggestion to complete the sentence with an appropriate phrase
expressing an interrupted action:
1. I (watch) ____________ when her boss called with a job offer.
2. My friends (play) _____________ when they felt the earthquake.
3. When I walked in the door, they children (study) _________________.
4. We (eat) _________________ when we heard the news.
5. My parents (travel) ________________ when I telephoned that I was pregnant.
Use of the Past Progressive in Writing
Put the following verbs into the past simple:
Thomas _______ (live) in the small town of Brington. Thomas _______ (love) walking
through the beautiful forest that surrounded Brington. One evening, he ____ (take) his
umbrella and _____ (go) for a walk in the woods. He ______ (meet) an old man named
Frank. Frank _______ (tell) Thomas that, if he _____ (want) to become rich, he should
invest in a little-known stock called Microsoft. Thomas ______ (think) Frank _____ (be)
foolish because Microsoft ____ (be) a computer stock. Everybody _____ (know) that
computers _____ (be) just a passing fad. At any rate, Frank _______ (insist) that Thomas
_____ (be) wrong. Frank _______ (draw) a wonderful graph of future possibilities.
Thomas ______ (begin) thinking that maybe Frank ______ (understand) stocks. Thomas
_______ (decide) to buy some of these stocks. The next day, he ______ (go) to the stock
broker's and _____ (buy) $1,000 worth of Microsoft stock. That _____ (be) in 1986.
Today, that $1,000 is worth more than $250,000!
Improve the Story
Insert the following past continuous fragments into the above story to improve the
writing:
• As Frank was drawing the graph, ...
• ... while he was walking to work,
• it was raining, so...
• While they were discussing the stock, ...
• When he was returning from his walk, ...
• As he was walking through the woods,
Written Exercise
1. Write a description of an important day in your life. Include the most important
events that occurred during that day in the past simple. Once you have written the
important events using the past simple, try to include a description of what was
happening at some of the specific moments when those events occurred to provide
more details.
2. Write out a few questions about your important day. Make sure to include a few
questions in the past continuous. For example, "What was I doing when I found
out about the job?"
Please complete the following worksheets.
Tuesday
Objective:
I will be able to identify figurative language in writings.
Today, we are going to learn about some of the figurative language that are commonly
used in writings. We will look at the definition of these literary devices and try to identify
them in poems.
Figurative and Literal Language
Literally: words function exactly as defined
The car is blue.
He caught the football.
Figuratively: figure out what it means
I’ve got your back.
You’re a doll.
Figures of Speech
Simile
Comparison of two things using “like” or “as.”
Examples
The metal twisted like a ribbon.
She is as sweet as candy.
However, using “like” or “as” doesn’t make a simile. A comparison must be made.
Not a Simile: I like pizza.
Simile: The moon is like a pizza.
Metaphor
Two things are compared without using “like” or “as.”
Examples
All the world is a stage.
Men are dogs.
She has a stone heart.
Personification
Giving human traits to objects or ideas.
Examples
The sunlight danced.
Water on the lake shivers.
The streets are calling me.
Hyperbole
Exaggerating to show strong feeling or effect.
Examples
I will love you forever.
My house is a million miles from here.
She’d kill me.
Please complete the following worksheet.
Wednesday
Objectives: I will be able to
make proper use of future continuous.
Monday, we learned about
past progressive/continuous tense
. Verb tense tells us when an
action takes place. Today we are going to learn about future progressive tense.
The future progressive is usually used to describe an action that will occur at the
same time as another future action. To form the future progressive tense, use this
formula: will be + present participle.
Tomorrow I will be walking to school when you see me.
(simultaneous actions: will be walking and see)
Notice how the verb see is in the present tense, not the future tense. When people talk
about future simultaneous actions, usually one verb is in the future progressive and the
other is in the simple present.
Examples of the Future Progressive Tense
Here are some examples of the future progressive tense (shaded):
• The Moscow State Circus will be performing in Cheltenham for the next 3
weeks.
• We will be celebrating like Kings if it works.
You can also have a negative version:
• The Moscow State Circus will not be performing in Cheltenham for the next 3
weeks.
• We will not be celebrating like Kings if it fails.
And the question version:
• Will the Moscow State Circus be performing in Cheltenham for the next 3
weeks?
• Will we be celebrating like Kings if it works?
Please complete the following worksheets.
Thursday
Objectives:
I will be able to
use my reading comprehension skills to answer questions.
I will be able to identify the figurative language in a poem.
Today, we are going to review some of the figurative language that are commonly used in
writings. You will look at the definition of these literary devices and try to identify them
in a poem.
Figurative and Literal Language
Literally: words function exactly as defined
The car is blue.
He caught the football.
Figuratively: figure out what it means
I’ve got your back.
You’re a doll.
Figures of Speech
Simile
Comparison of two things using “like” or “as.”
Examples
The metal twisted like a ribbon.
She is as sweet as candy.
However, using “like” or “as” doesn’t make a simile. A comparison must be made.
Not a Simile: I like pizza.
Simile: The moon is like a pizza.
Metaphor
Two things are compared without using “like” or “as.”
Examples
All the world is a stage.
Men are dogs.
She has a stone heart.
Personification
Giving human traits to objects or ideas.
Examples
The sunlight danced.
Water on the lake shivers.
The streets are calling me.
Hyperbole
Exaggerating to show strong feeling or effect.
Examples
I will love you forever.
My house is a million miles from here.
She’d kill me.
______________________________________________________________________
Directions: Read the following poem and respond to the questions to the best of your
ability. Answer the questions completely.
Sketch
By Carl Sandburg
The shadows of the ships
Rock on the crest
In the low blue lustre
Of the tardy and the soft inrolling tide.
A long brown bar at the dip of the sky
Puts an arm of sand in the span of salt.
The lucid and endless wrinkles
Draw in, lapse and withdraw.
Wavelets crumble and white spent bubbles
Wash on the floor of the beach.
Rocking on the crest
In the low blue lustre
Are the shadows of the ships.
Questions:
1. Identify an example of personification: explain what is being personified and how.
2. Identify an example of hyperbole: explain how it is exaggerated.
3. Identify an example of metaphor: explain which two things are being compared.
4. What action is described in the third stanza of the poem?
Friday
Objective: I will be able to make use of past,
present, and future progressive tense and
use the correct form of the verb.
On Monday and Wednesday, we learned about the past and future progressive tenses.
Now, let’s review the present progressive tense.
The present progressive tense indicates continuing action, something going on now. This
tense is formed with the helping "to be" verb, in the present tense, plus the present
participle of the verb (with an -ing ending):
Examples:
I am walking to school right now. (current action)
Most days we are walking to school when you see us. (simultaneous actions: are
walking and see)
I am buying all my family's holiday gifts early this year.
She is working through the holiday break.
Progressive Tenses (A.K.A. the Continuous Tenses)
Progressive tenses are used to discuss ongoing or continuing actions. They can also be
used to talk about an action that is, was, or will be occurring at the same time as another
action. The progressive tenses use a form of the verb to be plus the present participle of
the verb.
Progressive Tenses
Present Progressive
Past Progressive
Future Progressive
am walking
was walking
will be walking
am eating
was eating
will be eating
Please complete the following worksheets.
