1. Isabel was cooking when the telephone rang

Any doubt about the Past Continuous tense?
Before starting with the topic, here you can listen to lots of examples of sentences in past progressive. They are clear and brief. Watch it, because it is an enjoyable way to learn this tense.
 
Icono IDevice Reading activity

By Kenneth Moyle. Creative Commons

 

 

Paco was visiting the Royal Pavilion in Brighton and was walking around the Lanes. The Lanes are a collection of narrow lanes, famous for their small shops and several antique shops and narrow alleyways.

He tried to speak on the phone with his family everyday but sometimes it was too late or he was too busy to call.

One night, Isabel was cooking when the telephone rang. She was thinking about what Paco was doing in Brighton. In fact, she was expecting a call coming from Britain. It was Paco, indeed.

They were speaking for a long time. Isabel was alone at home and Paco couldn't speak to Sonia. His father was also out, so Paco was telling his mother about a lot of places he was visiting and that he was also learning a lot about British culture.


By Diliff. GNU free license

 


Sure you can identify the Past Continuous in affirmative form.
How many examples are there in the text?


Icono de iDevice AV - Reflexión
Do you remember the reasons why you can use a Past Continuous in an English sentence?
Icono de iDevice Solved exercise

1) You / play / tennis / with your friends

2) Alex / do / his homework / with Andrés

3) Paco / visit / several museums / in London

4) I / study / Maths / at the Library

5) We / read / about Great Britain

 

Write sentences with the Past Continuous in affirmative.

Icono de iDevice Self-assessment exercise
Complete the blanks with the Past Continuous forms of the verbs in brackets.
When I phoned my friends they (TO HOLD) a party at home. Some of them (TO PLAY) monopoly, others (TO PREPARE) dinner for their children. The boys (TO SWIM) in the pool and the girls (TO LISTEN) to music in the sitting room, except one of them who (TO WATCH) TV. The little children were practising (TO PRACTISE) the guitar in the garden. A neighbour (TO COMPLAIN) about the noise they (TO MAKE).
  

Icono IDevice Important

A SLIGHT DIFFERENCE IN USE BETWEEN THE PAST SIMPLE AND THE PAST CONTINUOUS

In the Past Simple, a specific time is used to show when an action began or finished:

Yesterday at midnight I listened to the radio (I started listening to it at midnight)

However, in the Past Continuous a specific time only shows what was happening, in progress at that time. It is not that the action started or finished at that time, but that the action was already in progress. 

Yesterday at midnight I was listening to the radio
(I started earlier than midnight. At midnight I was already listening to the radio)

Icono IDevice Further knowledge
About the Past Continuous Tense: explanations in Spanish.
Click here to learn about the forms and uses of the Past Continuous or Past Progressive.