The Night the Lights Went Out — Past Continuous (A2)

A2 · PAST CONTINUOUS

The Night the Lights Went Out

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“You slept through the most interesting evening of the year.”

Past continuous · past continuous + past simple

Reading

Speaking

STAGE 1 · WARM-UP

A memory test

Without checking your phone, try to remember…

1. Where were you at 8 p.m. yesterday?

2. What were you doing at 9 a.m. today?

3. What did you have for dinner three days ago?

4. What were you wearing in your last English class?

5. What was the last book you read?

6. What was the name of your first ever English teacher?

7. What were you doing at midnight last New Year's Eve?

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Compare with a partner. Who has the better memory?

STAGE 2 · BEFORE YOU READ

One evening, no power

Last month the electricity stopped in the town of Westbrook for one whole evening — no lights, no internet, no TV.

PREDICT — vote as a class

Did the people of Westbrook have a terrible evening or a wonderful one?

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Read the four short texts and check.

STAGE 3 · READING

Read once — terrible or wonderful?

“What were you doing when the lights went out?”

Rosa, 44, café owner: “It was 7.20 and I was closing the café. Two customers were still drinking coffee. Suddenly everything went dark! I found candles, and they stayed two more hours. We were laughing and telling stories when the lights came back. The best evening of the year.”

Danny, 15, student: “I was doing my maths homework when my laptop died. At first I was happy — no homework! Then I was bored. My family was sitting in the kitchen, so I joined them. Dad was telling funny stories about his first job. I never knew my dad was funny.”

Priya, 29, nurse: “I was driving home from the hospital when the street lights stopped. It was a bit frightening — I couldn’t see anything. When I arrived home, my neighbours were standing in the street, looking at the sky. You could see hundreds of stars. We stayed outside for an hour.”

Bill, 71, retired: “Honestly? I was sleeping in front of the TV, and I didn’t notice anything. When I woke up at ten, my wife was reading with a torch. She said, ‘You slept through the most interesting evening of the year.’”

STAGE 4 · COMPREHENSION

Who says it?

Write the name: Rosa, Danny, Priya or Bill.

1 __________ was travelling when the electricity stopped.

2 __________ didn’t know about the blackout for a long time.

3 __________ was working when the lights went out.

4 __________ was studying at 7.20.

5 __________ learned something new about a family member.

6 __________ looked at the stars with other people.

Was your class prediction (task 2) correct?

STAGE 5 · TALK ABOUT IT

What do you think?

Discuss with a partner.

Which of the four people had the best evening, in your opinion?

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No electricity in your home tonight: what can’t you do? What CAN you do?

STAGE 6 · GRAMMAR — NOTICE

Which action was longer?

Underline the longer action in each sentence:

• I was doing my maths homework when my laptop died.

• When I woke up at ten, my wife was reading a book.

I / he / she / it

you / we / they

+

I ________ closing the café.

Two customers ________ still drinking coffee.

–

It wasn’t raining.

The street lights ________ working.

?

What ________ you doing then?

Were they sleeping?

STAGE 6 · GRAMMAR — THE RULE

Circle the correct words

1 We use the past continuous for an action

in progress / finished at a specific moment in the past.

2 In a sentence with both tenses…

the past continuous / past simple is the longer “background” action,

and the past continuous / past simple is the shorter action that interrupts it.

STAGE 7 · THE RULES

Past continuous: was / were + -ing

I / he / she / it

you / we / they

+

She was working.

They were working.

–

She wasn't working.

They weren't working.

?

Was she working?

Were they working?

Yes, she was. / No, she wasn't.

Yes, they were. / No, they weren't.

An action in progress at a past moment: At 7.20 I was closing the café. Often sets the scene of a story.

STAGE 7 · THE RULES

Past continuous + past simple

THE LONGER ACTION + THE SHORTER ACTION

I was driving home when the lights stopped.

was driving = the longer background · stopped = the shorter action in the middle

when & while

when + the short action (past simple): I was driving when the lights stopped.

while + the long action (past continuous): While I was driving, the lights stopped.

STAGE 8 · PRACTICE

What was happening at 7.20?

Write full sentences. Example: Rosa / close the café → Rosa was closing the café.

1 two customers / drink coffee

2 Danny / do his homework

3 Danny’s family / sit in the kitchen

4 Priya / drive home

5 Bill / sleep in front of the TV

6 Bill’s wife / not watch TV — read a book

STAGE 8 · PRACTICE

Past simple or past continuous?

Put the verbs in the past simple or the past continuous.

1 I ______ (have) a shower when the phone ______ (ring)

4 What ______ (you / do) when I ______ (call) you?

2 When we ______ (arrive) , everybody ______ (dance)

5 He ______ (not / listen) when the teacher ______ (explain) it.

3 She ______ (find) €50 while she ______ (clean) the sofa.

6 While they ______ (play) football, it ______ (start) to rain.

STAGE 9 · SPEAKING

The alibi

Last night at 9 p.m., somebody ate the teacher’s cake! You and your partner are suspects — you were together all evening.

STEP 1 — INVENT YOUR STORY TOGETHER (5 min)

STEP 2 — THE DETECTIVES SPLIT YOU UP

• Where were you? What were you doing at 9 p.m.?

They interview you separately: Where were you at 9? What was your friend doing? What were you wearing?

• What were you wearing?

• What were the people around you doing?

• What was the weather like?

STEP 3 — COMPARE THE ANSWERS

Same story? Then innocent. Different? They’re lying! The class decides: guilty or innocent?

• What did you eat or drink?

TEACHER'S REFERENCE

Answer key

4 Who says it?

1 Priya 2 Bill 3 Rosa 4 Danny 5 Danny 6 Priya

6a longer actions: was doing my maths homework / was reading a book

6b was / were / weren't / were

6c 1 in progress 2 past continuous = background, past simple = shorter interrupting action

8a What was happening?

1 Two customers were drinking coffee. 2 Danny was doing his homework. 3 Danny’s family was/were sitting in the kitchen. 4 Priya was driving home. 5 Bill was sleeping in front of the TV. 6 Bill’s wife wasn’t watching TV — she was reading a book.

8b Simple or continuous?

1 was having / rang 2 arrived / was dancing 3 found / was cleaning 4 were you doing / called 5 wasn’t listening / was explaining 6 were playing / started