Lesson 4 PEOPLE WERE DANCING

Lesson 4 

PEOPLE WERE DANCING

I. Dialogue:

A: Hello, were you at the party

B: Yes, I was. People were dancing, eating, chatting and gossiping.

A: What about the bride?

B: She was beautiful and she talked to everybody. Her groom looked impatient.

Comprehension questions

What were Mrs. Taylor and Mrs. Baker doing?

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What kind of party were they talking about?

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Language Focus

What was the groom doing?    The groom was complaining al the time.

What were some women doing at the party?         They were chatting and eating

Were there some people talking about business? No, they weren´t. They were talking about the

party.

Was the bride eating?                                                    No, she wasn´t. She was talking to everybody.

II. Listen and practice the conversations.

Situation: Two classmates meet at the school cafeteria.

A: What were you doing when I called you?

B: I was watching my favorite TV show.

A: You looked your time to answer the telephone.

B: I´m sorry. This show comes on only once a week. I never miss it!

Situation: Two people who work at the same office are taking a break.

A: Were you here this time last year?

B. No, this time last year. I was living in Brazil; I was working at the Venezuelan Consulate in Sao Paulo. What about you?

A: I was having the time of my life in Hawaii. I was taking a vacation after two years of hard work.

Situation: Two friends are talking about an accident that one of them had.

A: What was happening when the police arrived at the scene of the accident?

B: We were trying to help the driver of the car.

A: Were there other people involved in the accident?

B: No, he was speeding when he lost the control of his car.

Situation: Two people are talking about their children.

A:  What were the children doing when the babysitter came into the room?

B: They were watching “Harry Potter” on video.

A: Were they having fun?

B: Yes, they were!

III. Use the following information to tell a story about a past experience.

You went to Paris with a friend.

You spend 3 weeks there.

At the hotel, you realize your bag had been stolen.

You didn´t know what to do.

You were very upset.

You only had 2 Euros left in your pocket.

But you bought a lottery ticket.

24 hours later you found out you had won the lottery.

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IV. Answer the following questions about your day today. Give as many details as possible.

a)What was your mother cooking when you first saw her this morning?

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b) Was your father having breakfast when you left home this morning’? What was he eating?

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c) What were you doing when the teacher carne into the classroom this morning?

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e) What was your mother doing when you got back from school in the afternoon?

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d) What were you and your friends doing when the bell rang for the Lunch break?

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5.  Write the story you told your class in the speaking section on this lesson.

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Language Study

There is a difference between the Simple Past and Past Continuous. The Simple past   tense is used to describe an event that occurred at a particular time in the past; the event is thought of as complete, that is, as having a beginning and an end.

We use the Past Continuous Tense to talk about actions that were ongoing, repeated or in a continued state during a period of time in the past. You use words such as “when” and “which” to differentiate them. Examples:

What were you doing when the bell rang?

My father was reading the newspaper while my mother was cooking breakfast.

I was talking with my classmates when the bell rang.

V. Look at the following questions and answers.

What was the man doing when you arrived? He was cooking dinner.

He was explaining the project.

He was talking about the Iatest news on the war.

   He was speaking on his cell phone.

He was planning a business trip.

He was checking the bill carefully.

What was the groom doing when his wife was talking to the guests?                                                                                                                                           He was complaining all the time.

What was he talking about?He was talking about the food.

Were people looking at the Pyramid at the Louvre?Yes, they were.

Was he speaking to you in a friendly way?Of course, he was.

Were they telling the truth?No, they weren’t.

Were they trying on the new shoes?Yes, they were.

Was she trying Lo do her best?                Of course, she was.

Were you trying to cheat on the test?No, I wasn’t.

Was the groom having a goad time at the party?No, he wasn’t.

Weren´t they complaining?No, they weren’t.

VI. Look at the following questions and answer them.

a)What was your father doing when your mother arrived?

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b) Was he working?

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c) Was the son trying to help his mother when she carne in?

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d) Was it raining when she arrived?

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VII. Complete the following sentences, Use the past continuous or the simple past as convenient.

a) I was having breakfast when _____________________________

b) When I saw the children, they _________________________________

c) When Peter last talked to Mary,______________________________________

d) The electricity went off when __________________________________

e) I was paying the bill at the restaurant when _________________________________________

f) While I was attending the seminar in Paris, my friend _________________________________

VIII. Use either the past continuous tense or the simple past tense according to the context.

a) Helen _________ (have) a sandwich because she couldn’t have lunch at home.

b) My friend _____________________ (study) when, all of a sudden, My sister interrupted him.

c) The boys______________________ (play) tennis when it started to rain.

d) I _________ (do) my best, but ¡ didn’t do well on the test.

e) My brother _________ (win) a scholarship a year ago.

f) Were the students _____________________ (pay attention) to the teacher a while ago?

g) The girls _____________________ (work) ah day long.

h) When you (be) at the dentist, I was studying at the library.

i) My brother _________ (lose) his wallet while he was getting on the bus.

j) My sister was chatting on the Internet when Mom _________________ (ask) her to study.

‘For”, “during” and “while”

For

Use for + a period of time

Example:

- Helen was going away for a week.

-Mom was cooking for hours.

During

Use during + noun to saywhen something happens.

Example:

We met interesting people during the conference.

I fell asleep during the lesson.

While

Use while + subject + verb.

Example:

I heard a scream while I was studying.

I was reading a book while you were talking on the phone.

IX. Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the verb TO BE.

a) When I saw him, he ___________ driving very fast.

b) Ann ___________ introducing her father to the teachers.

e) __________ he complaining while they ____________ speaking?

d) They _____________ greeting their new classmates.

e) Tony ____________ planning a birthday party for Mary.

t) Mr. Clark __________ asking for help but nobody heard him.

g) ____________ the girl telling him that he drives very carelessly?

X. Fill in the blanks with a suitable sentence. Remember to use either past tense or past continuous tense.

a) While she ________________________________________ she met her friends.

b) They began to work when__________________________________________________

e) When his mother arrived, __________________________________________________

d) I noticed the policeman_____________________________________________________

XI. Place the following words and phrases in the appropriate column.

Three days We were there An hour A long time The lesson his lifetime A week I was on holiday the meal the band was playing

 

For	During	While

XII. Answer these questions.

a)What were you doing when your mother called you?

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b) Did you do your best while you were doing your homework?

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c) What were your friends talking about when you saw them?

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d) What was your sister doing when your father came in?

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e) What were most of the people complaining about?

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XIII. Write affirmative (+), negative (—), or interrogative (?) as in the example.

( + ) / Peter / past (present continuous) / toofast

Peter was driving too fast.

a) ( ) / the children / smile (past continuous) / with the clowns

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b)  (        ) /Mr. Smith/ scold (past continuous) / the students.

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c) (        ) /the students/ waiting (past continuous) / in the lobby.

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d)  (        ) /the teacher/complain (past continuous) / to the waiter.

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e)(        ) /you/introduce (past continuous) / the main speaker.

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