The Past Continuous denotes a temporary action taking place at a given moment in the past:
at 5 o’ clock yesterday.
I was writing a letter to my friend from 5 to 6 on Sunday.
When Mum came.
We often use the Past Continuous and the Past Indefinite (Simple) together to say that something happened in the middle of something else:
I saw Irene in the park. She was sitting on the bench and waiting for somebody.
Ex.5. Put the verbs in brackets into the Past Continuous Tense and translate them. 1. The children were frightened because it (get) dark. 2. It was a fine day and the roads were crowded because a lot of people (rush) to the seaside. 3. He usually wears sandals but when I last saw him he (wear) boots. 4. Ton ate nothing for lunch because he (diet). 5. Who you (talk) to on the phone as I came in? 6. I went into the garden to see what the boys (do). 7. He was a little mad. He always (try) to prove that the earth was flat. 8. Just as I (wonder) what to do next, the phone rang.
Ex.6. Translate into English. Я посидел на скамейке, а потом начал читать книгу. 2. Он увидел Лену, которая рисовала странную картину.3. Мы как раз говорили о нем, когда он пришел. 4. Вчера в шесть часов она накрывала на стол. 5. Что ты играл, когда я вошла? 6. Вода в чайнике кипела, когда мои друзья вернулись в лагерь. 7. Старший брат решал кроссворд, мама вязала, остальные читали. 8. Когда она проснулась, в саду весело пели птицы.
