A selection of English ESL past continuous tense printables

A spooky story perfect for Halloween time. There are gaps to complete with Past Simple and Past Continuous tenses.  It's fun activity for revising past tenses and students can finish the story using their own ideas.

Halloween story - Lulu is missing

Lyrics to complete using present simple or present continuous tens. Ride - twenty one pilots. There is an activity to translate the 5 verbs and other activity about kind of music. Listening exercise. Oral and written comprehension. 

Ride - twenty one pilots

This is a grammar worksheet that students will be able to identify the time expressions for Tense review (  Present Simple, Present Continuous, Past Simple) and test themselves writing the negative and question forms of the sentences

TENSE REVIEW 

A task in which students have to complete a letter using proper form of verbs from the brackets. tanses used: present simple, present continous, present perfect, past simple, past continuous, future simple, to be going to.

short tenses review

Students choose the correct option for each sentences. Present simple and continuous. Past Simple or Present Perfect. Pupils can correct the exercises in groups or in the blackboard.

Hope you find it useful for your lessons.

GRAMMAR REVISION

Create sentences using the verb tense asked by your teacher.  A game board with actions from Tintin Books. This game can be done in the continuous tenses, simple present, simple past, etc..., up to the teacher.

Create Sentences with Tintin Pictures

Please upvote if you like this ws.  This worksheet puts the simple past and the present perfect simple SIDE BY SIDE so that students can compare them.  The verb TO BE is highlighted in both forms as it is also used to form the Past Continuous and the Present Perfect Continuous.  Examples are given on the second page and words which are helpful in indicating which form to use are evidenced by colour.  Colour codes help students to recognize and memorise different structures more easily.

SIMPLE PAST/PRESENT PERFECT Side by side

An overview of Past, Present and Future, Simple, Continuous and Perfect tenses, with examples and timelines. Gives students and visual, general look at how English works. There is a thick black line around part of the tenses, as I consider them to be those necessary for proper communication and tend not to insist on the others! 



You'll remark that I haven't included the perfect continuous, which was on purpose because I find them confusing and complicated, as well as unnecessary, for the majority of learners!

Verb Tense Overview

Originally, the exercise was created for Spotlight 7 (student book, used in Russia), the best it suits for Unit 4, right after Past Simple/Past Continuous difference is explained. According to the teacher's book, the level of SB is A2+ (pre-intermediate).
Most sentences are in Present Simple. 
Sentences for translation were taken from different webpages and adapted, now they are compiled in one exercise.
Some of these webpages: https://oose.ru/trenirovochnyie-uprazhneniya-present-continuous-tense-advanced/,  https://wika.tutoronline.ru/anglijskij-yazyk/class/2/podborka-zadanij-na-russkoyazychnyj-perevod-s-anglijskogo--

Translation exercise (Russian to English) Present Simple, Present Continuous, Past Simple, Past Continuous

Past Simple or Continuous + USED TO; There are two exercises and the students have to decide between two options and circle the correct one: 1. Past Simple or Past Cont.; 2. Used to (or not). Fully editable.

Past Simple or Continuous + USED TO

A reading passage, with exercises. True or false/answer the questions and some supplementary exercises on page 2. For your information, I have previously uploaded a powerpoint version of this story. Past simple and past continuous practice. 

RC: The Ghost at the Crossroads

This is a cloze test NI2 after u8... grammar topics that are covered are different tenses (present simple and continuous, past simple and present perfect) gerund or infinitive, so and because, infinitive of purpose.. Key is included 

Cloze Test Harry Potter

Culture, intercultural communication, cross-cultural communication

Adjectives to describe feelings, emotions

Adjectives to describe personality and character

Adjectives: Gradable / Non-gradable adjectives

Articles: Definite or indefinite article (a, an or the)

BE + infinitive structures (e.g. he was to become famous)

Clauses of contrast (e.g.  although, while)

Clauses of purpose (e.g. in order to, so that, so as to)

Clauses of reason (e.g. because, because of, due to, as, since)

Cleft sentences (e.g. It's Joey we're looking for)

Comparison: Comparative adjectives and structures

Comparison: Superlative adjectives and structures

Conditional 2 (second conditional) - would

Conditionals: Conditional phrases (e.g. unless, provided that, as long as)

Conjunctions (aka connectives, e.g. and, but, or, so, then)

Contractions (shortened forms, e.g. don't, aren't, etc.)

Determiners (words that can come before nouns)

Formal and informal English (politeness or colloquial language)

Future perfect continuous (progressive) tense

Future perfect simple and continuous (progressive) tense

Future phrases (e.g. be about to, bound to, likely to, due to, set to + INF)

Homonyms (two words with the same pronunciation - homophones and homographs)

It as preparatory subject (e.g. it's raining, it's nice of you to)

Linking verbs (aka copulas, e.g. I am a student)

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how to accuse somebody of something in English

how to apologize, say sorry, forgive and express regret in English

how to ask for information and make inquiries in English

how to ask for something, make requests in English

how to blame somebody for something in English

how to defend yourself from criticism in English

how to deny or admit something in English

how to describe things or people in English

how to emphasize important things in English

how to encourage or discourage people in English

how to evaluate people or progress in English

how to express agreement /disagreement in English

how to express approval and disapproval  in English

how to express cause and effect in English

how to express interest in something in English

how to express likelihood, probability in English

how to express likes and dislikes in English

how to express sequence and chronology in English

how to express shock and disbelief in English

how to express sympathy and condolences in English

how to give permission, authorization in English

how to inform somebody about some news in English

how to interpret what was said in English

how to keep a conversation going in English

how to make guesses about something in English

how to make, accept and refuse offers in English

how to order or make a booking in English

how to persuade, convince people in English

how to praise people and express appreciation in English

how to reassure somebody of something in English

how to refuse and object to something in English

how to remind people of something in English

how to rephrase, paraphrase what was said in English

how to say thank you, express gratitude in English

Nouns: Collective nouns (team, class, family, committee)

Nouns: Proper nouns (names of people, cities, companies)

Oxymorons (phrases with words of contradictory meaning, e.g. living dead)

Participles: Past participle (e.g. HAVING DONE)

Participles: Present participle (e.g. DOING)

Parts of Speech (aka word classes, e.g. nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs)

Past perfect continuous (progressive) tense

Phonetics (pronunciation, IPA, phonetic symbols)

Plural nouns: regular plurals with S ending

Prefixes (e.g. A, UN, IM, DIS, MIS, EN, etc. )

Prepositions vs adverbs (e.g. before me, saw him before.)

Prepositions: Double prepositions (e.g. out of)

Prepositions: Participle prepositions (e.g. pending, concerning)

Prepositions: Phrase prepositions (e.g. by means of)

Present perfect continuous (progressive) tense

Present perfect simple or present continuous tense

Present simple tense: S for third person singular verbs

Present simple vs continuous (progressive) tense

Pronouns: EACH OTHER, ONE ANOTHER (reciprocal pronouns)

Pronouns: Possessive pronouns (e.g. my, mine)

Pronouns: Reflexive pronouns (e.g. myself, yourself))

Pronouns: SOMEBODY, ANYBODY, EVERYBODY, NO ONE, NOTHING, etc.

Pronouns: THIS, THAT, THESE, THOSE (demonstratives)

Pronouns: YOU and THEY to talk about people in general

Quantifiers (e.g. some, many, much, any, few, little)

Questions: WH questions (open-ended questions)

Reported speech: reported questions (indirect questions)

There is / there are / there was / there were / there will be, etc.

Verbs: Transitive or intransitive verbs (words that can or cannot stand with objects)

Working with Paragraphs: ordering, titling

Role play, miming, drama activity or improv game

Pictionary (picture dictionary) or picture matching

Writing an opinion essay (persuasive essay)

Learners who are Pre-A1 have just begun learning English and will first learn how to:<ul><li>Say the letters in the alphabet and numbers</li><li>Say hello, talk about names and age</li><li>Name the colors and dates, express likes and dislikes</li></ul>

Absolute beginners who have begun to learn the letters and numbers

Learners taking the A1 Elementary exam should be able to:<ul><li>Introduce themselves and ask and answer questions about personal details such as where he/she lives, things he/she has, people he/she knows.</li><li>Communicate using very basic phrases as long as the other person talks slowly and clearly and is prepared to help.</li><li>Main grammar points to know: common adjectives & adverbs of frequency, going to, how much/how many, imperatives, I'd like, 's – possessive, common prepositions of place and time, present simple & continuous, there is/are</li></ul>

A very basic tourist level, which is enough for buying food and a bus ticket

Learners taking the A2 Pre-intermediate exam should be able to:<ul><li>Understand sentences and frequently used expressions (e.g. very basic personal and family information, shopping, local geography, employment).</li><li>Complete tasks that are routine and exchange information about familiar matters.</li><li>Describe matters of immediate need in simple terms.</li><li>Main grammar points to know: countable/uncountable nouns, adverbs of frequency, future will/going to, much/many, present perfect, past simple, past continuous, common phrasal verbs, common modals: can/should</li></ul>

A tourist who can do basic conversations about the past, present and future

Learners taking the B1 Intermediate exam should be able to:<ul><li>Understand points regarding family, work, school or leisure-related topics.</li><li>Deal with most travel situations in areas where the language is spoken.</li><li>Create simple texts on topics of personal interest.</li><li>Describe experiences, events, dreams, and ambitions, as well as opinions or plans in brief.</li><li>Main grammar points to know: question tags, intensifiers: too/enough, future tenses, past tenses, modals, conditionals, wh-questions in the past</li></ul>

Learners who can deal with both familiar and routine situations, in friendly and work contexts

Learners taking the B2 Upper-intermediate exam should be able to:<ul><li>Understand the main ideas of complex text on both concrete and abstract topics, including technical discussions in his/her field of specialization.</li><li>Interact with fluency and spontaneity that makes regular interaction with native speakers quite possible without difficulty for either party.</li><li>Produce clear, detailed text on a wide range of subjects and explain an opinion on a topical issue giving the advantages and disadvantages of various options.</li><li>Main grammar points to know: perfect tenses, mixed conditionals, modals in the present, phrasal verbs, reported speech, wish, relative clauses</li></ul>

The level where you can be a tour guide for your foreign friends and talk about a lot of topics, even abstract ones, with ease and fluency

Learners taking the C1 Advanced exam should be able to: Express ideas fluently and spontaneously without much obvious searching for expressions. Use language flexibly and effectively for social, academic and professional purposes. Understand a wide range of demanding, longer texts. Produce clear, well-structured, detailed text on complex subjects, using linking phrases (=words that connect ideas between sentences). Main grammar points to know: inversion, mixed conditionals, modals in the past, all passive forms, phrasal verbs (all patterns), wish/if only for regrets

Learners who can smoothly communicate in every walk of life, read long texts and write well

Learners taking the C2 Proficient exam should be able to:<ul><li>Understand almost everything read or heard with ease.</li><li>Summarize information from a variety of sources into a coherent presentation.</li><li>Express themselves using precise meaning in complex scenarios.</li><li>Can express him/herself spontaneously, very fluently and precisely, differentiating finer shades of meaning even in the most complex situations</li></ul>

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1,428 Past Continuous Tense English ESL worksheets pdf & doc