A selection of English ESL past simple vs continuous tense printables with creative writing prompt, writing practice

Creative writing prompt

Past simple vs continuous tense

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

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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>

Get here and you are ready to study in English at university

Two sequences of pictures that can be used to generate a story among students.  Can be used to practise grammar, generate writing idea, or simply encourage speaking.

Using a sequence of pictures to make a story

This test is all about summer camps. As usual you have reading comprehension, grammar, vocabulary and written practice. Key is included. 

For version A of this test go to 

https://en.islcollective.com/resources/printables/worksheets_doc_docx/test_a2b1_-_summer_camps_-_version_a_regular_students/past-simple-vs/101521

For the listening test go to 

https://en.islcollective.com/resources/printables/worksheets_doc_docx/listening_test_-_sports_camps_a2b1/sports/101269



TEST (A2/B1) - SUMMER CAMPS - version B (special need students)

Here students practise the two past tenses: simple and continuous. In the first part they have to put the different lines of the "The Un/Fortunately-Story" in order, memorize the lines and then tell it to the rest of the class. They really enjoy it. But most of all they enjoy the second part where they have to create their own stories first! Good to practise these two tenses together! Have fun!

Past Simple and Continuous: The Un/Fortunately Story!

This test is all about summer camps. As usual you have reading comprehension, grammar, vocabulary and written practice. Key is included. 

For version B of this test go to 

https://en.islcollective.com/resources/printables/worksheets_doc_docx/test_a2b1_-_summer_camps_-_version_b_special_need_students/past-simple-vs/101522

For the listening test go to 

https://en.islcollective.com/resources/printables/worksheets_doc_docx/listening_test_-_sports_camps_a2b1/sports/101269



TEST (A2/B1) - SUMMER CAMPS - version A (regular students)

This worksheet practices changing from present simple or present continuous to past simple or past continuous. It is a great way to start a lesson or review previously learnt material. It is also useful for writing activities and is helpful for learners who are struggling to say or write what they did on the weekend. 

What did you do on the weekend? 

Students fill in the gaps using the verbs given in brackets. They use past simple or past continuous. Once they finish, they have a model of how to write a story. The worksheet also reinforces the use of vocabulary related to crime and mysteries. Lastly, with the help of some evidence they try to give the story an end. My students made up different endings and the lesson was really funny!

Inspector Clueless and Sidekick Paws - Past Narrative Tenses

Read the story and answer some comprehension questions using the past simple or past continuous tenses.  Invent sentences about the story using the past continuous interrupted by the simple.  An extra activity could be to add background information to the story with the past continuous tense e.g The birds were singing and the sun was shining.  She was feeling a bit tired so she read a book.

Past Simple and Past Continuous Practice

Here you have seveal prompts to start a story. The worksheet can be used in different ways, depending on the level and number of students. It can be used to reinforce both writing and speaking skills and practice the past tenses.

Writing - Narrative Starters - Past Tenses

This is a great worksheet for Beliebers. ;)  It was created for a 15-year-old Justing Bieber fan--fill the blank activity with the propper form of the verb (past simple/continuous) to complete at story that accompanies one of JB's music videos (One Less Lonely Girl).  Also includes a creative writing excersise and ANSWERS.  

Have Fun!

Past Simple/Continuous with Justin Bieber

Practice using the past simple and past continuous with when and while.  Students look at the pictures and describe them e.g. They were surfing when they saw a pelican.

Christmas - past simple and past continuous

Group work. 

Writing task: write a detective story.

"The mayor of Camden was found dead last night after his birthday party. Sherlock Holmes is given the responsibility of the investigation."

"Elementary, my dear Watson!"

Here you have the second part of the set about inspector clueless and paws in another investigation. Now students write a story using the prompt given and the characters provided. The aims of this worksheet are to improve students writing skills and practice the use of past narrative tenses. Following the model given in the first part, students write their own story. It also helps them learn vocabulary related to crime. Enjoy it!

13 Past simple vs continuous tense, Creative writing prompt, Writing Practice English ESL worksheets pdf & doc