Telling the Past: Simple vs. Continuous Tense for Class 4

This comprehensive worksheet teaches learners the difference between the past simple and past continuous tenses using visual aids, grammar practice, and storytelling. Students develop fluency in expressing completed actions and ongoing activities from the past using structured examples and fun practice.

Why Past Tenses Matter in Grammar?

Understanding these two tenses helps children:
1. Talk about past events with more clarity and detail.
2. Differentiate between finished actions and actions in progress.
3. Use sentence connectors like *when* and *while* correctly.
4. Improve writing by adding time-focused description and flow.

What’s Inside This Worksheet?

This worksheet offers five skill-building exercises:

🧠 Exercise 1 – Past Tense Sorting  
Students sort verbs into two columns: past simple and past continuous.

📝 Exercise 2 – Fill in the Blanks  
Complete 10 sentences using either the simple past (*played, cooked*) or past continuous (*was playing, were watching*).

📖 Exercise 3 – Choose the Right Option  
Learners choose between two verb forms to correctly complete each sentence in context.

🔄 Exercise 4 – Match Sentence Halves  
Match sentence beginnings with their correct endings using conjunctions like *when* and *while*.

📝 Exercise 5 – Rewrite the Paragraph  
A fun story paragraph is rewritten by students using both past simple and past continuous to improve flow and grammar.

✅ Answer Key (For Parents & Educators)

Exercise 1 – Verb Sorting (Examples)  
**Past Simple:** played, ate, visited, walked, slept  
**Past Continuous:** was playing, were running, was watching, were talking, was cooking

Exercise 2 – Fill in the Blanks  
1. was playing  
2. were talking  
3. cooked  
4. ate  
5. visited  
6. was running  
7. were watching  
8. slept  
9. was reading  
10. walked

Exercise 3 – Choose the Right Option  
1. was reading  
2. played  
3. were watching  
4. walked  
5. was raining  
6. was eating  
7. went  
8. was sleeping

Exercise 4 – Match the Sentence Halves  
1. I was reading – when my brother entered the room.  
2. She was painting – while her friend was singing.  
3. We were playing – when the rain started.  
4. He was watching TV – while his sister was doing homework.

Exercise 5 – Sample Rewrite  
Yesterday, I was doing my homework when my cousin arrived. He was playing with my toys while I was trying to study. Suddenly, we heard a loud noise. My dog had broken a vase. While we were cleaning up, mom came home.

Support your child’s grammar growth with this essential worksheet on narrating past events smoothly.  

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