I Was Walking When...
Past Continuous — actions in progress. Leo runs into his old primary school teacher on a rainy Toronto evening.
📖 Reading: A Strange Evening
Last Tuesday, something unusual happened to Leo.
It was about 7 PM. Leo was walking home from the coffee shop. It was raining lightly and he was listening to music on his headphones.
He was thinking about his business exam when he suddenly heard someone calling his name.
He stopped and looked around. A woman was standing near a car on the other side of the street. She was waving at him.
Leo crossed the street. While he was talking to the woman, he realised she was his old primary school teacher, Mrs. Vargas!
"I was just thinking about you last week!" said Leo, surprised.
"Really? I was passing through Toronto and I saw you from my car. I almost didn't recognise you — you were wearing a hat!"
They stood on the corner and talked for twenty minutes. It was still raining, but neither of them noticed.
"What a coincidence!" said Leo later, telling Maya the story. "I was having the most ordinary evening, and then — surprise!"
🔑 Vocabulary Box
Eight key words from this lesson.
| Word | Meaning | Note |
|---|---|---|
| unusual | Not normal; different from what is expected | adj. — Something unusual happened. |
| lightly | With little force or weight; gently | adv. — It was raining lightly. |
| headphones | A device worn over the ears to listen to sound privately | n. — He was listening to music on his headphones. |
| suddenly | Quickly and unexpectedly | adv. — He suddenly heard someone calling. |
| coincidence | Two events happening at the same time by chance | n. — What a coincidence! |
| recognise | To know someone because you have seen them before | v. — She almost didn't recognise him. |
| ordinary | Normal; not special or unusual | adj. — It was the most ordinary evening. |
| cross | To go from one side to the other | v. — Leo crossed the street. |
📚 Key Verbs in This Lesson | |
to walk → was/were walking | Leo was walking home. / They were walking together. |
to listen → was/were listening | He was listening to music. |
to think → was/were thinking | He was thinking about his exam. |
to rain → was raining | It was raining lightly that evening. |
📚 Grammar Focus
📚 Past Continuous — Form | |
Positive | I/He/She/It was + -ing / You/We/They were + -ing |
Example + | Leo was walking. / They were talking. |
Negative | I wasn't listening. / They weren't working. |
Question | Was he walking? / Were they talking? |
Short answer | Yes, he was. / No, they weren't. |
Past Continuous + Past Simple with WHEN / WHILE
📚 Past Continuous + Past Simple with WHEN / WHILE | |
When (short action) | I was cooking WHEN the phone rang. |
While (ongoing action) | WHILE I was cooking, the phone rang. |
Two ongoing actions | While Leo was walking, it was raining. |
Rule | Past Continuous = longer/background action. Past Simple = short/interrupting action. |
🎭 Dialogue: What Were You Doing When It Happened?
Leo tells Maya about his unexpected encounter with his old primary school teacher.
Leo! You look shocked. What happened?
I was walking home and I saw my primary school teacher!
Really? What were you doing when you saw her?
I was listening to music and thinking about my exam.
Was she just standing on the street?
She was sitting in her car. She saw me and waved!
While you were talking, was it still raining?
Yes! But neither of us noticed. What a coincidence!
Practice Exercises
3 questionsNew exercises to reinforce what you learned. Different from the lesson material.
What was Leo doing when he heard his name?
Where was the woman standing?
Who was the woman?
Practice Exercises
3 questionsNew exercises to reinforce what you learned. Different from the lesson material.
Leo ___ home when he heard his name. (walk)
It ___ that evening. (rain)
He ___ to music on his headphones. (listen)
🎭 Now It's Your Turn — Role Play
Practice with a partner. Use the dialogue as a model.
- Student A: Tell your partner about an unexpected event that happened to you.
- Student B: Ask: What were you doing when it happened? Where were you? What were you thinking?
- Use Past Continuous for background/ongoing actions and Past Simple for the main events.