Past simple and past continuous
Units 5-6, 17
Here is part of the website of a rock star called Colin Boyle. Put the verbs into the correct form: past simple or past continuous.
X ft
Stop Horn*
Colin Boyle was born in 1983 near Dublin, Ireland. In 1996 he
became seriously ill. While he (l).....WM..X^v&WQ.....(recover), his
uncle (2)..................................................................(give) him an old drumkit.
He enjoyed playing and practised in a friend's garage every evening. One day in 1998, John Leaf, the manager of several successful
musicians, (3)..................................................................(pass) the garage
when he (4)..................................................................(hear) Colin practising.
He (5)..................................................................(bang) on the garage door and
(6)..................................................................(invite) Colin to appear in one of the
concerts he (7)..................................................................(organise) that year.
Colin, however, (8)..................................................................[refuse] Leaf's invitation, because at that time he
(9)..................................................................(prepare) for some important school exams.
Colin (10)..................................................................(pass) his exams and (ll)..................................................................(go)
to university to study engineering. At university he (12)..................................................................(meet) Kim
O'Malley, who (13)..................................................................(study) chemistry. Kim played the saxophone.
Being students, they rarely (14)..................................................................(have) much money and they
usually (15)..................................................................(work) as waiters at weekends.
One evening in April 2D01, while Colin and Kim (IS)..................................................................(serve)
customers, the manager (17)..................................................................(announce) that there would be no live
music in the restaurant that night as the regular band could not come.
Colin and Kim (18)..................................................................(persuade) the manager to let them play.
Everyone (19)................................................(be) amazed to hear how good they (20)................................................(be).
In the next six months Colin and Kim (21)..................................................................(earn) so much money
they (22)..................................................................(decide) to leave university and go on tour. Their success has
continued ever since.
Complete the first sentence with the verb in the past continuous. Write a second sentence with the verb in the past simple to say what happened next. Use your own ideas.
1 When the phone rang, I.....wM..w^^.k\9....IV..-........................................................................................................................................
.....J....M5.w.^.^...,fii.6..phQnfe....................................................................................................................................................
2 I.........................................................................i................................................................................................................when it started to rain.
3   Everyone.............................................................................................................................................................when the lights went out.
4   When we came out of the cinema, the sun
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