Question

Помогите)) Пожалуйста. Use the Past Continuous or the Past Indefinite. 1. I (wonder) whether you could lend me some money. 2. He (live) in Paris during his last years. 3. We (walk) in silence when he suddenly (ask) me to help him. 4. I just (have) breakfast when the telephone (ring). When I came back to my coffee, it (be) cold.

Answer 1

1. I was wondering whether you could lend me some money. 2. He lived in Paris during his last years. 3. We were walking in silence when he suddenly asked me to help him. 4. I had just had breakfast when the telephone rang. When I came back to my coffee, it was cold.

In the given sentences, we use the Past Continuous tense (was/were + present participle) to talk about actions that were in progress at a specific time in the past or actions that were happening simultaneously. We use the Past Indefinite tense (simple past) to talk about completed actions or events in the past without a specific duration.

Here is the breakdown of each sentence:

1. The action of wondering (to wonder) was in progress in the past, so we use the Past Continuous tense: I was wondering whether you could lend me some money.

2. The action of living (to live) in Paris during his last years is a completed action in the past, so we use the Past Indefinite tense: He lived in Paris during his last years.

3. The action of walking (to walk) and the action of asking (to ask) happened simultaneously in the past, so we use the Past Continuous tense for the action in progress and the Past Indefinite tense for the sudden action: We were walking in silence when he suddenly asked me to help him.

4. The action of having breakfast (to have breakfast) was completed in the past before the telephone rang, so we use the Past Indefinite tense for both actions: I had just had breakfast when the telephone rang. When I came back to my coffee, it was cold.

I hope this helps! Let me know if you have any further questions.