Students practice describing what was happening in the past, what interrupted an action, and how events changed using phrases like while, when, and at that moment. The lesson includes quick warm-up questions, a short reading about missed calls and a street accident, and role plays about delays, misunderstandings, and lost items.
B1 Intermediate60 minutesEnglishTeacher
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1. Speaking
Speaking focus
Ask students simple, spontaneous questions about yesterday, last weekend, and a memorable event. Encourage short answers first, then follow-up questions. Prompt natural use of Past Continuous when possible, but do not correct every mistake during fluency.
Class speaking activity — read, then practise aloud with your teacher or partner
Quick warm-up
Answer the questions quickly and naturally. Give short answers first, then add one more detail.
What were you doing yesterday evening?
What were you doing at this time yesterday?
What were you doing last weekend?
What was happening around you yesterday morning?
Were you working, studying, or relaxing at 8 PM yesterday?
What were you thinking about recently while traveling or waiting?
What were you doing when someone last called you?
What memorable event were you thinking about this week?
Follow-up ideas:
Who was with you?
What happened next?
Was anything interrupting you?
What were other people doing at that moment?
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2. Vocabulary
while
during the time that something else happened
when
at the moment another action happened
at that moment
at that exact time
in the middle of
during an activity
busy with
occupied with something
on my way home
traveling home
in the background
happening behind the main action
all of a sudden
suddenly
interrupt
stop something temporarily
missed call
a phone call I did not answer
delay
a situation where something happens later than planned
look for
try to find something
notice
become aware of something
explain
give details about what happened
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3. Text
Yesterday’s Interruptions
Yesterday evening, I was cooking dinner while my phone was charging in the next room. At 7:30, I was checking my email when I noticed a missed call from my sister. I called her back, and she said she was waiting for me because our parents had arrived early.
Later, I was walking home from the store when I saw a small crowd on the street. People were looking at a car that had stopped in the middle of the road. Someone was speaking to the driver, and another person was calling for help. I didn’t see the accident itself, but I could tell something unusual was happening.
This morning, I was in the middle of an online meeting when my internet suddenly stopped. I was trying to reconnect while my colleagues were speaking. At that moment, I looked up and realized I had forgotten to mute my microphone.
Context: These short stories show Past Continuous for actions in progress and Past Simple for events that interrupt them.
Discussion questions:
Which moment in the text is most similar to something that happened to you?
What were you doing when you last got an unexpected call or message?
Have you ever been in the middle of something important when it was interrupted?
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Students answer and extend questions about yesterday, last weekend, recent travel, and memorable events. Encourage short spontaneous answers first, then longer responses with follow-up questions. Focus on natural use of Past Continuous for actions in progress, background actions, and interruptions. Recycle phrases such as was/were doing, while, when, at that moment, in the middle of, happening, interrupted, noticed, arrived, called, waiting for, and looked up. Keep the atmosphere practical, conversational, and supportive, with light correction only if needed for fluency.
Class speaking activity — read, then practise aloud with your teacher or partner
Speaking practice
Answer each question in a complete sentence. Try to use was/were doing, while, when, or at that moment. Then add one or two extra details.
Quick warm-up
What were you doing yesterday evening?
What were you doing last weekend at this time?
What was a memorable event from your recent past?
What were you thinking about on your last trip or journey?
Guided questions
What were you doing at 8 PM yesterday?
What were people around you doing when you arrived at work or school?
What were you thinking about while traveling recently?
What was happening around you when something unexpected happened?
What were you doing in the middle of the day yesterday?
What were you doing when someone called you last time?
What was happening in the background during your last online meeting or class?
What were you waiting for recently, and what were you doing while you waited?
Follow-up ideas
Who was with you?
What happened next?
How did you feel at that moment?
Did you notice anything unusual?
What interrupted the action?
Role-play starters
You arrived somewhere and noticed people were busy. What were they doing?
You missed an important call. What were you doing when the phone rang?
Something unusual happened while you were walking home. What was happening before that?
A delay changed your plans. What were you doing while you were waiting?
Useful speaking challenge
Tell your partner about one recent moment when you were in the middle of something and something interrupted you. Use at least three Past Continuous phrases.
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Move around the board and speak in full sentences about what was happening in each situation. Use the cards and prompts to practice Past Continuous naturally with a partner.
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Students work in pairs or small groups. Use role-play scenarios where Past Continuous is essential: witnessing a car accident, missing an important phone call, being interrupted during an online meeting, seeing something unusual while walking home, airport delay, restaurant misunderstanding, and finding a lost item. One student describes what was happening, what they were doing, and what changed. The other student asks follow-up questions, reacts, and helps solve the problem.
Class speaking activity — read, then practise aloud with your teacher or partner
Role-play speaking: interruptions and unexpected events
Work with a partner or in a small group. For each situation, take turns playing the person who experienced the problem and the person who reacts, asks questions, or helps. Try to use was/were doing, while, when, at that moment, in the middle of, noticed, arrived, called, waiting for, and looked up.
Situation 1: Witnessing a car accident
You were walking or driving nearby when a small accident happened. Describe what was happening before it, what you noticed, and what you did next.
Situation 2: Missing an important phone call
You missed a call from someone important. Explain what you were doing, why you did not answer, and what happened when you saw the missed call.
Situation 3: Interrupted during an online meeting
You were in the middle of an online meeting when something interrupted you. Explain what was happening, who called or interrupted, and how you reacted.
Situation 4: Seeing something unusual while walking home
You noticed something strange or surprising on your way home. Describe what you were doing, what you saw, and what you thought at that moment.
Situation 5: Airport delay
Your flight was delayed. Describe what you were doing at the airport, what people around you were doing, and how you felt when the delay was announced.
Situation 6: Restaurant misunderstanding
There was a problem with your order. Explain what you were doing when the waiter arrived, what you asked for, and what the misunderstanding was.
Situation 7: Finding a lost item
You found something that belonged to another person, or you lost something important. Describe where you were, what you were doing, and what happened when you noticed it.
Follow-up questions
What were you doing at that moment?
What was happening around you?
Who arrived or called?
What interrupted the situation?
What did you notice first?
How did you solve the problem?
Useful speaking frame
I was ... when ...
While I was ..., ...
At that moment, ...
I was in the middle of ...
Then I noticed ...
After that, ...
Challenge
Tell the same story again, but this time make it longer and more natural. Add details about the place, the time, and how you felt.
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Write a short paragraph about one unexpected event from yesterday, last weekend, or a recent trip. Include what was happening before the event, what interrupted it, and how it ended. Use Past Continuous and Past Simple naturally. Keep the task suitable for B1 adults.
Aim for at least 60 words.
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Remember the Past Continuous patterns and use them in real conversations. Try the speaking prompts to review what people were doing, what happened, and what interrupted the action.
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