Past continuous or past perfect.

Write the verbs in the correct form:
• I ……………………(eat) the dinner when someone knocked at the door.
• When he……………………. (sleep), I was working hard
• They …………………….(watch)T.V. when I came.
• Mona…………………………… (work) already when we arrived
• The match……………………………… (start) when he arrived.
?I need your help. Sometimes I can't be sure with when is it Past continuous or past perfect.

first
I will explain for you

1- past progressive
is used to speak about an action was happening in the past
in progess and another action intrrupted in the past

example
while she was watching tv the light went out

2- when you want to speak about a specific time in the past
and the action was in progress
example
yesterday at 2:40 Ali was eating his dinner
3- to speak about actions were happeing in prgress in the past
example while I was writng my homework last night, my mother was cooking
the dinner and my father was watching movie.

past perfect
it is used to speak about action happend before another action in the past
Example before I came to work, I had had cup of coffee

I ……was eating………………(eat) the dinner when someone knocked at the door.
• When he…………slept …………. (sleep), I was working hard
• They ………were watching…………….(watch)T.V. when I came.
• Mona………had already worked…………………… (work) already when we arrived
• The match………had started ……………………… (start) when he arrived.
?I need your help. Sometimes I can't be sure with when is it Past continuous or past perfect.[/

اقتباس:

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المشاركة الأصلية كتبت بواسطة rose rani

first
I will explain for you

1- past progressive
is used to speak about an action was happening in the past
in progess and another action intrrupted in the past

example
while she was watching tv the light went out

2- when you want to speak about a specific time in the past
and the action was in progress
example
yesterday at 2:40 Ali was eating his dinner
3- to speak about actions were happeing in prgress in the past
example while I was writng my homework last night, my mother was cooking
the dinner and my father was watching movie.

past perfect
it is used to speak about action happend before another action in the past
Example before I came to work, I had had cup of coffee

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Thanks. But I told you that I can't be sure with the linking word when is it Past continuous or past perfect.
In the third sentence it was clear that the correction must be perfect tense. But with the others I'm not sure as I said?

by the time I arrived home, my friend had gone

by the time usually comes with perfect

before + pas simple + past perfect
before she went out, she had closed the door

After+ pas perfect+ past simple
After he had done his homework, he went to play.

as and while usually come with
past progressive
while he was eating, the phone rang.
as he was cooking, his son arrieved home

Thanks rose rani.
?But my question is with (when) how can I tell which is which
I mean with out any clue in the sentence tells which kind of actions we are talking about