(Level A2 and above: past simple and past continuous)
Mr. Bernstein is a brilliant pianist. Last night, while he was eating in a restaurant with his wife, somebody came into his house and destroyed his very expensive grand piano with a chainsaw (tronçonneuse). The piano was completely demolished, a total mess.
Written and compiled by Benedicte Gravrand, The Language House.
The intruder did not take anything from the house. When Mr. Bernstein arrived home, he called the police in a panic.
Detective Bosch suspects the perpetrator has a grudge (rancune) against Mr. Bernstein. She is now interviewing three suspects. The first suspect is Vladimir, a young musician, the second is Mrs. Grant, a music agent, and the third is Mr. Wang, a concert pianist.
First interview:
Detective Bosch: Are you a professional piano player?
Vladimir: I was. At the moment, I’m learning to be a conductor at the music academy. (1) I worked a lot last year; I played in some concerts as well as with a band.
Detective Bosch: Why are you trying to change profession?
Vladimir: Er, I don’t want to play the piano any more. I have lost interest.
Detective Bosch: You were a student of Mr. Bernstein’s. When (2) did you take piano lessons with him?
Vladimir: I took lessons with him when I was little. That was years ago. I am quite capable now.
Detective Bosch: Did you keep in touch with Mr. Bernstein?
Vladimir: No, I didn’t.
Detective Bosch: What (4) were you doing yesterday between 8 pm and 11 pm?
Vladimir: (3) I was playing darts with some friends at the Red Lion pub. And I was drinking beer too. I went back home at 11:30.
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Past simple and past continuous
In this interview, Detective Bosch and Vladimir use the past simple and the past continuous to describe what happened in the past. These two tenses are great for story-telling.
- We use the past simple to talk about something that happened in the past and that is now finished. We normally use a time reference with the past simple, such as: last year, in 1990, this morning, when I was in the bath, as she was walking through the park, etc.
We put –ed (or -d or -ied) at the end of the verb, except of course with irregular verbs.
- When we ask a question in the past simple, we use the auxiliary “did”. The verb becomes infinitive: Did you see him yesterday?
Same thing for negative sentences: No, I did not (or didn’t) see him.
- We use the past continuous to talk about a past action that took place over a period of time, or a repeated / habitual action in the past. It is often used in reference to another event: She was playing the piano when her mother arrived.
- In the past continuous, the auxiliaries are “was” and “were” – that is, the verb “to be” conjugated in the past. The verb is always in the –ing form (present participle).
Example: Were you watching a film last night?
No, I was not (or wasn’t), I was playing the piano.
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All words in bold are in the vocabulary exercise below.
Exercise I
Complete the second interview with the verbs in brackets in the correct tense; either past simple or past continuous. Note: there are a few irregular verbs.
Second interview:
Detective Bosch: Are you Mr. Bernstein’s music agent?
Mrs. Grant: I was. He …….. (fire) me last year.
Detective Bosch: Why ……. he …….. (do) that?
Mrs. Grant: We had a disagreement about the bookings. He ……… (complain) several times that he …….. (do) too many shows abroad. That’s not my fault if he is more popular in Europe than here! Anyway, he …….. (terminate) our contract and I have not seen him since.
Detective Bosch: But you ……… (call) him a lot in the last three months, didn’t you?
Mrs. Grant: Yes, I ……… (try) to start a new contract. I …….. (have) some ideas, new contacts.
Detective Bosch: Apparently, you …….. (lose) all your other clients last year. They all ……… (leave) after Mr. Bernstein ……… (terminate) the contract. Do you feel it is all his fault?
Mrs. Grant: Not at all. It’s just that …….. I …….. (go) through a difficult period in my business.
Detective Bosch: What …….. you …….. (do) last night between 8 pm and 11 pm?
Mrs. Grant: I …….. (watch) television at home.
Detective Bosch: What …….. you ……… (watch)?
Mrs. Grant: Er, a cooking show. I …….. (cook) at the same time. Then I …….. (go) to bed at 10.
Check your answers:
Detective Bosch: Are you Mr. Bernstein’s music agent?
Mrs. Grant: I was. He fired me last year.
Detective Bosch: Why did he do that?
Mrs. Grant: We had a disagreement about the bookings. He complained several times that he was doing too many shows abroad. That’s not my fault if he is more popular in Europe than here! Anyway, he terminated our contract and I have not seen him since.
Detective Bosch: But you called him a lot in the last three months, didn’t you?
Mrs. Grant: Yes, I was trying to start a new contract. I had some ideas, new contacts.
Detective Bosch: Apparently, you lost all your other clients last year. They all left after Mr. Bernstein terminated the contract. Do you feel it is all his fault?
Mrs. Grant: Not at all. It’s just that… I was going through a difficult period in my business.
Detective Bosch: What were you doing last night between 8 pm and 11 pm?
Mrs. Grant: I was watching television at home.
Detective Bosch: What were you watching?
Mrs. Grant: Er, a cooking show. I was cooking at the same time. Then I went to bed at 10.
Exercise II
This one is a bit more difficult. Complete the dialogue with a verb in the list using either the past simple or the past continuous.
Some of the verbs are irregular.
Prepare Be (x3) Do Threaten Send Tell Have Not do Feel Work
Third interview:
Detective Bosch: Are you a concert pianist?
Mr. Wang: Yes, I am.
Detective Bosch: Is it true you ……. a very public fight with Mr. Bernstein six months ago?
Mr. Wang: Well, yes, he …….. the press that I …….. not good enough for classical music. And that I should play Elton John music instead.
Detective Bosch: …….. you ……… him threatening messages after that?
Mr. Wang: Yes, but it is because I ……… very angry. That was done in the heat of the moment.
Detective Bosch: I see here that you ……… to destroy his piano.
Mr. Wang: I ……… it! I would never do anything violent. I ……… very angry.
Detective Bosch: What ……… you ………. last night between 8 pm and 11 pm?
Mr. Wang: I ………. for my next concerto. I ………. very hard.
Check your answers:
Detective Bosch: Are you a concert pianist?
Mr. Wang: Yes, I am.
Detective Bosch: Is it true you had a very public fight with Mr. Bernstein six months ago?
Mr. Wang: Well, yes, he told the press that I was not good enough for classical music. And that I should play Elton John music instead.
Detective Bosch: Did you send him threatening messages after that?
Mr. Wang: Yes, but it is because I was very angry. That was done in the heat of the moment.
Detective Bosch: I see here that you threatened to kill his piano.
Mr. Wang: I didn’t do it! I would never do anything violent. I was feeling very angry.
Detective Bosch: What were you doing last night between 8 pm and 11 pm?
Mr. Wang: I was preparing for my next concerto. I was working very hard.
Conclusion
Who killed Mr. Bernstein’s piano? Vladimir suddenly lost interest in playing piano. He probably found he wasn’t such a good pianist, and so he took it out on his teacher. But he has a good alibi. Mrs. Grant has many reasons for resenting Mr. Bernstein. She possibly thinks that losing her clients is all Mr. Bernstein’s fault. And her alibi is weak. As for Mr. Wang, he was very angry at Mr. Bernstein who tried to destroy his reputation. His alibi is not very strong either. What do you think? Who did it?
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Marc Cohn – Walking in Memphis (with lyrics)
Check the vocabulary
Match the 16 words from the texts with their definition.
- To lose interest
- Proficient
- To keep in touch
- Dart (n.)
- Mess (n.)
- Intruder
a. To maintain contact with someone
b. very skilful at something that you have learned
c. someone who enters a place where they are not allowed to go especially to commit a crime
d. a situation in which a place is dirty or untidy
e. To not be interested in something anymore, to grow bored with something
f. a small pointed object that you throw at a round board in order to score points in the game of darts
Answer key:
1:e – 2:b – 3:a – 4:f – 5:d – 6:c
- To perpetrate (noun: perpetrator)
- To fire
- Booking
- Abroad
- Show (n.)
- To threaten
g. (in this context) an arrangement made by a performer to perform at a particular place and time in the future
h. to do something that is harmful, illegal, or dishonest
i. a performance, a programme, an exhibition, an event
j. to tell someone that you might or you will cause them harm, especially in order to make them do something
k. (in this context) to make someone leave their job, sometimes as a punishment
l. in or to a foreign country
Answer key:
7:g – 8:k – 9:g – 10:l – 11:i – 12:j
13. In the heat of the moment (idiom)
14. To steal
15. To take it out on (someone) (idiom)
16. To resent
m. To take something that belongs to someone else without permission
n. (informal) to make (another) suffer for one’s own anger, irritation, bad temper, etc. (Just because you’re angry with him you don’t have to take it out on me!)
o. without stopping to think about what you are doing or saying, because you are angry or excited
p. to experience angry unhappy feelings because you think you have been treated unfairly or without enough respect (The girls in the family resented all the attention that Peter was getting.)
Answer key:
13:o – 14:m – 15:n – 16:p
Sources: macmillandictionary.com; collinsdictionary.com; idioms.thefreedictionary.com
Elton John – Rocket Man Live (The Million Dollar Piano)