Simple Past Tense : Unit 13, I was doing (past continuous) and I did (simple past)

I was doing (past continuous) and I did (simple past)

Jack was reading              The phone rang                                He stopped reading                        He answered the phone
a book.

What happened?             The phone rang. (simple past)
What was Jack doing when the phone rang?
      He was reading a book.  (past continuous)
What did he do when the phone rang?
      He stopped reading and answered the phone.   (simple past)

Jack began reading before the phone rang. So:
When the phone rang, he was reading.

Simple past

Beginning                                                                  end (3 o’clock)                                                                 (4 o’clock)                                           We played                                     (complete action) We played tennis yesterday. (from 3 o’clock until 4 o’clock)

Beginning (3 o’clock)                                    we were playing (in the middle of an action) A: What were you doing at 3.30 yesterday? B: We were playing tennis.

-          Jack was reading the newspaper when the phone rang.
but Jack read the newspaper yesterday

-          Were you watching television when I called you?
but Did you watch the movie on television last night?

-          I started work at 9:00 and finished at 4.30. At 2.30 I was working.

-          When we went out, it was raining. (=it started raining before we went out)

-          I saw  Sue and Tom this morning. They were standing  at bus stop.

-          Ann felt  asleep while she was reading.