Touchstone 2nd Edition Language summary Level 2

Unit 9 Lesson A: When things go wrong . . .

Vocabulary
Time expressions
a couple of days ago
at the time
recently

Events and accidents

accidentally (adv)
embarrassed (adj)
embarrassing (adj)
be late for (a meeting) (v)
break (something) (v)
damage (something) (v)
delete (music files) (v)
fall (into something) (v)
forget (something) (v)
lose (something) (v)
spill (coffee) (v)

Injuries
burn yourself (v)

Other verbs
crash (v)
download (v)
end a call (v)
pay attention (v)
realize (v)

Cambridge University Press 2014 Unit 9, Lesson A, Page 1

Touchstone 2nd Edition Language summary Level 2

Grammar
Past continuous statements
You can use the past continuous to set the background for a story or talk about events in
progress in the past (events that are not complete). The past continuous often describes a
long action.

Use the simple past for completed actions in the past. The simple past often describes a short
action:

I was talking to a woman, and I missed my stop. I wasn't paying attention.

(I was still talking and not paying attention when I missed my stop.)

We were trying to look cool, and we walked into a glass door. We weren't looking.

For affirmative past continuous statements, use subject + past of be (was / were) + verb + -ing:

She was using my computer.

We were trying to look cool.

In negative past continuous statements, use subject + past of be + not (wasn't / weren't) + verb
+ -ing:

I wasn't paying attention.

We weren't looking.

Remember:

For verbs ending in e, remove the e before adding -ing:

have having use using

For verbs ending in a vowel (a, e, i, o, u) + a consonant (but not w), double the last
letter before adding -ing:

swim swimming shop shopping

but
visit visiting

Cambridge University Press 2014 Unit 9, Lesson A, Page 2

Touchstone 2nd Edition Language summary Level 2
Linking ideas in the past with when
You can link sentences about the past with when. Use the past continuous to set the
background and the simple past for the completed action:

A friend of mine deleted all my music files. She was using my computer.

A friend of mine deleted all my music files when she was using my computer.

When my friend was using my computer, she deleted all my music files.

Cambridge University Press 2014 Unit 9, Lesson A, Page 3