Module 6: Civility
Summary: How to Be Cooperative
Key points
- Cooperation means sharing tasks, trusting your peers and carrying out work together.
- Past progressive = was / were + verb-ing.
- It describes an action in progress at a moment in the past.
- when + past simple = a short action interrupts; while + past progressive = two actions at the same time.
- Compound nouns are stressed on the first part (CLASSmate); compound adjectives on the second (well-MANnered).
Rules to remember
Form
I / he / she / it was working; we / you / they were working. Negative: wasn’t / weren’t. Question: Were they working?
Interruption
I was reading when the phone rang.
Simultaneous actions
While Walid was writing, Skander was cutting the pieces.
Spelling of -ing
write » writing; sit » sitting; cut » cutting; study » studying.
How to do it
- Choose was or were according to the subject.
- Add -ing to the verb (check the spelling).
- Use the past simple for the short or finished action.
Example
At eleven o’clock I was reading the instructions while my parents were watching TV.
Common mistakes
- *They was playing* » They were playing.
- *She was write* » She was writing.
- *siting* » sitting.
Key words
Summary written by سكولار for quick revision: it does not replace the lesson and its exercises.