Unit2, step2 à TASK: be able to describe a progressive action in the past. Gap-fillers and time telling

I-Grammar lesson: Past continuous a) The past continuous tense (Was / were + V-ing) is used to describe an action which was taking place at a particular moment in the past. (une action en cours de réalisation au passé) Yesterday at 6 pm, I was having dinner in a fast food restaurant. What were you doing this morning between 8:30 and 9:30? Let me think…er…I was doing my French exercises. I wasn’t playing, you know! b) An action in the past continuous tense can be interrupted by another action in past simple Yesterday night, I was watching TV when (quand) someone called me on my phone. c) Two actions in the past continuous tense can be simultaneous (happening at the same time). My father was reading the newspaper while (pendant que) my mother was cooking dinner. EXERCISES: Textbook, p. 47

II-Step forward: Oliver Twist Synopsis of the novel by Charles Dickens Oliver Twist, a poor orphan, grew up on a farm then in a workhouse (hospice) under the care of Mr. Bumble. When Oliver asked for more food, he was sent to work for an undertaker, (croque-mort) Mr. Sowerberry. Oliver was unhappy with Mr Sowerberry, so he ran away to London where he was picked up (recueilli) by Jack Dawkins or the Artful Dodger. The Artful Dodger was a member of Fagin’s gang of boys. Fagin, who lived in the London slums (quartiers pauvres), had trained the boys to become pickpockets. When Oliver was sent out with The Artful Dodger and another boy on a pickpocket expedition, Oliver was caught (arrêté) instead of (au lieu) the two other boys. The victim of the thieves (les voleurs), the old gentleman, Mr. Brownlow rescued (sauve) Oliver from arrest and brings him to his house. For the first time in his life Oliver was happy. Finally, Fagin and the rest of the gang were arrested. Fagin was executed and Oliver was adopted by Mr. Brownlow.

Correction of the exercise in the textbook, p. 40 • • • • •

The Dodger was stealing a customer’s handkerchief when the shopkeeper saw him. Oliver Twist was looking at the Dodger when the shopkeeper called the police. Oliver was running when the policeman caught him and sent him to the judge. The judge was reading the punishment when the shopkeeper entered the courtroom. The shopkeeper was proving Oliver’s innocence when Oliver fainted.

WRITE, WB, p. 43-44 The Step’s vocabulary Nouns: workhouse, orphan, orphanage, bookshop, customer, handkerchief, shopkeeper, Court, Courtroom, evidence, thief (many thieves), undertaker, slums Verbs: grow up, catch, steal, run away, faint, rescue