Use was/were plus the -ing form for the requested background construction and a separate simple-past form for the event. The word when is not enough to supply the missing timeline.
Three original yesterday records
Fictional teaching timeline; all times refer to the same morning. No real work records or learner responses are claimed.
| Record | Supplied time | At 10:00 |
|---|---|---|
| Mara sorted cards | 9:55-10:10 | Sorting was ongoing. |
| Jo rang the desk bell | Event at 10:00 | The bell-ringing event happened. |
| Theo and Lee carried boxes | 9:50-10:05 | Carrying was ongoing. |
The requested sentences are “At 10:00, Mara was sorting cards when Jo rang the bell” and “Theo and Lee were carrying boxes at 10:00.” Mara is singular, so was fits the requested construction. Theo and Lee form a plural subject, so were fits it.
The British Council's past-continuous reference explains the form and its use for actions ongoing at a past time or spanning another action. The intervals and sentences here are original examples, not copies of its exercises.
Check the marker against the interval
For Mara, 9:55 < 10:00 < 10:10. The marker falls inside the supplied sorting interval. For Theo and Lee, 9:50 < 10:00 < 10:05. It also falls inside the carrying interval.
Keep those endpoints visible beside the marker. A timeline drawing should have a full text equivalent containing every time above, so the answer does not depend on interpreting a thin colored bar.
Jo's event does not erase the rest of Mara's interval. The sample says sorting continued until 10:10; feedback must not claim that ringing stopped it at 10:00. If you want to teach an interrupted-and-stopped action, supply a different explicit record and key.
Explain construction and perspective separately
For Mara's background item, offer was sorting, were sorting, and was sort. Feedback distinguishes agreement from the needed -ing form. For the event item, the supplied form is rang, not was ringing under this item’s requested event description.
That target does not mean every alternative sentence about bell ringing is universally impossible. State what construction and perspective the item requests, and use the supplied interval/event facts for the explanation. Leave ambiguous usage questions for the teacher rather than letting a local exercise grade arbitrary prose.
Keep empty choices unanswered. A new timeline selection should update subject, time, requested form and key, then clear prior feedback. Reset restores the declared records and clears choices. A keyboard-operated marker or preset time choice is sufficient; dragging should not be the only route.
Copy a timeline-bound practice brief
Create one complete, self-contained US-English HTML companion for “Yesterday at ten • timeline practice”. Return the full HTML document, with inline CSS and any JavaScript needed for the local interactions. Use the original scenario, named records, numbers and expected cases below.
Design the page for this task: use clearly labeled input or source records, a readable result or worked example, and an adjacent explanation of the evidence. Use a restrained visual hierarchy, left-aligned text, readable tables or stacked records, and a responsive layout at 720px and 360px. Provide meaningful labeled controls for 9:52; 10:00; 10:07; Mara; Theo and Lee; Bell event; Check sentence; Try again; Reset timeline. Use keyboard-accessible native controls and visible focus. Keep the complete content readable without an external dependency.
The following brief supplies the substantive content and constraints. Native-format requests describe the material to represent or copy manually; this HTML must not pretend to create DOCX, XLSX, PDF, PPTX, H5P or another native file, run Python/Flask/Django/Snowflake/Power BI, connect a live service, send messages, or perform an authorized real-world action. Where the task requires a native source, actual observation or separate approval, retain that requirement and leave unsupplied evidence blank.
Prepare an original past-continuous worksheet in US English.
Learner context: [enter or TO CONFIRM]
Past activity intervals and event times: [paste same-date records]
Selected inspection time: [enter]
Requested background/event constructions and reviewed alternatives: [paste]
Bind each sentence to its actual interval/event. Use was/were plus supplied
-ing form for requested ongoing background, with agreement to the subject. Keep the supplied simple-past event separate. Show all start/end times and a
complete text timeline. Do not infer an action stopped merely because another
event occurred, or force a tense from when alone. Distinguish form errors from
valid alternatives outside the requested task. Do not invent events or responses.
Return timeline, items, key and reasoning feedback. If requested, offer HTML
local choices/time marker with keyboard alternatives and reset. Context changes
update all linked keys and clear stale answers. Empty stays unanswered. No
response collection, saved scores or open-ended machine grading.
COMPLETE AUTHORED SCENARIO AND EXPECTED CASES
The following is the supplied reading/teaching/calculation record to represent in the companion. Preserve its particular content, examples, source references and unknowns. Wording about a future native implementation refers to that native task, not permission to omit this HTML companion.
# Past Continuous Interactive Worksheet: Put the Sentence on a Supplied Timeline
The bell rang at 10:00, but that event does not tell you whether Mara stopped sorting cards. Show the full activity interval before asking for the past-continuous sentence. Then the learner can distinguish what was ongoing at the chosen time from the shorter event that happened within it.
Use **was/were plus the -ing form** for the requested background construction and a separate simple-past form for the event. The word **when** is not enough to supply the missing timeline.
## Three original yesterday records
**Fictional teaching timeline; all times refer to the same morning.** No real work records or learner responses are claimed.
| Record | Supplied time | At 10:00 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Mara sorted cards | 9:55-10:10 | Sorting was ongoing. |
| Jo rang the desk bell | Event at 10:00 | The bell-ringing event happened. |
| Theo and Lee carried boxes | 9:50-10:05 | Carrying was ongoing. |
The requested sentences are **“At 10:00, Mara was sorting cards when Jo rang the bell”** and **“Theo and Lee were carrying boxes at 10:00.”** Mara is singular, so was fits the requested construction. Theo and Lee form a plural subject, so were fits it.
The [British Council's past-continuous reference](https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/free-resources/grammar/english-grammar-reference/past-continuous) explains the form and its use for actions ongoing at a past time or spanning another action. The intervals and sentences here are original examples, not copies of its exercises.
## Check the marker against the interval
For Mara, 9:55 < 10:00 < 10:10. The marker falls inside the supplied sorting interval. For Theo and Lee, 9:50 < 10:00 < 10:05. It also falls inside the carrying interval.
Keep those endpoints visible beside the marker. A timeline drawing should have a full text equivalent containing every time above, so the answer does not depend on interpreting a thin colored bar.
Jo's event does not erase the rest of Mara's interval. The sample says sorting continued until 10:10; feedback must not claim that ringing stopped it at 10:00. If you want to teach an interrupted-and-stopped action, supply a different explicit record and key.
## Explain construction and perspective separately
For Mara's background item, offer **was sorting**, **were sorting**, and **was sort**. Feedback distinguishes agreement from the needed -ing form. For the event item, the supplied form is **rang**, not **was ringing** under this item’s requested event description.
That target does not mean every alternative sentence about bell ringing is universally impossible. State what construction and perspective the item requests, and use the supplied interval/event facts for the explanation. Leave ambiguous usage questions for the teacher rather than letting a local exercise grade arbitrary prose.
Keep empty choices unanswered. A new timeline selection should update subject, time, requested form and key, then clear prior feedback. Reset restores the declared records and clears choices. A keyboard-operated marker or preset time choice is sufficient; dragging should not be the only route.
## Copy a timeline-bound practice brief
Implement the local companion rather than returning a text-only plan. Preserve every numerical fixture and the distinction between illustrative expectations and actual evidence. Any native-runtime or classroom tests mentioned above remain tests to perform in the proper environment; do not mark them passed. Keep edits and practice responses in this open page only, without claiming persistent storage. Provide invalid/missing-input feedback and reset behavior that agree with this specific brief. Do not claim accessibility certification, learning gains, real approvals or test results that were not observed.
Read each 10:00 sentence with a teacher while checking both interval endpoints. Keep Mara's continuing interval visible so the class can explain why she was sorting, without adding a stopping event the record never supplied.