An Unexpected Problem
It's a busy Monday morning at the office. Suddenly, all the lights go out. The computers shut down. It's a power cut! Everyone stops working. The office manager, Mr. Demir, quickly calls the building maintenance. "Yes, I've reported the power cut," he tells his assistant. "They are checking the main power." He then asks, "What was everyone doing when it happened?"
Mr. Demir talks to his team about the incident.
Mr. Demir: "What were you doing when the power went out, Ayşe?"
Ayşe: "I was talking to a client on the phone. Then the line went dead."
Mr. Demir: "And you, Can?"
Can: "I was preparing a presentation. My computer just turned off."
Mr. Demir: "Okay. And Elif?"
Elif: "I was checking emails. I didn't save my last message!"
Mr. Demir: "Don't worry. The building team is working on it. I've reported the problem again. We need to focus on safety first. Please stay calm. We will know more soon."
fire alarm
fayr uh-LAHRM
Click to reveal
power cut
POW-er kuht
Click to reveal
shut down
shuht DOWN
Click to reveal
accident
AK-si-dent
Click to reveal
suddenly
SUHD-n-lee
Click to reveal
evacuate
ee-VAK-yoo-ayt
Click to reveal
incident
IN-si-dent
Click to reveal
safety
SAYF-tee
Click to reveal
| Subject | Verb 'to be' | Main Verb (-ing) | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | was | working | I was working. |
| He/She/It | was | talking | She was talking. |
| You/We/They | were | waiting | They were waiting. |
Practice
Choose the correct form.
When the power cut happened, I (write) an email.
My colleague ___ a client when the fire alarm rang.
They (discuss) the new project when the computers shut down.
What ___ you doing when the incident started?
The team (prepare) for the presentation when the lights went out suddenly.
She ___ a brochure at her booth when the system had an outage.
We (check) the samples when the **accident** happened.