Is it just me or is there something wrong in this exercise?

[nas2000]

Hi guys, It's been a while since my last post. I can't help but share with you what I think about the brand new course called "Cambridge English Prepare!" I guess I wasn't prepared for this:

Choose the correct verb.
1. I made / held a face when you took my photo.
2. My parents shook / waived hands with the teacher when they left.

In my opinion the actual meanings of the sentences don't really help students understand the difference between the use of the Past Simple and the Past Progressive. Even my co-workers don't see it the way I do.

[adwise43]

In my opinion the actual meanings of the sentences don't really help students understand the difference between the use of the Past Simple and the Past Progressive.

They really don't, for they were constructed not for the purpose of grammatical education. Nevertheless, you can ask students to alter these sentences after they choose the correct verbs.

1. I made a face / was making faces when you took my photo.
2. My parents shook hands with the teacher when / before they left.
My parents were shaking hands with the teacher when I entered the classroom.
When / after I entered the classroom, my parents shook hands with the teacher and turned their faces towards me.

[nas2000]

Thanks, adwise43. I think the initial idea of the writer was to offer the following two alternatives: the present simple or the present continuous. Something like this:
1. I made / was making a face when you took my photo.
2. My parents shook hands with the teacher when they left / were leaving.
But what he came up with is odd and totally inconsistent with the theme of the lesson.

However there's another reason why I wanted to discuss it here. My co-workers and I did not agree on the meanings of the sentences.
I made a face when you took my picture. (What's the meaning? I made a face after the picture was taken. or It was taken when I was making a face?)
My parents shook hands with the teacher when they left the building. (Did they shake hands outside??? or Did they shake hands when they were leaving?

[adwise43]

However there's another reason why I wanted to discuss it here. My co-workers and I did not agree on the meanings of the sentences.
I made a face when you took my picture. (What's the meaning? I made a face after the picture was taken. or It was taken when I was making a face?)
My parents shook hands with the teacher when they left the building. (Did they shake hands outside??? or Did they shake hands when they were leaving?

As for me, it is quite evident that a person made a face to spoil a shot, but was not caught while making faces. So he did it at that very moment.
From the other sentence one can conclude that the parents shook hands on their way out. So we need some indicator of the order of actions here: shook hands before leaving, shook hands and left, or smth. else. This example is surely ill-conceived, I think.

[nas2000]

We can use time conjunctions (when, before, after, as soon as) to talk about about actions that happen one after the other. In our sentences it's WHEN. So we don't need BEFORE or AFTER to make it clear what action happened first. The use of the past simple in both parts means that one COMPLETE action followed another. This is how I see it:

She stuck out her tongue at him when he took her picture. (because she didnt like it)
My parents shook hands with the teacher when they left the principal's office. (because they didn't want to do it in front of the principal)

[nas2000]

Here we go again!!! This time it's English File Pre-Intermedite (third edition).

My mobile phone lost the signal when we went through the tunnel.

What's the meaning of the sentence? Did I lose the signal after we left the tunnel or before that?

[adwise43]

Michael Swan - Practical English Usage - 3rd edition (2005)
424 Past Perfect (2): advanced points (424.1)

[nas2000]

I saw that part. Thanks. WHEN is a tricky conjunction indeed. With all due respect to MSwan his definition is a bit misleading. Does "the past simple suggest that the first action leads into the other" in the following sentence:

When we arrived at the station the train left.

[nas2000]

-

[nas2000]

I got a comment from a British guy that I can't agree with. Here it is:
My parents shook hands with the teacher when they left the principal's office.
The use of 'when' indicates the action was done concurrent with the leaving. For them to have shaken hands outside of the office the indicator needed would be 'after they left the principal's office.' When always indicates actions concurrent when used in this way.

???

And this is what I found in A Practical English Grammar by AJThomson and AVMartinet, Oxford University Press, 2003:

[adwise43]

So, you found out that the combination when + Past Simple used in subordinate clause of time can convey an action before, at or after that mentioned in principal one. I believe, you can deliberately put such constructions into your speech to learn if your co-workers understand you well as they told you.

[nas2000]

Yes, a time clause with WHEN can introduce the first of two actions, the second of two actions and it can be used to talk about two simultaneous actions. The choice of tenses in the main clauses makes a difference to the meaning.
When I arrived, she had left.
When I arrived, she was leaving.
When I arrived, she left.

Obviously the past simple is used in both clauses when one actions comes after the other.