One afternoon I went upstairs to have a bath. As I was getting into the bath, the telephone rang in the hall. I was expecting an important call, so I ran downstairs. There was nobody else at home, so I didn't get dressed again. However, while I was standing in the hall with nothing on, I heard voices outside the front door. It was my teenage daughter and her friends, but I couldn't get back upstairs in time . I put down the phone, ran into the living room and hid behind the curtains. Unfortunately, the window cleaner was cleaning the living room windows. When I suddenly appeared , the poor man fell out his ladder. Fortunately, when my daughter and her friends heard the noise, they ran outside. When I looked  out of the window, they were helping the window cleaner. So I went upstairs and put on a dressing gown. Luckily, the window cleaner wasn't hurt, but it was all very embarrassing.

->để thuật lại câu chuyện,  ta dùng thì past progressive để mô tả background scene (bối cảnh), hoặc sự việc đang diễn ra lúc đó, và dùng thì past simple cho events & actions (sự kiện & hành động)

Ex:

I was standing outside the bus station. It was getting late and I was feeling tired.I was waiting for a man called Johnny Mars. Suddenly, a woman came round the c >orner and walked right up to me. " Are you Mr Marlowe?" she asked.

lưu ý : 

- 2 hoặc nhiều hành động , sự việc xảy ra liên tiếp trong quá khứ, ta dùng past simple. 

Ex : When we saw Tom last night, we stopped the car.

Yesterday morning , John got up at 6.30, had breakfast,and then went to school at 7 o'clock.

- 2 hành động xảy ra trong quá khứ, hành động nào đang diễn ra kéo dài ,ta dùng thì past progressive, hành động ngắn chen vào, ta dùng past simple

Ex : When I was having dinner last night, my friend came

giải thích bài đọc:

-One afternoon I went upstairs ... > hành động -> ta dùng past simple

- As I was getting into the bath >bối cảnh câu chuyện

->ta dùng thì past progressive

-the telephone rang > sự kiện -> ta dùng past simple

lưu ý :

As I was getting into the bath, the telephone rang  in the hall

-> câu này có thể giải thích là ,2 hành xảy ra trong quá khứ, hành động kéo dài (cũng là bối cảnh trong bài đọc này), ta dùng past progressive, hành động ngắn chen vào, ta dùng past simple

-I was expecting an important call, 

>bối cảnh câu chuyện->ta dùng thì past progressive

- I ran downstairs > hành động -> ta dùng past simple

phần còn lại thì bạn có hiểu tương tự theo những gì tôi đã giải thích và lưu ý như trên. chúc bạn học tốt nhé !