A hobby is a favourite pastime of a person. Hobbies differ like tastes. If you have chosen a hobby to your liking, lucky you are: you have made your life more interesting.
Numerous hobbies can be subdivided into four large classes: doing things, making things, collecting things, and learning things.
The most popular of all hobby groups is doing things. It includes a wide variety of activities, everything from gardening to travelling and from chess to volleyball. Gardening is one of the oldest man’s hobbies, especially in some countries (Britain, for example). A relatively new hobby which is becoming more popular is computer games.
Making things includes drawing, painting, making sculpture, designing costumes, and handicrafts. Some hobbyists write music. Two of the most famous hobby painters were President Eisenhower and Sir Winston Churchill.
Almost everyone collects something at some period in his life: stamps, coins, matchboxes, books, records, postcards,, toys, watches. Some collections have no real value. Others become so large and so valuable that they are housed in museums and galleries. Many world-famous collections started in a small way with one or two items. People with a good deal of money often collect paintings, rare books and other art objects. Often such private collections are given to museums, libraries and public galleries so that others might take pleasure in seeing them.
No matter what kind of hobby a person has, he always has the opportunity of learning from it. By reading about the things he is interested in, he is adding to what he knows. Learning things can be the most exciting aspect of a hobby.
. What were you doing (Past Continuous) when I called (Past Simple) you?
2. They were cleaning (Past Continuous)the windows when it started (Past Simple) to rain.
3. Nora was riding (Past Continuous) her bicycle when she noticed (Past Simple)a nice kitten.
4. While I was doing (Past Continuous)my homework the telephone rang (Past Simple).
5. While we were washing (Past Continuous)the floor we found (Past Simple)a key.
6. He heard (Past Simple)a loud noise when he was sitting (Past Continuous)in the garden.
7. Linda was typing (Past Continuous)a letter when her boss arrived (Past Simple).
8. Melany was cooking(Past Continuous) dinner when her husband came (Past Simple) home.
9. When he was driving (Past Continuous)to work, he remembered (Past Simple)that his briefcase was (Past Simple) still at home.
10. Kelly was looking (Past Continuous) out of the window when she saw Mike.
