Past Continuous Tense
📘 Past Continuous Tense
The Past Continuous Tense is used to describe:
- Actions that were in progress at a specific moment in the past
- Two actions happening at the same time
- A longer action interrupted by a shorter one
- Background situations in stories
✅ Positive Sentences
Formula:
Subject + was/were + verb + -ing
| Subject | was/were | Verb + -ing | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| I / He / She / It | was | sleeping | She was sleeping at 10 p.m. |
| You / We / They | were | playing | They were playing football. |
❌ Negative Sentences
Formula:
Subject + was/were + not + verb + -ing
| Subject | was/were + not | Verb + -ing | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | was not (wasn’t) | working | I wasn’t working yesterday. |
| They | were not (weren’t) | talking | They weren’t talking to me. |
❔ Questions
Formula:
Was/Were + subject + verb + -ing?
| Was/Were | Subject | Verb + -ing | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Was | he/she/it | crying | Was he crying at that time? |
| Were | you/we/they | sleeping | Were they sleeping at 11? |
⏱️ Common Time Expressions
- At 5 o’clock
- Yesterday at this time
- While
- When
- All day / all night
🔸 Example:
- I was studying while it was raining.
- He was watching TV at 8 p.m.
- When I arrived, they were eating dinner.
⚡ Past Continuous + Simple Past
Use Past Continuous for the long action, and Simple Past for the short interrupting action.
🧠 Example:
- I was reading a book when she called.
- They were playing football when it started to rain.
✍️ Example Sentences
- She was cooking when the lights went out.
- We were not sleeping at midnight.
- What were you doing yesterday at 7?
- Was it raining when you left?