Understanding the Past Continuous (Progressive) Tense

The past continuous tense (also known as the past progressive tense) is used to describe actions or situations that were ongoing or in progress at a particular time in the past. It emphasizes the process or duration of the action.

1. Structure of the Past Continuous Tense

Affirmative Sentences:

The past continuous is formed with the past tense of the verb "to be" (was/were) + the base verb + -ing (the present participle).

• Example: I was reading a book last night.

Example sentence structure:
Subject + was/were + Verb (-ing) + Object

• He was watching TV at 8 p.m.

• They were playing soccer when it started to rain.

Negative Sentences:

To make a negative sentence, use was/were + not + verb (-ing).

• Example: She wasn’t studying at 7 p.m.

• Example: They weren’t waiting for the bus when I saw them.

Example sentence structure:
Subject + was/were + not + Verb (-ing) + Object

• I wasn’t working last weekend.

• We weren’t eating when the phone rang.

Interrogative Sentences (Questions):

To form questions, use was/were at the beginning of the sentence, followed by the subject and the verb (-ing).

• Example: Were you listening to music yesterday?

• Example: Was he talking on the phone when I called?

Example question structure:
Was/Were + Subject + Verb (-ing) + Object?

• Was she studying for the exam at 10 p.m.?

• Were they playing football when it started raining?

2. When to Use the Past Continuous Tense

• Actions in progress at a specific time in the past:

  • At 9 o’clock last night, I was watching a movie. (The action was happening at 9 p.m.)

• Parallel actions in the past (two or more actions happening at the same time):

  • While I was cooking, he was setting the table.

• Interrupted actions in the past (when a shorter action interrupts a longer action):

  • I was walking to work when it started raining.

  • She was studying when the phone rang.

• Describing background situations in the past:

  • It was raining, and people were running for cover.

3. Examples of Past Continuous Tense

• I was reading a book at 10 p.m. last night.
  (This emphasizes the action of reading, which was happening at that specific time.)

• They were traveling to Paris when they lost their luggage.
  (The action of traveling was ongoing when another event happened.)

• He was studying all day yesterday.
  (The focus is on the ongoing nature of studying, with no mention of when it started or finished.)

• We were having dinner when the power went out.
  (The action of eating dinner was interrupted by the power cut.)

4. Common Time Expressions Used with the Past Continuous

• At that time

• While

• When

• Yesterday at this time

• All day/night/week

• At 5 o’clock yesterday

• At that moment

Examples:

• She was sleeping when I called her.

• They were talking while waiting for the bus.

• At 10 p.m., I was watching TV.

5. Practice Exercises

Exercise 1: Fill in the blanks with the correct past continuous form of the verb in parentheses.

1. I ________ (read) a book at 7 p.m. last night.

2. He ________ (not, work) when I called him.

3. While we ________ (watch) a movie, the lights went out.

4. They ________ (play) soccer when it started raining.

5. She ________ (study) for the exam all night.

Exercise 2: Correct the mistakes in these sentences.

1. I was playing soccer when he call me.

2. He were reading when the teacher entered.

3. We wasn’t eating when the phone rang.

4. They was watching a movie at 9 p.m.

5. I wasn’t working yesterday when you called.

Exercise 3: Write questions in the past continuous tense.

1. (you, sleep) when I knocked on your door?

2. (they, play) tennis at 10 a.m. yesterday?

3. (she, study) when you visited her?

4. (we, eat) when the phone rang?

5. (he, watch) TV when the power went off?