🎯 Objective
To help learners master the formation and usage of the past continuous tense in affirmative, negative, and question forms, understanding when and why to use it for ongoing past actions.
📖 Grammar Focus
The past continuous tense describes actions that were in progress at a specific time in the past or were interrupted by another action. It emphasizes the ongoing nature of past activities.
| Form | Structure | Example | Usage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Affirmative | Subject + was/were + verb-ing | I was studying at 8 PM. | Ongoing past actions |
| Negative | Subject + wasn't/weren't + verb-ing | She wasn't working yesterday. | Actions not happening |
| Yes/No Questions | Was/Were + subject + verb-ing? | Were you sleeping at midnight? | Asking about past actions |
| WH-Questions | WH-word + was/were + subject + verb-ing? | What were you doing yesterday? | Specific information |
| With Past Simple | was/were + verb-ing + when + past simple | I was cooking when he called. | Interrupted actions |
📚 Step-by-Step Guide: Mastering Past Continuous
Understanding Past Continuous
What is Past Continuous? It shows actions that were in progress at a specific time in the past, emphasizing the duration or ongoing nature of the activity rather than its completion.
Time Focus: The action was happening "around" a specific past time, not necessarily starting or ending at that moment.
Formation Rules
1. ✅ Affirmative Formation
Structure: Subject + was/were + verb-ing
Was: I, he, she, it
Were: you, we, they
Examples: I was reading. They were playing football.
2. ❌ Negative Formation
Structure: Subject + was not/were not + verb-ing
Contractions: wasn't, weren't
Examples: She wasn't listening. We weren't working.
Common error: Don't use "didn't" with past continuous
3. ❓ Question Formation
Yes/No: Was/Were + subject + verb-ing?
WH-Questions: WH-word + was/were + subject + verb-ing?
Examples: Were you studying? / What were you doing?
Short answers: Yes, I was. / No, I wasn't.
4. 📝 Spelling Rules for -ing
Regular: work → working, play → playing
Silent 'e': make → making, write → writing
Double consonant: run → running, stop → stopping
-ie ending: lie → lying, die → dying
Key Uses of Past Continuous
1. Actions in Progress at a Specific Past Time:
- At 9 PM last night, I was watching TV.
- Yesterday at this time, we were having dinner.
- What were you doing at 3 o'clock yesterday?
2. Interrupted Actions (with Past Simple):
- I was studying when the phone rang.
- While she was cooking, the doorbell rang.
- They were playing football when it started to rain.
3. Two Simultaneous Past Actions:
- While I was reading, my brother was playing games.
- She was cooking while he was cleaning the house.
- The children were playing while the adults were talking.
4. Temporary Past Situations:
- Last month, I was living with my parents.
- She was working part-time during her studies.
- We were staying at a hotel near the beach.
5. Repeated Actions (with "always"):
- He was always complaining about the weather.
- She was constantly checking her phone.
- They were forever arguing about money.
Time Expressions with Past Continuous
✅ Common Time Expressions:
- Specific times: at 8 PM, at that time, at noon
- During periods: all morning, all day, all night
- While clauses: while I was..., while she was...
- When clauses: when he called, when it happened
- Yesterday: yesterday morning, yesterday at 5 PM
- Last week/month: last Tuesday at 3 PM
❌ Don't Use With:
- State verbs: know, believe, understand, like
- Completed actions: "I was finishing" (use past simple)
- Number of times: "I was going three times" (use past simple)
- Permanent situations: "I was being tall" (impossible)
- Quick actions: "I was arriving" (use past simple)
Past Continuous vs Past Simple
Key Differences:
| Past Continuous | Past Simple |
|---|---|
| Process/Duration | Completed Action |
| I was eating dinner | I ate dinner |
| Background action | Main action/Interruption |
| I was reading when... | ...the phone rang |
Combined Usage Examples:
- Background + Interruption: I was sleeping when the alarm went off.
- Setting + Event: The sun was shining when we left the house.
- Sequence: While I was waiting, I read a magazine.
Common Mistakes and Corrections
Frequent Errors:
- ❌ Wrong auxiliary: I did working → ✅ I was working
- ❌ Missing -ing: She was cook → ✅ She was cooking
- ❌ Wrong negative: I didn't working → ✅ I wasn't working
- ❌ State verbs: I was knowing → ✅ I knew
- ❌ Question form: What you were doing? → ✅ What were you doing?
🧩 Task: Complete the Past Continuous Sentences
Transform the given information into correct past continuous sentences (affirmative, negative, or questions).
📝 Complete the sentences using past continuous:
1. Transform: "John / study / at 8 PM last night" → (Affirmative)
2. Transform: "They / not watch / TV / when I called" → (Negative)
3. Transform: "What / you / do / yesterday at this time?" → (Question)
4. Complete: "While I _______ (cook), my husband _______ (read) the newspaper."
5. Correct the error: "She didn't working when the boss arrived."
1. ✅ Write the affirmative past continuous sentence:
2. ✅ Write the negative past continuous sentence:
3. ✅ Write the past continuous question:
4. ✅ Complete the sentence with appropriate past continuous verbs:
5. ✅ Correct the grammatical error:
✅ Answer Key & Explanation
1. ✅ Affirmative Sentence:
Answer: "John was studying at 8 PM last night."
Structure: Subject (John) + was (singular) + verb-ing (studying) + time expression
Usage: Describes an action in progress at a specific past time
2. ✅ Negative Sentence:
Answer: "They weren't watching TV when I called." OR "They were not watching TV when I called."
Structure: Subject (They) + weren't (negative plural) + verb-ing (watching) + when clause
Usage: Shows what was NOT happening when something else occurred
3. ✅ Question Form:
Answer: "What were you doing yesterday at this time?"
Structure: WH-word (What) + were (auxiliary) + you (subject) + doing (verb-ing) + time
Usage: Asks for specific information about past ongoing actions
4. ✅ Complete the Sentence:
Answer: "While I was cooking, my husband was reading the newspaper."
Structure: Two simultaneous past continuous actions connected by "while"
Usage: Shows two actions happening at the same time in the past
5. ✅ Error Correction:
Corrected: "She wasn't working when the boss arrived."
Error explained: "Didn't working" mixes past simple negative (didn't) with past continuous (-ing). Past continuous negative uses "wasn't/weren't + verb-ing"
Rule: Never use "didn't" with past continuous tense
🏆 Additional Examples and Practice
Story Context - Past Continuous in Action:
Yesterday was a busy day:
- At 7 AM, I was getting ready for work.
- My wife was making breakfast while I was showering.
- The children weren't sleeping anymore - they were playing in their room.
- When I left the house, it was raining heavily.
- I was driving to work when I remembered I had forgotten my laptop.
- All my colleagues were already working when I arrived.
Question and Answer Practice:
Q: What were you doing at 10 PM last night?
A: I was watching a movie with my family.
Q: Were you sleeping when I called?
A: No, I wasn't. I was studying for my exam.
Q: Who was cooking dinner yesterday?
A: My mother was cooking while my father was setting the table.
Interrupted Actions - Classic Pattern:
- I was reading a book when the phone rang.
- She was walking to school when it started to rain.
- We were having dinner when the lights went out.
- The students were taking the test when the fire alarm sounded.
- He was playing football when he injured his leg.
Descriptive Past Continuous (Setting the Scene):
- The sun was shining and birds were singing.
- People were walking in the park and children were playing.
- The wind was blowing and leaves were falling from the trees.
- Music was playing softly in the background.
Advanced Usage - Criticism with "Always":
- She was always complaining about the weather. (criticism)
- He was constantly interrupting during meetings. (annoyance)
- They were forever arguing about money. (frustration)
- My neighbor was always playing loud music. (complaint)
Quick Formation Review:
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Positive | was/were + verb-ing | I was working |
| Negative | wasn't/weren't + verb-ing | I wasn't working |
| Question | Was/Were + subject + verb-ing? | Were you working? |