Past Continuous

Past Continuous

Sometimes called Past Progressive, the Past Continuous is one of the verb forms associated with the Past Tense in English.

Quick Example

• You were studying English while I was eating.
• You were not studying English while I was eating.
• Were you studying English while I was eating?

Form

I – you – he – she – it – we – you – they
to be (was / were) + infinitive + -ing

To be (Simple Past): was / were
Present Participle: The form of a verb ending in -ing.

Common Signal Words

• While
• When
• Always
• Constantly
• For hours
• All evening
• All week

Use

The Past Continuous is a verb tense used to express:

1. Interrupted or Continued Action in the Past.
2. Actions that were in Progress During a Period of Time in the Past.
3. Describe Parallel Actions in the Past.
4. Repetition or Frequency of an Action in the Past.

1. Interrupted or Continuous Action in the Past

Use Past Continuous when an action was happening in the past and got interrupted, usually we use it in combination with Simple Past.

• I was working when John showed up.
• He was playing soccer with his friends when his mom called him to go home.
• I wasn’t studying when the lights went off.
• They were listening to the radio when it broke.
• I was talking when she interrupted me.
• She was walking her dog when she met Paul.

2. Actions that were in Progress During a Period of Time in the Past

We use Past Continuous to say that something was happening or we were doing something for a period of time in the past.

• My sister was living in Florida last year.
• I was playing video game all morning yesterday.
• You were studying all week, weren’t you?
• Were you working all weekend?
• What were you doing yesterday?
• At 10pm yesterday we were at the airport.

3. Describe Parallel Actions in the Past

• I was talking to my mom while she was cooking.
• They were watching the news while they were eating dinner.
• I was working on this presentation while I was flying to Chicago.

4. Repetition or Frequency of an Action in the Past.

We use Past Continuous to emphasize the frequency or repetition of a an action that happened in the past.

• She was always forgetting her keys somewhere.
• The baby was always crying for no apparent reason.
• I was constantly telling you to study more.
• He was always coming to work late.
• He was always complaining about his phone plan.

Examples

Past Continuous using Work (Regular Verb)

Affirmative	Negative	Interrogative
I was working.	I wasn’t working.	Was I working?
You were working.	You weren’t working.	Were you working?
He was working.	He wasn’t working.	Was he working?
She was working.	She wasn’t working.	Was she working?
It was working.	It wasn’t working.	Was it working?
You were working.	You weren’t working.	Were you working?
We were working.	We weren’t working.	Were we working?
They were working.	They weren’t working.	Were they working?

Past Continuous using Go (Irregular Verb)

Affirmative	Negative	Interrogative
I was going.	I wasn’t going.	Was I going?
You were going.	You weren’t going.	Were you going?
He was going.	He wasn’t going.	Was he going?
She was going.	She wasn’t going.	Was she going?
It was going.	It wasn’t going.	Was it going?
You were going.	You weren’t going.	Were you going?
We were going.	We weren’t going.	Were we going?
They were going.	They weren’t going.	Were they going?

Past Continuous using Study (Regular Verb)

Affirmative	Negative	Interrogative
I was studying.	I wasn’t studying.	Was I studying?
You were studying.	You weren’t studying.	Were you studying?
He was studying.	He wasn’t studying.	Was he studying?
She was studying.	She wasn’t studying.	Was she studying?
It was studying.	It wasn’t studying.	Was it studying?
You were studying.	You weren’t studying.	Were you studying?
We were studying.	We weren’t studying.	Were we studying?
They were studying.	They weren’t studying.	Were they studying?

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