Understanding Past Continuous Tense

The past continuous tense (also called the past progressive tense) is used to talk about actions that were happening at a specific time in the past. These actions were ongoing or in progress.

How to Form the Past Continuous Tense

Structure: Subject + was/were + verb-ing

  • Use was with I, he, she, it
  • Use were with you, we, they

Examples:

  • I was reading a book yesterday evening.
  • They were playing football when it started raining.

When to Use the Past Continuous Tense

  1. To describe actions that were in progress at a specific time in the past:
    • At 7 PM yesterday, I was having dinner.
  2. To describe actions that were in progress when something else happened:
    • I was studying when my friend called.
  3. To describe two actions happening at the same time in the past:
    • While I was cooking, my sister was setting the table.
  4. To describe background actions in a story:
    • The sun was shining and birds were singing.

Key Learning Points

Remember these important points about the past continuous tense:

  1. It always uses a form of ‘to be’ (was/were) + the present participle (-ing form) of the main verb.
  2. It describes actions that were in progress at a specific time in the past.
  3. It is often used together with the simple past tense to show that a shorter action interrupted a longer action.
  4. Time expressions often used with the past continuous include: while, when, as, at 8 PM yesterday, all day/night, etc.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

  1. Don’t confuse “was” and “were”:
    • Incorrect: They was playing.
    • Correct: They were playing.
  2. Don’t forget the -ing ending:
    • Incorrect: She was play with her toys.
    • Correct: She was playing with her toys.
  3. Don’t use the past continuous for completed actions:
    • Incorrect: I was buying a new bicycle yesterday. (if the action is completed)
    • Correct: I bought a new bicycle yesterday.

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Worksheet on Past Continuous Tense