affirmative form Past continuous tense formed with an auxiliary verb to be in the simple past tense (Simple Past / Past Indefinite - was, were) and participle I (Participle I) of the main verb (i.e. infinitive + ending -ing).
was, were + Participle I
I was working at 6 p.m. I worked at six o'clock in the evening.
We were reading. We read.
Interrogative form Past Continuous is formed by rearranging the auxiliary verb and the subject of the affirmative form - the auxiliary verb is placed before the subject.
was he working? He worked?
Were you reading? Did you read?
| Was I cooking? | Were we cooking? |
| Were you cooking? | Were you cooking? |
| Was he/she/it cooking? | Were they cooking? |
In the negative form, it is possible to use abbreviated forms (only the negation of not is abbreviated):
I wasn't working.
We weren't reading.
Use
Past Continuous is used:
- 1. To express a continued action that took place at a certain moment in the past. The moment of the action may be clear from the context or indicated:
a) the exact indication of the time: at 6 o’clock (yesterday) - (yesterday) at 6 o'clock, at that moment - at that moment, at that time - while etc.
We were reading newspapers at 7 o'clock (yesterday). At seven o'clock (yesterday) we were reading the papers.
At that time I was talking with my friend over the telephone. At the time, I was talking to my friend on the phone.
b) to express an action that began (but did not end) before another action expressed in Simple Past / Past Indefinite, and was still ongoing at the time of the action expressed in Simple Past.
They were playing when the teacher came in. They were playing when the teacher came in.
The teacher came in when they were playing. The teacher came in while they were playing.
- 2. To express excessive duration of action with expressions such as: all day long - all day, all the time - all the time, the whole day - all day, from 10 till 12 - from 10 am to 12 pm, during - during and etc.
They were working the whole day.
They worked all day.
- 3. In descriptions - to describe the development of an action or the environment against which the event takes place.
A girl was playing the piano and (was) singing softly to herself. Suddenly there was a knock at the door. The girl stopped playing. The cat woke up…
The girl played the piano and sang softly. Suddenly there was a knock at the door. The girl stopped playing. The cat woke up...
- 4. With an adverb always to express a repetitive action that is already annoying, annoying the speaker.
My mother was always saying not to come late. My mom always told me not to come in late.
Was not always ringing me up after his work. He always called me after work. (I'm sick of you.)
Compare:
Not always rank me up after his work.
The use of Past Indefinite (Simple Past) changes the emotional attitude of the speaker to what was happening, is perceived by him as an ordinary, normal phenomenon, action-fact and is translated: He always called me after work.
- 5. To express gradually developing actions, events, even if the time is not indicated (the time for the development of the action is clear from the context).
It was getting dark. It was getting dark.
The wind was rising. The wind was up.
- 6. In questions about time spent, using the Past Continuous is a more polite form of question or answer than Simple Past/Past Indefinite.
What were you doing during your summer vacation?
What did you do during summer holidays?
(This sounds more polite than "What did you do during your summer vacation?")
Note
The Past Continuous Tense is used only to express clearly continued, continuous actions in the past. If the action was interrupted or it is said how many times it was performed, Simple Past / Past Indefinite is used.
Tom washed both cars. Tom washed both cars. (First I washed one car, then another.)
I talked to Tom several times. I spoke to Tom several times.
But: If the actions took place in parallel, i.e. simultaneously, then you can also use Past Continuous Tense.
What were you doing in the afternoon? What did you do after dinner?
I was doing shopping and walking the dog. I shopped and walked the dog.
The Past Continuous is usually translated as an imperfective verb in the past tense.
The subjunctive mood in English is a form of a verb that expresses a desire, an assumption, a doubt, or the unreality of performing an action. In Russian, this is expressed by verbs in the past tense in combination with the particle “by” (to, if, etc.).
In this lesson we will analyze the topic "Past continuous in English". For most, this topic causes certain difficulties, however, if you study it in detail, it turns out that there is nothing complicated about it. You just need to carefully read the material presented and learn the basic rules. The British language is rich in tense forms, it is necessary to know each to master the grammar. Together with you, we will go over topics such as the meaning of the past continuous in speech and the basic rules of education, as well as the main differences from other temporary forms. So we start.
This part of speech is one of the tenses from the Continuous group. Means the past long time. In principle, both in oral and in written speech, it is not used very often, as a rule, in indirect speech , however, it should be studied. But, thanks to the past continuous, a story or description of an action in the past becomes deeper and more effective.
Past continuous tense describes an action that has already happened in the past. A distinctive feature of this tense is that it expresses an action that has a long time interval in the past. A process that lasted a certain period of time, and it may not have ended yet.
I was taking a bath when the phone rang. - I was taking a bath when the phone rank. In this case, I was taking a bath is an action that happened in the past when the phone rang . We do not know when the character started to take a bath and for how long he did it, however, we received information that it was at the moment of taking a bath that the phone rang. The first part of the sentence is used in Past Continuous, the second part in Past Simple (simple past tense).
Many native speakers use the action in the Past Simple form.
For example,
- when I returned - when I returned; when the phone rang - when the phone rang.
Or with the help of pointer words, which speak of the exact time.
For instance,
- yesterday at this time - yesterday at this time, last night at 8 p.m. - last night at 8 o'clock.
It is necessary to analyze in more detail the differences between these temporary forms.
What is the difference between Past Continuous and Past Simple
Translated into Russian, Past means "past" and shows us that the action was committed in the past. Continuous is translated as "long". In the past tense, this tells us that some action began a long time ago, lasted a certain period of time, and has already been completed by now. This tense form is often used in indirect speech.
Using the past continuous tense, we emphasize the duration of an action in the past. Past Simple, on the other hand, is used by us when it is necessary to say about something as a fact that took place in the past. You should look at the examples for better assimilation of the material.
- Past Continuous: I was talking to her for 3 hours. I spoke to her for three hours.
- Past Simple: I talked to her. - I talked to her.
In the first case, we built a construction that speaks of a process that lasted a certain period of time (in this case, 3 hours). In other words, we put the emphasis on exactly how long the action took place. In addition, emotion is invested in the construction we have built, and not just a list of actions.
In the second example, we are just talking about a fact. It can be used to describe any other activity: I ate, I slept, I had breakfast, I went to bed, I learned a foreign language, and so on.
How is the past continuous tense formed?
The formation of the past continuous occurs with the help of several verbs. Formula: the verb to be and the main verb with the ending ing (present participle). It should be noted that in this case only the verb to be changes. It is put in the past tense were or was. The table below shows the designs.
The construction that is formed using the Past Continuous:
- She was working on this article from 8 to 11 - She was working on this article from 8 to 11.
- I was thinking of you, when you came in - I thought about you when you came in.
- My boss was yelling at me this morning - My boss yelled at me this morning.
Formation of the interrogative form in the past continuous tense
When composing questions in the past continuous, the auxiliary verb was (were) is put in the first place, then the subject comes and completes the main verb. Consider the examples in the table below:
Some interrogative sentences, including in indirect speech, with this tense form:
- Were they playing chess this morning? - Did they play chess in the morning?
- Was you cooking when I called? - Were you cooking (food) when I called?
Formation of the negative form in the past continuous
At education negative proposals in the past continuous and progressive formations, the particle not is placed between the auxiliary and main verbs.
When used in colloquial speech, was and were can be combined with not, resulting in abbreviated forms.
For instance, You weren't talking. She wasn't writing.
Variants of negative sentences with past continuous tense:
We weren't trying to insult you, we were just discussing your opinion.- We didn't try to offend you, we just discussed your point of view.
Don't interrupt me, I wasn't talking to you. Don't interrupt me, I wasn't talking to you.
The question and the positive answer to it will look like this:
The question and the negative answer to it in the formed group of continuous forms of the past progressive will look like this:
Words indicating a long time
The past long tense in English is often used with common phrases:
- all day long - all day;
- all the time - all the time;
- all day yesterday - all day yesterday;
- the whole morning - the whole morning;
- from 5 to 7 p.m. - from 5 to 7.
They help us to understand that we have an extended period of time before us.
For example,
- I was painting all day yesterday. I was painting all day yesterday.
- They were reading from 5 till 9 p.m. They read from five to nine in the evening.
- He was working the whole morning. He has been working all morning.
Please note that in all examples, special pointer words come last.
Use of special question words
If we use the following interrogative words in a question, they require after themselves that the form of the past continuous is formed:
- What - what;
- Where - where;
- Who - who;
- Which - which one;
- Why - why.
These words must be placed in a specific order. Then the word order is as in a regular question.
Scheme: question word + was/were + the one in question + verb + -ing.
For instance:
- What were they reading? What did they read?
- Why was he studying whole morning? Why did he study all morning?
Using When and While
When and While are translated into Russian as "when". When we talk about the past, when is followed by a verb in the Past Simple tense. After the while is the form of the past continuous. While is used in the meaning of "while", "while".
For example:
- While I was studying, she called. - When I was studying, she called. (Underlined what I did.)
- I was studying when she called. I was studying when she called. (It is emphasized that she called).
Mixed Verbs/Non-Continuous Verbs
Remember that non-continuous verbs are not used in Continuous tenses. In addition, some meanings of verbs from the mixed group are also not used in a long time. They are used with Past Simple.
For example:
Invalid option: Jane was being at my house when you arrived.
Correct option: Jane was at my house when you arrived. Jane was at my house when you came.
All verbs that are not used in this tense form
Verbs that express states, emotions and mental processes are not used not only in the past form, but also in all forms of the continuous group. These include:
- to know - to know (I don`t know - I don’t know);
- to fit - fit, fit (The coat fits her well - her coat is just right);
- to astonish - amaze, amaze;
- to disagree - disagree, disagree (I disagree with you = I disagree with you);
- to impress - to impress;
- to promise - promise (I promise I`ll do it = I promise I will do it);
- to understand - understand;
- to want - want;
- to believe - to believe;
- to love - to love;
- to like - like;
- to hate - to hate;
- to forget - forget;
- to remember - remember;
- to possess - to possess;
- to seem - to seem;
- to appear - to appear;
- to notice - notice;
- to wish - wish;
- to desire - to desire;
- to adore - to adore;
- to envy - to envy;
- to fear - to be afraid;
- to forgive - to forgive;
- to hear - to hear;
- to see - see;
- to taste - to have a taste;
- to smell - smell;
- to feel - feel;
- to consist - consist;
- to contain - contain;
- to need - need;
- to prefer - prefer;
- to belong - to belong;
- to realize - realize, understand;
- to suppose - to believe, to think, to suppose;
- to mean - mean, mean (What do you mean? - What do you mean?);
- to have - to have;
- to think - consider, believe;
- to recognize - recognize (in person);
- to agree - agree;
- to refuse - refuse;
- to doubt - to doubt;
- to satisfy - satisfy;
- to deny - deny;
- to resemble - to resemble, to resemble, to be similar;
- to depend - depend;
- to involve - include (It involves a lot of work - you have to work here);
- to include - include (The price includes breakfast - the price includes breakfast);
- to own - to possess;
- to owe - to be indebted, to be in debt;
- to look - look;
- to miss - to miss;
- to matter - to matter (It doesn`t matter - does not matter);
- to deserve - deserve (He deserves a pat on the back - he deserves praise / approval);
- to respect - respect.
Some of the verbs listed above are sometimes used in the Continuous tense, however, they have a certain connotation.
For example, I'm loving it. - I love it. She is appearing at the club tonight. She is performing at the club today.
The verb to have. In the meaning of "to have" is not used in this tense form, however, it is used to denote an action. For example, I am having a bath. - I am taking a bath.
The verb to think. Meaning "to be in thought". For example, I was thinking to myself - I thought.
The verb to smell. In Continuous only in the meaning of "sniff". For example, I am smelling the rose now - I smell a rose.
The verb to taste. In Continuous meaning "taste". For example, I am tasting the pizza - I'm trying pizza.
Summary table conjugation of verbs in the form under consideration
To organize the material, a summary table is offered to your attention.
| Number | Face | positive form | negative form | Interrogative form |
| The only thing | 1 | I was singing. | I was not singing. | Was I singing? |
| 2 | You were singing. | You were not singing. | Were you singing? | |
| 3 | He was singing. She was singing. |
He wasn't singing. She wasn't singing. It was not singing. |
Was he singing? Was she singing? |
|
| plural | 1 | We were singing. | You were not singing. | Were you singing? |
| 2 | You were singing. | We were not singing. | Were we singing? | |
| 3 | They were singing. | They were not singing. | Were they singing? |
Please note that the rules for the formation of "-ing" - the forms of the verb and the changes that occur in this case in writing, are discussed in the present participle section.
Use of the past continuous tense
Consider the main cases of using the past continuous. Often such a construction can be found in the indirect speech of the interlocutor.
1. This tense form is used when the interlocutors describe an action that happened in the past and lasted for a certain time interval. We don't know when it started, how long it lasts, or whether it happens for this moment or no longer. As a rule, in such constructions there are words that indicate time.
There are 2 options:
- In the compiled design, the specific time when the event occurred is indicated. For this purpose, the following expressions are used:
— at 8 a.m. (at 8 am),
- at 4 o'clock yesterday (yesterday at 4 o'clock),
- at noon (at noon),
- this morning at 5.10 (this morning at 5:10), etc.
For instance, At midnight I was reading a book. At midnight I was reading a book. In this construction, we are talking about the fact that we started reading the book before midnight, probably continued after and at this point in time we continue to do so.
We were reading newspapers at 7 o'clock (yesterday). At seven o'clock (yesterday) we were reading the papers. - The design indicates the period of time when the described events occurred. In this case, apply:
- all day (all day),
- this afternoon (this afternoon),
- this time last month / year (at this time in the last month / year), etc.
For instance, This time last year they were living in Argentina. This time last year they were living in Argentina.
2. The considered temporary form is used when the conversation is about a temporary situation in the past, while the actions did not last long. A specific time period is indicated in the design.
For instance,
- They were living in China for 3 months. They lived in China for 3 months.
3. The past continuous tense in English is used when it comes to 2 actions taking place in the past at the same time. These actions can be combined in constructions with unions while (while, while) and and (and, a).
For instance,
- My girlfriend and I were watching a film and my baby sister was playing with her new doll. My girlfriend and I were watching a movie, and my sister was playing with her new doll.
4. Often the simple past tense and the past continuous tense are used together. In this combination, Past Simple takes on the role of a short single action, and Past Continuous - a long action. In such constructions, a long action is interrupted by a single one. The following unions are used here to combine parts - after (after), when (when), before (before), until (not yet).
For instance,
- I was reading a book when my friend knocked at the door. I was reading a book when my friend knocked on the door. (reading is a long action, my friend knocked and interrupted it, but that's all in the past).
5. In English, the past continuous is formed when the interlocutor tells a story. With its help, you can describe the atmosphere, time.
For instance,
- She came to her friend on Thanksgiving. The guests were sitting on the sofa. They were laughing and chatting. The smell of the roasted turkey was filling the room. Everyone was waiting for the dinner. She came to a friend's house for Thanksgiving. The guests sat on the sofa. They talked and laughed. The aroma of roasted turkey filled the room. Everyone was waiting for dinner.
- A girl was playing the piano and (was) singing softly to herself. Suddenly there was a knock at the door. The girl stopped playing. The cat woke up ... - The girl played the piano and hummed softly. Suddenly there was a knock at the door. The girl stopped playing. The cat woke up...
6. The past continuous tense is used when it comes to the habits that the object of narration has in the past. Such habits can be unpleasant for us, cause irritation and resentment. In such constructions, you can find adverbs constantly (constantly), often (often), always (always, constantly).
For instance,
- We were often being late because of you! We are often late because of you!
7. Also with always, this tense form is used to express repeated actions that bother the speaker.
For instance,
- Was not always ringing me up after his work. He always called me after work. (I'm sick of you.)
For comparison: Not always rank me up after his work. In this case, we used Past Simple, thereby changing the emotional coloring. Now the attitude of the speaker to what is happening is perceived by him as something taken for granted, as a phenomenon related to normal. Translation - He always called me after work.
8. The past continuous is used in conditional sentences of the second type. It is worth noting that it is used much less frequently than Past Simple. Past continuous tense is used when we want to highlight the fact that the action in the past in the condition is continuous. The situation in this construction refers to the future or the present.
For instance,
- If the wind were not blowing hard, we would go yachting. If the wind hadn't been blowing hard, we would have gone sailing on a yacht.
9. The considered temporary form is used to express gradually developing events. Nothing is said about the time of development of events, but everything is clear from the context.
For instance,
- It was getting dark. It was getting dark.
The wind was rising. The wind was up.
10. The long past tense is used when we describe events that were planned but did not take place. The following verbs can be found in the construction - to plan (plan), to mean to (gather, intend), to expect to (expect), to intend to (intend).
For instance,
- They were thinking of buying a house, but then he lost his job and they had to put off their plans. They thought about buying a house, but he lost his job and they had to postpone their plans.
11. The considered form is used in questions when the interlocutor is interested in the time spent. This is a more polite form of answer or question than Past Indefinite.
For instance,
- What were you doing during your summer vacation? What did you do during summer holidays? And for comparison - What did you do during your summer vacation?
12. With the verb to wonder, the construction in question can be used to make a polite form.
For instance,
- I was wondering if you could give me your e-mail address.
This is all we would like to say on the topic of past continuous tense. Learn the theory and come up with your own constructions to consolidate the studied material. And you can also check yourself by doing the past continuous exercises on our website. Knowing the past continuous is necessary to master English in high level. Use the tips that we give you in the form of tables - print them out and hang them in a prominent place.
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In this article, we will look at the past long tense in English. We call all past tenses in English Past Tenses, the difference of which is only in their duration or quality: whether it will be simple past - Past Simple, long past - Past Continuous or past perfect - Past perfect. In this article, let's stop and look at Past Continuous Tense.
Past continuous is a tense that is used to describe a continuous action in the past. Basically, this is a process that lasted at a certain moment or period in the past. The moment of action must be clearly defined, or be understandable in the context of the proposal.
Formation of affirmative sentences in the Past Continuous
When I came to London, it was raining. When I arrived in London, it was raining. Martin was studying history from three till eight o'clock. From three to eight o'clock Martin taught history. Lisa was cooking the pancakes, when I entered the kitchen. Lisa was making pancakes when I entered the kitchen.
Examples of negative sentences in the past continuous tense
He wasn't sleeping all the night. He didn't sleep all night. They weren't having a class at this time yesterday We didn't have a class at this time yesterday. Last year she wasn't eating fat food as she was on diet. Last year she didn't eat fatty food because she was on a diet.
Examples of affirmative sentences in the past continuous tense
Was Kate listening to the professor at the lecture? Did Kate listen to the professor during the lecture? How long were they traveling round Russia? How long did they travel around Russia? What kind of music was George playing when I entered the room? What music was George playing when I entered the room? What were you doing at five o'clock? I was searching the web. What were you doing at five o'clock? Sat on the Internet.
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Using the Past Continuous
Time Indicators (time indicators)
All the time all day long at seven o'clock yesterday the whole Friday during the film from three till eight o'clock
Examples of using sentences in the Past Continuous
I was reading an interesting article at 6 pm yesterday evening. I was reading an interesting article at 6 pm yesterday. My parents were staying in Rome for three months. My parents stayed in Rome for three months. We went to the country. The sun was shining, the birds were singing. We drove out of town. The sun was shining, the birds were singing.
Watch video on Past Continuous tense
The rules for using Past Continuous (Past Progressive Tense, or the past long time) seem quite complicated to many. Actually it is not. Today's lesson will help you understand once and for all when we use the past long tense in English.
The Past Continuous form is formed in almost the same way as the Present Continuous, with the only difference being that the verb to be has the form of the past tense.
Education Past Progressive
The Past Continuous education scheme is as follows:
Let's take the verb to work as an example and conjugate it into the Past Continuous:
The conjugation of any verb will look the same. The difference lies only in the formation of the gerund (ing form). In some cases it will be different.
The past continuous tense describes unfinished (unfinished) actions or events in the past. It's not entirely clear yet, so let's take a closer look.
Use Past Continuous (Past Progressive)
1. Interrupted actions in the past
The Past Continuous Tense is used to show that a continuous action in the past has been interrupted. Since interruption is a relatively short action, it is conveyed through the Past Simple form. The word "interruption" does not always mean the actual termination of the action. Sometimes it means simply the imposition of one event (action) in time on another, when a short action, expressed in Past Simple, breaks into a long, unfinished action, as it were.
When the phone rank, I was writing a letter.- When the phone rang, I was writing a letter.
While Kate was sleeping, someone stole her car. While Kate was sleeping, someone stole her car.
I was waiting for her when she got off the plane.- I was waiting for her (met) when she got off the plane.
When the fire started I was watching television. When the fire started, I was watching TV.
In such cases, it is also possible to specify a specific time:
At six o'clock, I was working. I worked at six o'clock.
Yesterday at 8 PM, we were eating dinner. We had dinner at 8 o'clock yesterday evening.
At midnight, we were still watching TV. We were still watching TV at midnight.
IMPORTANT:
The Simple Past is used when specifying a specific time to show when the action started or ended, but with the Past Continuous the situation is somewhat different. Let's see an example:
Last night at 6 PM, I ate dinner. (I started supper at 6 o'clock.)
Last night at 6 PM, I was eating dinner. (I started dinner earlier, and at 6 o'clock I was in the process.)
2. Parallel events
She was reading while he was making dinner. She was reading while I was preparing dinner.
What were you doing while you were waiting? What were you doing while you were waiting?
When two actions or events in the Past Continuous are indicated in one sentence, this means that these actions (events) occur simultaneously (in parallel).
3. Story in the past tense
Past Continuous can be found in narratives written in the past tense. In this case, any background events are described using this time. Let's see an example:
In the example, you will notice several situations where the Past Continuous is used. As you can see, these are events that have a certain duration (length): the sun was shining, the birds were singing, she was looking for her child, and so on. If you decide to write your own story in English, then this lesson will help you a lot. At the same time, note that in such cases, Past Continuous is used in conjunction with Past Simple.
It can also be said that with the help of the past long time, the so-called atmosphere that reigned in a certain place at a certain time is described.
4. Past habits
Past Progressive is also used when describing any habits (most often annoying) in the past. Words can be indicators of such sentences. always, constantly, forever, at that time, in those days. In Present Continuous there is also such a rule, but for the present time.
He was constantly talking.“He talked all the time.
She was always coming to class late. She was always late for lessons.
I didn't like his friend because he was always complaining. I didn't like his friend because he complained all the time.
5. Finally, we use the past continuous tense when we want to emphasize that some event or action lasted for some long time. This is often indicated by expressions such as all day, all night, for hours etc.
We were working all day.— We worked all day.
I was preparing for the exam all evening. I have been preparing for the exam all evening.
A few more specific cases of using Past Progressive Tense
1. When a person changed his mind and changed plans (in the construction was / were going to):
I was going to spend the day at the beach but I've decided to get my homework done instead. I wanted to spend the whole day at the beach, but I decided to do my homework instead.
2. With a verb to wonder to form polite requests:
I was wondering if you could give me your e-mail address.
while and when
When we talk about the past using when and while, then when is usually followed by Past Simple, while while is followed by the Past Continuos form, because while is translated as “during the time as”, “while”, that is, it implies lengthy process. The following two examples have exactly the same translation, but pay attention to the use of the past tense - they are different from each other.
He was studying when his mother called.
While he was studying, his mother called.
Remember that some verbs are not used in the continuous form. That is, instead of Past Continuous, such verbs are used in Past Simple:
I was being at my house when she came. Not properly!
I was at my house when she came. Right
Active and passive form:
Assets: The salesman was helping the customer when the thief came into the store. The shop assistant was helping the customer when a thief entered the store.
Passive: The customer was being helped by the salesman when the thief came into the store.
Brief scheme of using Past Progressive:
These were all the rules for using the past long tense. Don't forget to practice using English tenses and come up with your own examples to reinforce the material.
The Past Progressive Tense, its second name is The Past Continuous, denotes long or incomplete actions in the past. We can use this tense to describe what happened at a particular point in time in the past.
In Russian, we pronounce [paste continius / progressive] - English transcription. In this article, we will get to know and learn when the Past Continuous is used, as well as rules and examples in the Past Continuous.
Read the introductory text and try to retell it. Pay attention to the highlighted words.
When I arrived at the station, my boyfriend Luke was waiting for me. He was wearing a nice black suit, and he was holding red roses in his left hand. When I got off the train, he ran up to me and kissed me passionately. It was raining and thundering. I told Luke to go to a café so that we could talk, but he insisted on going to another place. While he was driving, I was listening to the radio. The weather was awful but at the same time beautiful. Luke was smiling, but he looked worried. We stopped on the top of a hill with fantastic views. He came up to me; he kneeled in front of me and took a ring out of his pocket. “Jessica, will you…” he said. “Listen, Luke I want to split up with you”, I interrupted him.
Education Rules in Past Continuous Tense
Now we will look at how the Past Continuous is formed in English.
The past continuous tense is formed using the auxiliary (auxiliary verb) and the present participle (Present Participle -ing form) of the semantic verb.
Past Continuous Formation Formula:
— For pronouns I/he/she/it was + ing form
— For pronouns you/we/they were + ing form
example:
— My boyfriend Luke was waiting for me - My boyfriend Luke was waiting for me.
— We were listening to the radio - We listened to the radio.
Cases of using Past Continuous
Past Continuous is a very common tense in English, you must understand it and know it well. The following are rules and examples of sentences in the Past Continuous that will help you quickly deal with the difficulties of using the past continuous.
1. Usually Past Progressive is used
When we talk about actions or states that lasted at a certain point in the past. This tense emphasizes that the action continued for a certain period in the past:
example:
— Peter was reading a book at 5 pm yesterday Peter was reading a book yesterday at 5 pm. (Specific action - 5 o'clock yesterday).
— I was sleeping at 3 o'clock yesterday afternoon - I was sleeping yesterday at 3 pm.
— We were still discussing the plan at midnight We were still discussing the plan at midnight.
2. Often the Past Continuous is used with
That is, one action interrupts another. Past Continuous is a long action, Past Simple is a short action.
example:
— While I was washing the dishes the bell range- When I was washing the dishes, the bell rang. (Long action - washing the dishes; short action - the bell rang).
— I was cycling to work when I fell off the bike - I was cycling to work and fell off my bike. (A past action in the process was interrupted by another action).
— As I was washing the dog my husband called me – When I was washing the dog, my husband called me. (Washing is a long action, my husband called me and interrupted this action).
3. Two or more simultaneous actions in the past (two actions that happened at the same time)
example:
— Paul was reading out the data while Sarah was writing it down - Paul read the data aloud and Sarah wrote it down.
— While Alan was smoking in his room, his friends were swimming in the pool - While Alan was smoking in his room, his friends were swimming in the pool.
— Alex was making lunch; Mary was laying the table - Alex cooked dinner, Mary set the table.
4. Descriptions of events in history
We often use the Past Progressive at the beginning of a story to describe a situation.
example:
— I was walking, the birds were singing and the kids were crying— I walked, the birds sang, and the children cried.
—It was raining the wind was blowing. I was sitting next to the fireplace. Jim was playing the guitar, and the kids were dancing- It was raining. The wind blew. I was sitting by the fireplace. Jim played the guitar and the kids danced.
—It was getting dark, and I was walking fast to the bar. Abruptly... - It was getting dark and I quickly walked to the bar. Suddenly…
5. From the lesson, we know that adverbs constantly, always, forever are used to express irritation
In the same way, we can use the Past Continuous, only to express past repetitive actions. Consider sentences in the past progressive with these adverbs.
example:
Luis was forever smoking in my room! Louis was always smoking in my room!
— He was constantly sleeping on duty! - He was constantly sleeping on duty!
—She was always losing her wallet - She always lost her wallet.
6. With verbs that show change or growth
example:
— New buildings were going up everywhere - New buildings were erected everywhere.
— My dog was growing up quickly - My dog grew up quickly.
—HisChinese was improving- His Chinese improved.
7. The past continuous (past continuous) is also used in conditional sentences
But this time is rare. Most often we see in stories or hear in dialogues.
example:
— If Sam was playing, they would probably win - If Sam played, they would probably win.
— If she was trying to find a job, she could make a fortune - If she tried to find a job, she could make a fortune.
Despite the fact that it is in the past long tense, conditional sentences Type 2 refers to the future or present.
8. Past forms are used when we talk about the present in a few polite expressions.
example:
— Excuse me, I was wondering if this was the bus for Manchester – Excuse me, I would like to know if this bus was to Manchester?
9. When is the past continuous used in indirect speech?
Simple, and most importantly understandable examples will easily answer you this question.
example:
— “I'm not looking forward to going back to university,” Clara said - Clara said: “I'm not going back to university.” (Direct speech).
— Clara said she was not looking forward to going back to university - Clara said that she was not going to go back to university. (Indirect speech).
As you can see from the first example, in direct speech the verb is in, and in indirect speech, we already see that the retold words are in the Past Continuous.
Based on the foregoing, we can conclude that if the verb is in direct speech in the present continuous, then in the indirect it will already be in the past cont.
How all tenses change in indirect speech, we told in the article Direct and indirect speech.
Words - markers (time indicators) Past Continuous Tense
Auxiliary words will help you determine what tense is used in a sentence.
Each time has its own clue words. Of course, it happens that the same keyword is used with other tenses, so you need to remember not only the signal words, but also the rules for using each of them.
While, at midday, at lunchtime, all morning, all day, when, at 5 o'clock, from 5 till 6 yesterday, the whole evening, as, during, this afternoon, at this time yesterday etc.
Examples of sentences in the past continuous with words as companions:
— Mila was digging in the garden when she hurt her foot - Mila was digging in the garden and injured her leg.
— While I was painting the fence, Din was resting on the couch - While I was painting the fence, Dean was resting on the couch.
— I was baking cakes all day I have been baking cakes all day.
— My half-brother was skiing from 10 till 7 yesterday My half-brother went skiing from 4 to 7 yesterday.
— Oliver was wrapping the gift at this time yesterday Oliver was packing a present at this time yesterday.
Sentence forms in Past Continuous
It is always important to know how to build sentences in English, as there is a strict sequence of words. If we violate the rules for constructing sentences, then native speakers may not understand us. Therefore, we suggest that you consider all three forms of the past continuous in the form of tables, where rules and examples are presented.
Affirmative sentences Past Continuous (Affirmative sentences)
The affirmative form of sentences is built according to the formula: