Affirmative form Past Continuous Tense formed with an auxiliary verb to be in the simple past tense (Simple Past / Past Indefinite - was, were) and participles I (Participle I) of the main verb (i.e. infinitive + endings -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 in the affirmative - 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 not is abbreviated):
I wasn’t working.
We weren’t reading.
Use
Past Continuous is used:
- 1. To express an ongoing action that took place at a certain point in the past. The moment of the action can be clear from the context or indicated by:
a) precise indication of 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 read the newspapers.
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 still continued at the moment of an 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 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 to 12 o'clock, 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 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 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 late.
Was not always ringing me up after his work. He always called me after work. (I'm sick of you.)
Compare:
Don't always rang me up after his work.
The use of Past Indefinite (Simple Past) changes the speaker's emotional attitude to what was happening, is perceived by him as an ordinary, normal phenomenon, an action-fact and is translated: He always called me after work.
- 5. To express gradually developing actions, events, even if the time is not specified (the time of development of the action is clear from the context).
It was getting dark. It was getting dark.
The wind was rising. The wind was picking up.
- 6. In questions that are interested in the time spent, the use of 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 says 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, that is, simultaneously, then you can also use Past Continuous Tense.
What were you doing in the afternoon? What did you do after lunch?
I was doing shopping and walking the dog. I was shopping and walking my dog.
Past Continuous is usually translated with an imperfective verb in the past tense.
The subjunctive mood in English is a form of a verb that expresses a desire, assumption, doubt, or unreality of performing an action. In Russian, this is expressed by verbs in the past tense in combination with the particle "would" (so, if, etc.).
In this lesson we will take a look at 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 difficult about it. You just need to carefully read the material presented and learn the basic rules. The British language is rich in temporal forms, it is necessary to know each in order to master the grammar. Together with you, we will go through such topics 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 begin.
This part of speech is one of the tenses from the Continuous group. Indicates the elapsed long time. In principle, both in oral and written speech, it is not used very often, as a rule, in indirect speech , however, one should study it. But, thanks to the past continuous, the story or description of an action in the past becomes deeper and more effective.
Past continuous tense describes an action that has already taken place in the past. A distinctive feature of this time is that it expresses an action that in the past has a long period of time. The process has 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 rang... In this case, I was taking a bath is an action that occurred in the past when the phone was ringing (when the phone rang). We do not know when the actor began to take a bath and 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 form of Past Simple.
For example,
- when I returned - when I returned; when the phone rang - when the phone rang.
Or with the help of signpost words that speak of the exact time.
For instance,
- yesterday at this time - yesterday at this time, last night at 8 p.m. - last evening 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 performed in the past. Continuous, on the other hand, is translated as “long-term”. In the past tense, this tells us that some action began a long time ago, lasted for a certain period of time, and has already been completed by now. This temporal form is often used in indirect speech.
Using the past continuous tense, we emphasize the duration of the action in the past. Past Simple is used by us in the case when it is necessary to say about something as a fact that took place in the past. You should look at 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 structure 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 embedded in the structure we have built, and not just a listing of actions.
In the second example, we're just talking about a fact. It can be used to describe any other actions: I ate, I slept, I had breakfast, I went to bed, I learned a foreign language, and so on.
How long elapsed time is formed
The past continuous is formed using several verbs. Formula: verb to be and 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 form of past tense were or was. The table below shows the designs.
The construction that is formed using Past Continuous:
- She was working on this article from 8 to 11 - She worked on this article from 8 to 11.
- I was thinking of you, when you came in - I was thinking of 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 first, followed by the subject and completing the entire main verb. Consider the examples in the table below:
Some interrogative sentences, including in indirect speech, with this temporary form:
- Were they playing chess this morning? - Did they play chess this morning?
- Was you cooking when I called? - Did you cook (food) when I called?
Formation of the negative form in the past continuous
In education negative sentences in the past continuous and progressive formations, the particle not is placed between the auxiliary and the 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.
Options for negative sentences with past continuous tense:
We weren’t trying to insult you, we were just discussing your opinion.- We did not 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 an affirmative answer to it will look like this:
The question and the negative answer to it in the formed continuous group of the past progressive form will look like this:
Words indicating a long time
The past long time 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 till 7 p.m. - from 5 to 7.
They help us understand that we are facing an extended period of time.
For example,
- I was painting all day yesterday. - I painted 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 worked all morning.
Note that in all examples, special designators appear in the last place.
Using special question words
If we use the following interrogative words in a question, they require after themselves that the form past continuous is formed:
- What - what;
- Where - where;
- Who - who;
- Which - what;
- Why - why.
These words must be put in a specific order. Then the word order goes as in a normal question.
Scheme: question word + was / were + the person 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, a verb is put after When, put in the temporary form Past Simple. After while, the form is past continuous. While is used to mean "while", "while".
For example:
- While I was studying, she called. - When I was studying, she called. (Emphasizes what I have been doing.)
- I was studying when she called. - I was studying when she called. (Emphasized that she called).
Mixed verbs / non-long verbs
Remember that non-continuous verbs are not used in Continuous tenses. In addition, some of the meanings of mixed verbs are also not used for a long time. Past Simple is applied with them.
For example:
Wrong 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
Verbs that express states, emotions, and mental processes are not used not only in the past form, but in all forms of the continuous group. These include:
- to know - to know (I don`t know - I don't know);
- to fit - to fit, to fit (The coat fits her well - the coat fits her well);
- to astonish - to amaze, amaze;
- to disagree - disagree, disagree (I disagree with you = I disagree with you);
- to impress - make an impression;
- to promise - promise (I promise I`ll do it = I promise I will);
- to understand - to understand;
- to want - to want;
- to believe - to believe;
- to love - to love;
- to like - to like;
- to hate - to hate;
- to forget - to forget;
- to remember - remember;
- to possess - to possess;
- to seem - to seem;
- to appear - to appear;
- to notice - to notice;
- to wish - to wish;
- to desire - to desire;
- to adore - to adore;
- to envy - to envy;
- to fear - to be afraid;
- to forgive - forgive;
- to hear - to hear;
- to see - to see;
- to taste - have a taste;
- to smell - to smell;
- to feel - to feel;
- to consist - to consist;
- to contain - contain;
- to need - to need;
- to prefer - to prefer;
- to belong - belong;
- to realize - to realize, to understand;
- to suppose - to believe, think, assume;
- to mean - to mean, to mean (What do you mean? - What do you mean?);
- to have - to have;
- to think - to consider, to believe;
- to recognize - recognize (in person);
- to agree - agree;
- to refuse - to refuse;
- to doubt - to doubt;
- to satisfy - satisfy;
- to deny - to deny;
- to resemble - to resemble, to resemble, to be similar;
- to depend - to depend;
- to involve - to 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 have;
- to owe - to owe, to be in debt;
- to look - to look;
- to miss - to miss;
- to matter - to matter (It doesn`t matter - it doesn’t 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's performing at the club tonight.
The verb to have. The meaning of "to have" is not used in this provisional form, however, it is used to indicate an action. For example, I am having a bath. - I am taking a bath.
The verb to think. In the meaning of "to be in thought." For example, I was thinking to myself - I was thinking.
The verb to smell. In Continuous, only in the sense of "sniff". For example, I am smelling the rose now - I am smelling a rose.
The verb to taste. Continuous means "taste". For example, I am tasting the pizza - I am tasting pizza.
Summary table of conjugation of verbs in the form in question
To systematize 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 was not singing. She was not 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 the letter, are discussed in the section of the present participle.
Consuming the past for a long time
Let's look at the main uses of the past continuous. Often this construction can be found in the indirect speech of the interlocutor.
1. This temporal form is used when the interlocutors describe an action that took place in the past and lasted for a certain time interval. We do not know the time of its beginning, duration, and also that it happens on this moment or no longer. As a rule, such constructions contain 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 read a book. In this construction, we say 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 read the newspapers. - 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 (this time last month / year), etc.
For instance, This time last year they were living in Argentina.- At this time last year they lived 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. The 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 occurring in the past at the same time. These actions can be combined in the construction with the 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 watched a movie, and my sister played with her new doll.
4. Often the simple past tense and the past long tense are used together. In this combination, Past Simple takes on the role of a short single action, and Past Continuous takes on a long action. In such designs, the long-term 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-term action, my friend knocked and interrupted, but this is all past).
5. In English, the past continuous is compiled 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 see a friend for Thanksgiving. The guests were sitting 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 sang 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 the story has in the past. Such habits can be unpleasant to us, cause irritation and resentment. In such constructions, you can find the adverbs constantly (constantly), often (often), always (always, constantly).
For instance,
- We were often being late because of you! - Because of you, we were often late!
7. Also with always, this temporary form is used to express repetitive actions that are boring to 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: Don't always rang me up after his work. In this case, we used Past Simple, thereby changing the emotional color. Now the speaker's attitude to what is happening is perceived by him as something taken for granted, as a normal phenomenon. Translation - He always called me after work.
8. The past long is used in conditional sentences of the second type. It should be noted that it is consumed 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 such a construction refers to the future or the present.
For instance,
- If the wind were not blowing hard, we would go yachting. - If the wind did not blow strongly, we would have gone sailing on a yacht.
9. The considered temporal form is used to express gradually developing events. Nothing is said about the time of the 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 picking up.
10. Long past tense is used when we describe planned, but not occurred events. The following verbs can be found in the construction - to plan (to plan), to mean to (to gather, to intend), to expect to (to expect), to intend to (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 form in question 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 your summer vacation? 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 form a polite form.
For instance,
- I was wondering if you could give me your e-mail adress.
This is all we would like to say about the past continuous tense. Learn theory and come up with your own designs to consolidate the material you have learned. You can also test yourself by doing the past continuous exercises on our website. Knowing the time of the past continuous is essential for mastering English at high level... Use the tips that we give you in the form of tables - print them and hang them in a prominent place.
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In this article, we will take a look at the past long time in English. We call all the past tenses in English Past Tenses, the difference between which is only in their duration or quality: whether it will be a simple past - Past Simple, a long past - Past Continuous or past perfect - Past Perfect. In this article, we will stop and consider Past Continuous Tense.
Past Continuous is the tense that is used to describe lasting action in the past. Basically, this is a process that lasted at a certain point or period in the past. The moment of action must be clearly defined, or be understood in the context of the proposal.
Formation of affirmative sentences in the Past Long Time
When I came to London, it was raining. It was raining when I arrived in London. 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 long tense
He wasn’t sleeping all the night. He did not sleep all night. They weren’t having a class at this time yesterday. Yesterday we had no class at this time. Last year she wasn "t eating fat food as she was on diet. Last year she didn’t eat fatty foods because she was dieting.
Examples of affirmative sentences in the past long 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 in Russia? What kind of music was George playing when I entered the room? What kind of 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? I was surfing the Internet.
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Consuming Past Long Time
Time Indicators
All the time all day long all day at seven o'clock yesterday at seven o'clock the whole Friday the whole Friday during the film during the film from three till eight o'clock from three to eight o'clock
Examples of the use of sentences in the Past Long Time
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 to be rather complicated to many. In fact, this is not the case. 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 that the verb to be has the past tense in the form.
Education Past Progressive
The Past Continuous education scheme is as follows:
Let's take the verb to work as an example and conjugate it in Past Continuous:
Conjugation of any verb will look the same. The only difference is in the formation of a gerund (ing-ovoy form). In some cases it will be different.
The past long time 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 activities in the past
Past Continuous Tense is used to indicate that a continuous action in the past has been interrupted. Since an interrupt is a relatively short action, it is communicated through the Past Simple form. Interruption does not always mean actual termination. Sometimes we mean simply the imposition of one event (action) in time on another, when a short action, expressed in Past Simple, seems to burst into a long unfinished action.
When the phone rang, 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 indicate a specific time:
At six o'clock, I was working.- At six o'clock I worked.
Yesterday at 8 PM, we were eating dinner.- Yesterday at 8 pm we had dinner.
At midnight, we were still watching TV.“We were still watching TV at midnight.
IMPORTANT:
Simple Past is used when specifying a specific time to indicate when an action began or ended, but with Past Continuous the situation is somewhat different. Let's see an example:
Last night at 6 PM, I ate dinner. (I started eating dinner at 6 o'clock.)
Last night at 6 PM, I was eating dinner. (I started to eat dinner earlier, and at 6 o'clock I was in the process.)
2. Parallel events
She was reading while he was making dinner... “She read while I was preparing dinner.
What were you doing while you were waiting?- What did you do while you waited?
When two actions or events in Past Continuous are specified in one sentence, this means that these actions (events) occur simultaneously (in parallel).
3. Storytelling 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 Past Continuous is used. As you can see, these are events that have a certain duration (extent): 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. However, 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 to describe any (most often annoying) habits in the past. Indicators of such sentences can be the words always, constantly, forever, at that time, in those days. In Present Continuous there is also such a rule, but for the present tense.
He was constantly talking.- He was constantly talking.
She was always coming to class late... - She was late for lessons all the time.
I didn’t like his friend because he was always complaining.- I didn’t like his friend because he was constantly complaining.
5. Finally, we use the past long time when we want to emphasize that an event or action lasted for a 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 spent the whole evening preparing for the exam.
A few more specific uses of 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 all day at the beach, but 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 adress.
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 form Past Continuos, because while is translated as "during the time like", "bye", that is, it implies lengthy process. The following two examples have exactly the same translation, however, pay attention to the use of the past tense forms - 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 long 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 seller was helping the buyer when a thief entered the store.
Passive: The customer was being helped by the salesman when the thief came into the store.
A short diagram of the use of Past Progressive:
These were all the rules of using the past long time. Remember to practice your English tenses and come up with your own examples to reinforce the material.
The Past Progressive Tense, its second name The Past Continuous, denotes prolonged or unfinished actions in the past. We can use this time to describe what happened at a particular point in time in the past.
In Russian, we pronounce [past continius / progressive] - English transcription. In this article, we will introduce and explore when Past Continuous is used, as well as the rules and examples in the past long tense.
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 Past Continuous is formed in English.
The past continuous tense is formed using the auxiliary verb and the Present Participle -ing form of the semantic verb.
Formula of Past Continuous education:
- 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.
Use Cases of Past Continuous
Past Continuous is a very common tense in English, you must understand and know it well. Below are the rules and example sentences in Past Continuous that will help you quickly deal with the difficulties of consuming the past long tense.
1. Usually Past Progressive is used
When we talk about actions or states that have lasted at a certain point in the past. This tense emphasizes that the action has continued for a certain period in the past:
Example:
- Peter was reading a book at 5 pm yesterday- Peter read the book yesterday at 5 pm. (Specific action - 5 o'clock yesterday).
— I was sleeping at 3 o'clock yesterday afternoon - I slept yesterday at 3pm.
- We were still discussing the plan at midnight“At midnight we were still discussing the plan.
2. Often Past Continuous is used together with
That is, one action interrupts another. Past Continuous is long acting, Past Simple is short acting.
Example:
— While I was washing the dishes the bell rang- When I was washing the dishes, the bell rang. (Long-term action - washed the dishes; short-action - the bell rang).
— I was cycling to work when I fell off the bike - I was biking 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-term 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 was preparing dinner, Mary was setting the table.
4. Descriptions of events in history
We often use 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 was walking, the birds were singing, and the children were crying.
- 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 was blowing. I was sitting by the fireplace. Jim played 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 the adverbs constantly, always, forever are used to express irritation.
Likewise, we can use Past Continuous, only to express past repetitive actions. Consider sentences in past progressive with these adverbs.
Example:
- Luis was forever smoking in my room! - Louis always smoked 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 being erected everywhere.
- My dog was growing up quickly - My dog was growing quickly.
- His Chinese was improving- His Chinese was getting better.
7. The 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 the past is standing here for a long time, conditional clauses Type 2 refers to the future or present.
8. Past forms are used when we talk about the present in a few polite terms.
Example:
- Excuse me, I was wondering if this was the bus for Manchester - Sorry, 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, clear examples will easily answer this question.
Example:
— “I'm not looking forward to going back to university, ”Clara said - Clara said,“ I'm not going to go back to university. ” (Direct speech).
- Clara said she was not looking forward to going back to university - Clara said that she is not going to return 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 retelling words are in 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 speech 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 memorize not only the words signals, but also the rules of use for 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 the words 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've been baking cakes all day.
- My half-brother was skiing from 10 till 7 yesterday- My stepbrother went skiing yesterday from 4 to 7.
- Oliver was wrapping the gift at this time yesterday“Oliver was packing a present yesterday at this time.
Offer forms in Past Continuous
It is always important to know how to build sentences in English, since there is a strict sequence of words. If you break 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.
Past Continuous (Affirmative sentences)
The affirmative form of sentences is built according to the formula: