3. Participle I of both regular and irregular verbs is
composed by adding the suffix –ing to the stem
of the verb.
In writing the following rules of spelling are
observed:
If the stem ends in a mute –e, the –e is dropped
before adding –ing:
skate – skating
If the stem ends in a single consonant letter
preceded by a short vowel of a stressed
syllable, the consonant letter is doubled:
stop – stopping permit – permitting
4. Ifthe stem ends in –l or -p after a short
vowel of an unstressed syllable, the –l,
–p is doubled (in British English):
travel – travelling,
cancel – cancelling,
kidnap – kidnapping
Verbs ending in –ie drop the final –e
and change i into y before taking the
suffix –ing: lie – lying, die - dying
5. We use the Past Continuous Tense:
A) for an action which was in progress at a stated
time in the past. We may not mention when the
action started or finished.
At 7 o’clock yesterday evening they were
having dinner.
6. B) for an action which was in progress when
another action interrupted it. We use the Past
Continuous Tense for the action in progress and
the Past Simple Tense for the action which
interrupted it.
He was walking down the street when he ran into
an old friend.
7. C) for two or more simultaneous past actions.
She was talking on her mobile phone while she
was driving to work.
8. D) to describe an atmosphere, setting, etc. in the
introduction to a story before we describe main
events.
One beautiful morning Ben was strolling down a
street. The birds were singing and the leaves
were rustling in the breeze.
9. The Past Continuous is used with the following
time expressions:
while
when,
as
all morning/evening/day/night, etc.
10. 1 2 3
I was
You were playing
He, she, it was
We
You were playing
They
11. I was playing chess when she came in.
He was doing his homework while his
brother was having a fun.
We were reading a book as our mother
asked us to help her.
They were washing up when somebody
knocked on the door.
12. 1 2 3
WAS he
I
writing?
she
it
Were you
we
writing?
they
13. Was he playing chess when she came
in?
Were they reading a book?
What was he doing while his brother was
having a fun?
Who was washing up?
14. I
WAS
He
She
WASN’T
It
YES, NO
We
WERE
You
They
WEREN’T
15. 1 2 3 4
I was
He
She doing
It NOT
We were
You doing
They
16. I was not (wasn’t) playing chess when
she came in.
He was not (wasn’t) doing his homework
while his brother was having a fun.
We were not (weren’t) reading a book as
our mother asked us to help her.
They were not (weren’t) washing up
when somebody knocked on the door.
