The document provides examples of using the past continuous tense in English to describe actions that were happening or not happening in the past. It gives affirmative, negative, and interrogative examples using the verbs "to be" in the past tense plus verbs ending in "-ing" for various subjects, including questions that change the word order. Tips note that the past continuous can describe actions that started in the past and were interrupted, and should be mixed with the past simple tense when referring to specific times like yesterday.