The document describes the past continuous tense in English. It explains the positive, negative, and question forms. It then gives four main uses of the past continuous tense: 1) to describe an action that was in progress at a specific time in the past, 2) to describe an action that was ongoing during a period of time, 3) to describe a longer action that was interrupted by a shorter action, and 4) to describe a temporary action. It also contrasts the past continuous tense with the past simple tense when describing two actions, one long and one short, that occurred simultaneously.

1. Past Continuous Tense

2. Form of Past Continuous Tense: Positive Sentence
Subject + “BE” + main verb (V+ing) + modifier.
I was listening to music.
You, We, They were dancing happily.
He, She, It was reading books.

3. Form of Past Continuous Tense: Negative Sentence
Subject + “BE” + NOT + main verb (V+ing) + modifier.
I
was not
listening to music.
wasn't
You, We, They
were not
dancing happily.
weren't
He, She, It
was not
reading books.
wasn't

4. Form of Past Continuous Tense:
Yes-No Question
“BE” + Subject +
main verb (V+ing)
+
modifier ?
Was I listening to music?
Were you, we, they watching World’s Cup last night?
Was he, she, it being lazy?

5. Form of Past Continuous Tense:
Wh-Question
Question
word
“BE” + Subject +
main verb
(V+ing) +
modifier ?
Who was I talking to when the phone rang?
Where were you, we, they watching World’s Cup last night?
Who was he, she, it doing at 11 o’clock last night?

6. Use of Past Continuous Tense
1. We use the past continuous to say that an action was in progress at a specific time in
the past. The action had already started at this time, but had not finished.
• At 5pm yesterday, it was raining.
•I was having dinner at 6pm last night.
• Last night at 11 PM, my sister and I (we) were watching TV.
• At midnight, we were still driving through the desert.
• What were you doing at midnight last night?

7. Use of Past Continuous Tense
2. We use the past continuous to say that an action was in progress at every moment
during a period of time.
• Yesterday she was sitting at her desk at work all day.
• You were working all day yesterday.
• Yesterday they were not playing football at 9am.
• What were you doing at 10pm last night?
• Jimmy was working at 10pm last night.
working workingworking working working working
8:00am 4: 00pm12:00pm

8. Use of Past Continuous Tense
3. We use the past continuous together with the past simple.
The past continuous refers to a "longer" or "background" action that was in progress to
indicate that a longer action in the past was interrupted; The past simple refers to a “shorter”
action that interrupted the longer action, or happened in the middle of it.
John’s daughter was sleeping when he
called her at 8pm.
*Remember: this can be a real interruption or just an interruption in time!

9. Jimmy was taking a bath
when the phone rang.
A: What were you doing when you broke your leg?
B: I was snowboarding.

10. Use of Past Continuous Tense
4. We use the past continuous to say that an action in the past was
temporary.
Sarah was waiting for her friend for 20 minutes yesterday.
You were working in the Sales Department last month.
They were living in Paris for a year.

11. Past Continuous Tense &
Past Simple Tense
We often use the past continuous tense with the
simple past tense. We use the past continuous tense
to express a long action.
And we use the past simple tense to express a
short action that happens in the middle of the
long action.

12. Past Continuous Tense &
Past Simple Tense
Long action = (watching TV),
expressed with past continuous tense
Short action = (knocked),
expressed with simple past tense
I was watching TV when Jim knocked the door.

13. ‘when’ + short action (past simple tense)
‘while’ + long action (past continuous tense)
I was watching TV when Jim knocked the door.
When Jim knocked the door , I was watching TV
Jim knocked the door while I was watching TV
While I was watching TV , Jim knocked the door
I was watching TV when Jim knocked the door.