This document provides instruction on using the past continuous verb tense in English. It discusses three main uses of the past continuous tense: 1) to describe actions that were in progress at a specific time in the past, 2) to describe two concurrent actions in the past, and 3) to set the scene for an interruption by another past action. Examples are given for each use. The document also covers forming the past continuous tense, using it with time expressions like "while" and "when", asking questions in the past continuous tense, and punctuation. Exercises are included for students to practice forming sentences in the past continuous tense.

1. Past with Past Continuous
Verb Tenses
Kristi Reyes, ESL
MiraCosta College

2. Simple Past Tense
• Actions, events, states that started and
finished in the past (…ago, last …,
yesterday… )
• Regular verbs: -ed
• Irregular verbs: change spelling,
memorize
for list of irregular verbs, see
1. Blackboard Course Documents, Verb Tenses, Past Tense folder
2. Grammar Express textbook pages 336 - 337
3. The instructor

3. Past Continuous: Three Uses
• Use 1: Past actions that were in progress at a particular time in
the past; actions that were not yet finished at a past time
At 8:30, Erika _________________
Erika’s Schedule breakfast.
8 – 9: had breakfast At 9:15, she ___________________ her
9 – 10: finished her homework.
homework
At 10, she _____________________.
10 – 11: exercised
11 – 12: cooked lunch At 11:30, she ___________________.
12 – 2: shopped At 11, she ____________________
2 – 5: talked to a friend lunch.
on the phone
At 12:30, she ___________________.
At 3, she ______________ to a friend.

4. Tell a classmate – use past
continuous verbs: I was _______ing
• Where were you last Thursday at 8 p.m.? What
were you doing?
• What were you doing Friday at 5 p.m.? Where
were you? Who were you with?
• What were you doing Sunday morning at 7
a.m.?
• What were you doing last night at this time?
• What were you doing last week at this time?
• What were you doing last year at this time?

5. Past Continuous, continued
• Use 2: Two (or more) actions that were in
progress in the past at the same time
• Use while
• Examples:
Sorry, I wasn’t listening to you while you were
talking.
While I was reading, he was writing.

6. Past Continuous, continued
• Use 3: Describe and set the scene; tell
what was happening or in progress when
something else happened or interrupted a
past in-progress action
• Examples:
Car accident
Broken bone
Meeting a future spouse
A Crime

7. Form: Using past and past
continuous together
• Use past continuous
to say what was in
progress
I was crossing the
street …
• Use simple past for
the interrupting
action
when the driver ran the
red light.

8. Other examples:
I was sleeping when the telephone rang and woke me up.
We were watching the news when the announcer made a
special live report.
He was driving too fast when he crashed the car.
I was trying to study when you called.

9. Practice:
Do you have a good memory?
Are you a good witness?
• Directions: Look at the following picture
for one minute. Try to remember as many
details as you can, but don’t write
anything.

10. Only one minute…
• Ready, go ….

11. One minute…

12. What do you remember?
1. How many people were there?
2. Where were the people?
3. What was hanging from the ceiling?
4. What was the bank robber holding?
5. What was the bank robber wearing?
6. What color was his hair?
7. What was covering the bank robber’s face?
8. Was the bank robber right-handed or left-handed?
9. What was the bank manager doing?
10. What was the bank teller doing?
11. Who was walking into the bank?
12. What time was it?
13. What was under the bank manager’s desk?

13. Form of Past Continuous
Subject + was / were + verb+ing
Negation:
Subject + was / were + not + verb+ing
Yes/ No Question:
Was / Were + subject + + verb+ing ?
Information Question:
(WH) + Was / Were + subject + + verb+ing ?

14. Remember –ing spelling rules?
Verb ending in... How to make the -ING form Examples
say - saying
(Most verbs) Add -ING go - going
walk - walking
swim - swimming
1 vowel + 1 consonant Double the consonant, then add -ING hit - hitting
get - getting
come - coming
lose - losing
1 vowel + 1 consonant + E Remove E, then add –ING live – living
die – dying
Final –ie Change –ie to y, then add -ING tie -- tying

15. A little practice
1. The telephone (ring) when I (take a shower).
2. I (eat) dinner when you (come) to visit.
3. It (begin) to rain while they (walk) home.
4. We (see) an accident when we (drive) on the freeway.
5. The driver (no pay) attention to the cars in front when he (crash) into
the red convertible.
6. She (chop) onions when she (cut) her finger.
7. They (watch) TV when the electricity (go) out.
8. A: What (you, do) yesterday at 5:00? I tried to call you but no one
answered.
B: I didn’t hear the telephone. I (vacuum).

16. Final Tips …
• Use while for two actions in progress at
the same time in the past:
She was talking while he was driving.
• Use when when telling about sequence of
events (one action that was in progress
that was interrupted by another event in
the past):
I was just leaving when you called.
(first action in progress) (interrupting event)

17. Punctuation
with When and While
• When and while at the front of a sentence, use
a comma:
When you called, I was watching TV.
While he was washing the clothes, I was doing the
dishes.
• When and while in the middle of a sentence, no
comma
I was watching TV when you called.
I was doing the dishes while he was washing the
clothes.

18. Questions?
• Practice on textbook pages 42 - 43
• For more practice:
Forming and Using the Past Continuous
Quiz Yourself