The document provides information about the past continuous tense in English, including its uses and formation. It gives examples of the past continuous being used to describe actions that were ongoing at a specific time in the past. It also contrasts the past continuous with the past simple tense, explaining that the past continuous implies an action already in progress, while the past simple just indicates completion. Finally, it lists some common time expressions used with the past continuous.

1. Past
Continuous

2. I was
playing
You
We
They
were
He
She
It
was

3. The farmer was working at
6 o’clock yesterday evening

4. Past continuous tense
was I
playing?
were
you
we
they
was
he
she
it
I
Was not
Wasn’t
playing
You
We
They
were not
weren’t
He
She
It
was not
wasn’t
I n t e r r o g a t i v e N e g a t i v e

5. Uses of the past continuous
We use the past continuous tense to describe
a past action over a period of time

6. This time yesterday the hairdresser was working
We use the past continuous to say that somebody
was in the middle of doing something at a certain
time.

7. Past simple and past continuous are used together when
something happened in the middle of something else
The policeman broke his ankle while he
was running after the dog

8. The past simple and the past continuous do not
mean exactly the same. Compare:
When Mary arrived, we were
having dinner.
This means that we already started
dinner before Mary arrived.
When Mary arrived, we had
dinner.
This means that Mary arrived first and
then we had dinner.

9. Time expressions:
While, as, when.
While the band was playing a mobile
phone rang.

10. What were Mike and Louise doing
yesterday?

11. didn’t see
was looking
met
were going
was going
had
were waiting
cycling
stepped
was going
managed
didn’t hit

12. When Jimmy phoned
her, she was reading a
letter.
Andy came out of the
restaurant when he
saw Jenny.

13. 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.

14. Only one minute…
• Ready, go ….

15. One minute…

16. What do you remember?
1. How many people were there?
2. Where were the people?
3. What was the bank robber holding?
4. What was the bank robber wearing on his face?
5. What color was his hair?
6. Was the bank robber right-handed or left-handed?
7. What was the bank manager doing?
8. What was the bank teller doing?
9. Who was walking into the bank?
There were four people. They were in the bank.
He was holding a gun.
He was wearing a red mask.
His hair was blond.
He was right-handed.
He was calling the police.
She was collecting the money.
The security was walking into the bank.