Past Continuous

I. Forms

            Positive:        Subject + was/ were + verb (-ing) + (object) +…

                        Examples:

§  We were singing.

§  She was reading book.

§  They were watching TV.

§  It was running in the garden.

Negative:      Subject + was/ were + not + verb _(-ing) + (object) + …

Examples:

§  You were not studying when she called.

§  He was not running.

§  They were not watching TV.

§  She was not cooking.

Question:      Was/ were + Subject + verb _(-ing) + (object) + …

Examples:

§  Were you studying when she called?

§  What was she doing on yesterday morning?

§  Who were you meeting last night?

§  What was your dog eating?

II. Contracted forms

Was not = wasn’t,       were not = weren’t

III. Short form of answer of question begun with Was/ were

Positive answer:                          Yes, subject + were/ was.

Negative answer:                        No, subject + wasn’t/ weren’t.

       Example:

            - Were you watching TV yesterday?

                  Yes, I was.

                  No, I wasn’t.

IV. Uses

The Past Progressive is used to express:

     1. An action which is interrupted by another past action

 

 

Use the Past Continuous to indicate that a longer action in the past was interrupted. The interruption is usually a shorter action in the Simple Past. Remember this can be a real interruption or just an interruption in time.

    Examples:

·       I was watching TV when she called.

·       When the phone rang, she was writing a letter.

·       While we were having the picnic, it started to rain.

·       What were you doing when the earthquake started?

·       I was listening to my iPod, so I didn't hear the fire alarm.

·       You were not listening to me when I told you to turn the oven off.

·       While John was sleeping last night, someone stole his car.

·       Sammy was waiting for us when we got off the plane.

·       While I was writing the email, the computer suddenly went off.

·       A: What were you doing when you broke your leg?
B: I was snowboarding.

    2. An action which is in progress at a specific time in the past

 

In USE 1, described above, the Past Continuous is interrupted by a shorter action in the Simple Past. However, you can also use a specific time as an interruption.

    Examples:

·       Last night at 6 PM, I was eating dinner.

·       At midnight, we were still driving through the desert.

·       Yesterday at this time, I was sitting at my desk at work.

·       At the time of robbery, he was studying with me.

Note: ==> IMPORTANT

In the Simple Past, a specific time is used to show when an action began or finished. In the Past Continuous, a specific time only interrupts the action.

    Examples:

·       Last night at 6 PM, I ate dinner.
I started eating at 6 PM.

·       Last night at 6 PM, I was eating dinner.
I started earlier; and at 6 PM, I was in the process of eating dinner.

    3. Parallel Actions

   

When you use the Past Continuous with two actions in the same sentence, it expresses the idea that both actions were happening at the same time. The actions are parallel.

      Examples:

·       I was studying while he was making dinner.

·       While Ellen was reading, Tim was watching television.

·       Were you listening while he was talking?

·       I wasn't paying attention while I was writing the letter, so I made several mistakes.

·       What were you doing while you were waiting?

·       Thomas wasn't working, and I wasn't working either.

·       They were eating dinner, discussing their plans, and having a good time.

    4. Atmosphere (is used to give background information and description)

In English, we often use a series of parallel actions to describe the atmosphere at a particular time in the past.

    Example:

·       When I walked into the office, several people were busily typing, some were talking on the phones, the boss was yelling directions, and customers were waiting to be helped. One customer was yelling at a secretary and waving his hands. Others were complaining to each other about the bad service.

5. Repetition, Irritation and annoying habit (used with "Always, constantly and forever”)

The Past Continuous with words such as "always" or "constantly" expresses the idea that something irritating or shocking often happened in the past. The concept is very similar to the expression "used to" but with negative emotion. Remember to put the words "always" or "constantly" between "be" and "verb+ing."

Examples:

·       She was always coming to class late.

·       He was constantly talking. He annoyed everyone.

·       I didn't like them because they were always complaining.

·       Bopha was always visiting me last year.

Note: ==> While vs. When

Clauses are groups of words which have meaning, but are often not complete sentences. Some clauses begin with the word "when" such as "when she called" or "when it bit me." Other clauses begin with "while" such as "while she was sleeping" and "while he was surfing." When you talk about things in the past, "when" is most often followed by the verb tense Simple Past, whereas "while" is usually followed by Past Continuous. "While" expresses the idea of "during that time." Study the examples below. They have similar meanings, but they emphasize different parts of the sentence.

Examples:

·       I was studying when she called.

·       While I was studying, she called.

Note: è REMEMBER Non-Continuous Verbs

It is important to remember that Non-Continuous Verbs cannot be used in any continuous tenses. Instead of using Past Continuous with these verbs, you must use Simple Past.

      Examples:

·       Jane was being at my house when you arrived. Not Correct

·       Jane was at my house when you arrived. Correct

V. Past Continuous Active / Passive

Receiver action + was/ were + being + Past participle + (by…)

Examples:

·       The salesman was helping the customer when the thief came into the store. Active

·       The customer was being helped by the salesman when the thief came into the store. Passive