Examples on the topic past continuous. Past Continuous: past continuous tense in English

Past Continuous (Past Progressive) is formed using an auxiliary verb was or were and the simple present participle (the first form of the verb ending - ing). Was And were are past tense forms of the auxiliary verb to be.

The choice of the desired form depends on the person of the subject (the main member of the sentence).
Was- used when talking about something in the singular ( I, he, she, it).
Were– when talking about many people and things ( we, they) or use a pronoun you(you, you, polite you).

• I was singing a song.- I sang a song.
• She was drinking tea.- She was drinking tea.
• They were watching the movie.- They were watching a movie.

• Was I singing a song?– Did I sing a song?
• Was she drinking tea?– Did she drink tea?
• Were they watching the movie?– Did they watch the movie?

• She was cleaning the house when the phone rang.— While she was cleaning the house, the phone rang.
• John was cooking dinner when he suddenly cut his finger. — While John was preparing dinner, he suddenly cut his finger.
• Helen was using the blender so she didn’t hear you came in .“Helen was using the blender, so she didn’t hear you come in.”

Words while (« while», « Bye") And when(« When") emphasize different parts of the sentence. As a rule, after the word while should Past Continuous, and behind the word when follows Past Simple.

• While I was typing my report everyone left the office.– While I was typing my report, everyone left the office.
• While I was eating my soup, he came home.- While I was eating soup, he came home.

• I was eating my soup when he came home.— I was eating soup when he came home.
• When Dana broke the cup I was making some cakes.– When Dana broke the cup, I was preparing cakes.

Simultaneous actions in the past

Past Continuous used to describe several actions in one sentence that happened simultaneously.

• She was doing her makeup while she was talking over the telephone.– While talking on the phone, she was doing makeup.
• They were drinking a cup of coffee while they were sitting at that restaurant.- They were drinking coffee when they sat in that restaurant.
• We were eating delicious pasta while we were watching a new cartoon.– We ate delicious pasta while watching a new cartoon.
• I was playing the guitar and Jane was playing along the drum.– I played the guitar, and Jane played along with me on the drum.
• Children were playing games, eating sweets and drinking Cola.– The children played games, ate sweets and drank cola.

Expression of disapproval

Past Continuous used to express disapproval, impatience, or irritation towards something done in the past. In this sense Past Continuous usually used with words always(always, constantly), often(often), constantly(constantly). These words are placed between the auxiliary verb was or were and a semantic verb with the ending - ing.

• He wasn't always interrupting me when I was talking.“He constantly interrupted me when I spoke.
• She was constantly losing our keys on the vocation.“On vacation, she constantly lost our keys.
• We were often waiting for that friend of his. He was so slow.“We often waited for that friend of his. He was so slow.
• As she was always inspecting my stuff I didn’t like her.“Because she constantly looked at my things, I didn’t like her.”

In this meaning Past Continuous similar to the used to construction, but with a negative connotation.

• He used to worry about money too much.“He cared too much about money.”
• Clark used to complain constantly about anything.“Clark was constantly complaining about everything.”

Planned actions that did not happen

Past Continuous used to describe planned actions in the past that did not happen. Typically, such sentences use verbs mean(to gather, to intend), intend(mean), hope(hope), expect(expect), think(think), plan(to plan).

• I was hoping to meet her at the bookstore but she didn’t come.“I was hoping to meet her at the bookstore, but she didn’t come.”
• My mother was thinking of cooking a pie but we wanted some pizza.– My mother thought about making a pie, but we wanted pizza.
• Tom was planning to buy these tickets for the concert but forgot his wallet at home. Tom was going to buy these tickets for the concert, but forgot his wallet at home.

Time markers

Past Continuous used if the question “ when did this happen?» You can specify an exact, specific time or period of time.

• at that moment - at that moment
• at the same time - at the same time
• while – while
• when - when
• as – since

• all morning / the whole morning- all morning
• all night (long) / the whole night- all night long
• all evening/the whole evening- all evening
• all day (long) / the whole day- all day

• last Monday - last Monday
• last week - last week
• last year - last year

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The past continuous tense - in English, indicates that an action occurred or lasted for some period of time in the past. First, let's figure it out how is this time formed? . We are already familiar with the present continuous tense -, so we can notice that the formation formula for tenses of the Continuous group is the same - to be + participle I, in other words, to be + verb ending -ing.

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In this case, WAS is used if the subject is singular, and WERE is used if the subject is plural, and these forms will serve as an auxiliary verb.

AffirmativePast Continuous Tense form

Let's see how it will change by person in the past continuous tense in the affirmative form, for example, the sentence “I was eating at 5 o’clock yesterday”:

• I was eating at 5 o’clock yesterday
• We were eating at 5 o’clock yesterday
• You were eating at 5 o’clock yesterday
• He, she, it was eating at 5 o’clock yesterday
• They were eating at 5 o’clock yesterday

From this example it is clearly seen that only the auxiliary verb to be changes by person.

NegativePast Continuous Tense form

The negative form is formed using the negative particle not, which immediately follows the auxiliary verb:

He was not (wasn’t) doing his home work when I came home
They were not (weren’t) sleeping at 8 o’clock yesterday

InterrogativePast Continuous Tense form

When forming a question form, we place the auxiliary verb at the beginning of the sentence before the subject, and if there is a question word, immediately after it. Thus, the word order of the interrogative sentence will be as follows: 1 – question word, 2 – auxiliary verb (either was or were), 3 – subject, 4 – predicate expressed by participle, 5 – minor members.

What were you buying when I met you? – what were you buying when I met you?
Was she cooking dinner at 3 yesterday? – was she preparing lunch at 3 o’clock yesterday?
What were they discussing when I called you? – what were they discussing when I called you?

When is the Past Continuous Tense used?

Now let's discuss when to use the past continuous tense. As already mentioned earlier, a verb in the past continuous tense expresses an action that took place or lasted at a certain moment or period of time in the past.

There are two things to remember about using this time:
1. If the sentence indicates the exact time of the action, for example, at 5 o’clock yesterday(at 5 o'clock yesterday) , from 5 till 7 p.m.(from 5 to 7 pm), at this time yesterday(yesterday at the same time) the whole morning(all morning, all evening), etc.

I was having breakfast at 10 yesterday - yesterday at 10 I had breakfast
He was watching TV the whole evening yesterday - he watched TV all evening yesterday.

2. If the moment of time is expressed by a past tense verb. For example, “when I returned home, my wife was sleeping.” Here both actions took place in the past, but one of them happened simultaneously (returned), and the second lasted (slept). Therefore, the verb expressing a one-time action (returned) will be in , and a continuous action (slept) will be translated, accordingly, into the Past Continuous tense: When I returned home, my wife was sleeping.

When I entered the room the guests were dancing - when I entered the room the guests were dancing
When he saw me I was crossing the street - when he saw me, I was crossing the street.
When we were having lesson somebody called me - when we had a lesson someone called me.

• Sometimes you need to express actions that happened simultaneously in the past in one sentence, for example: “While I was doing my homework, my little brother was drawing a picture.” Here both actions will be expressed by Past Continuous Tense and the conjunction WHILE will help us - “while, while”:

• While I was doing my homework, my little brother was drawing a picture. — While I was doing my homework, my younger brother was drawing a picture.

The past tense in English can be different. There is not always enough time in the Past Simple to explain a situation from the past or talk about some event. Here more complex forms of the past tense come to our aid, one of which is the Past Continuous.

In this article we will look at what the Past Continuous is, when it is used and how this past tense is formed, its basic rules and examples of use in sentences, and how it differs from other past tenses in English.

What is Past Continuous?

Past Continuous is a past continuous tense that indicates an event or process that lasted during a certain period of time in the past.

Moreover, this moment in the past must be indicated. This can be either a specific time (at 5 o’clock), or an indication of a point in time (when) or as an extreme case - implied from the context.

I was dancing all night long - I danced all night (we are talking about a night that has already passed)

When she called I was taking a shower - When she called, I was taking a shower (we are talking about some point in time in the past (when), although the exact time is not specified)

The Past Continuous tense can often be heard in the everyday speech of native speakers. It can be used to talk about long-term actions in the past.

Difference between Past Continuous and other tenses

Carefully study the Past Simple, Past Continuous and Past Perfect Continuous tenses separately. The main difference between these three times is as follows:

We use Past Simple (simple past tense) when we are simply talking about the fact of a completed action in the past.

We use Past Continuous (past long tense) in the case when we know the exact time when the action was performed (was “in process”) in the past or we imply it.

We use Past Perfect Continuous (past complete continuous tense) if we are talking about an action that began and ended in the past, that is, it continued for an exact period of time and had already ended by the time of speech.

Compare:

I talked to him - I talked to him (Past Simple)

I was talking to him for 3 hours - I talked to him for three hours (Past Continuous)

I had been talking to him for 3 hours before he saw the right road - I talked to him for three hours until he saw the right road (Past Perfect Continuous)

How is the Past Continuous formed?

The Past Continuous is formed using the auxiliary verb to be in the past tense (was for the singular and were for the plural) and the first form of the verb ending in -ing (simple present participle).

Was is used with the subjects I / He / She / It

Were is used with the subjects You / We / They

I was crying - I cried

She was sleeping - She was sleeping

We were dancing - We danced

You were eating - You ate

When forming a participle (Ving), you need to remember in which case the consonant or vowel at the end is doubled, when the vowel at the end is replaced by another, and other rules.

• If the letter -e at the end is not pronounced, then it is omitted before the ending -ing; if pronounced, -ing is simply added..

to write → writing (write)

to free → freeing

• The ending -ie changes to -y to lie → lying (to lie)
• The ending -y always remains in place to play → playing to try → trying
• A final consonant is doubled if it is preceded by a stressed vowel. A consonant is not doubled if the stressed vowel is placed elsewhere or the consonant is preceded by a long vowel sound

to get → getting

to remember → remembering (remember)

to cool → cooling (cool)

• Final w and x before -ing are not doubled

to mix → mixing (mix)

to show → showing (show)

Statement

Affirmative sentences are composed according to a formula using the auxiliary verbs was / were (depending on the number) and the first form of the verb.

I / He / She / It / You / We / They + was / were + Ving

I was cooking the dinner - I was preparing lunch

She was painting a new picture - She painted a new picture

They were watching the Star Wars - They watched "Star Wars"

The doctor was sitting in his office - The doctor was sitting in his office

Negation

Negative Past Continuous sentences are formed by adding the particle not after the auxiliary verb was / were but before the semantic verb.

I / He / She / It / You / We / They + was/were + not + Ving

I was not drinking coffee - I didn’t drink coffee

She was not singing a song - She didn’t sing a song

They were not watching Harry Potter - They did not watch Harry Potter

was not = wasn’t

weren't = weren't

Mary wasn’t reading the book - Mary didn’t read the book

You weren’t taking a shower - You didn’t take a shower

Question

Interrogative sentences in the Past Continuous are formed by moving the auxiliary verb was / were to the beginning of the sentence.

Was / were + I / He / She / It / You / We / They + Ving

Was I drinking tea? - Did I drink tea?

Were we driving the main road? - Were we driving along the main road?

Was Arnold reading the book? - Did Arnold read the book?

Were you eating breakfast? -Have you eaten breakfast?

Special clarifying questions are formed in the Past Continuous by placing question words at the beginning of the sentence. Such as where (where), when (when) and others. The further word order in the construction repeats the above-mentioned interrogative form.

QW + was / were + I / He / She / It / You / We / They + Ving

What were you singing at the karaoke bar this time last Friday? - What were you singing in the karaoke bar at this time last Friday?

Where were you staying when you went to Paris? - Where did you stay when you went to Paris?

When is the Past Continuous used?

There are several cases when the Past Continuous tense is used in a sentence:

• Continuous actions at a specific moment in the past

This is usually indicated by special time markers. For example, at 7 a.m. (at seven in the morning), this morning at 4:18 (this morning at 4:18), at midnight (at midnight) and others.

In addition to the exact time, simply the period in the past when a certain action lasted can be indicated. This is done using the expressions all day, this afternoon, or simply during some time, etc.

Yesterday at 5 p.m. I was drinking tea with mom - Yesterday at five in the evening I was drinking tea with my mother

This time three month ago we were flying to Prague - Three months ago at this time we were flying to Prague

What were you doing during your honeymoon? We were traveling across Japan - What did you do during your honeymoon? We traveled around Japan.

• Simultaneous actions in the past

If several actions in the past occurred at one point in time, then the Past Continuous is used.

We were eating pizza while we were watching a new TV series - We ate pizza while we were watching a new series on TV

• Disapproval

The Past Continuous construction can be used in speech to express dissatisfaction or disapproval of past actions. Usually used with the words often (often), always (always) or constantly (constantly).

He was always losing our keys while on holiday - He constantly lost our keys on vacation

I were often waiting for her by her door when we were dating - I often waited for her at the door when we met

• Temporary situation

Past Continuous is used when we are talking about a temporary situation in the past that did not last long. The specific period must be indicated in the proposal.

They were living in Norway for 4 months - They lived in Norway for four months

The difference in the use of Past Continuous and Past Simple in sentences

Sometimes several past tenses can be used simultaneously in one sentence and we find it difficult to decide which is better to choose - Past Simple or Past Continuous. There are three cases to remember:

If the actions are one-time and occur one after another, we use the Past Simple.

I woke up and opened the door - I woke up and opened the door

If two actions in the past occurred simultaneously (parallel) to each other, then we use the Past Continuous.

Tommy was playing a video game while I was doing my homework - Tommy was playing a video game while I was doing homework

If one of the actions is long, and it is interrupted by a shorter action in the past, then for the long action it is expressed in the Past Continuous, and for the short one - in the Past Simple.

They were playing basketball in the playground when it started to rain - They were playing basketball on the playground when it started to rain

Important: after the word while in a sentence, the Past Continuous is always used. After the word when, both Past Continuous and Past Simple can be used.

Past Continuous time markers

You can find out the Past Continuous tense by special marker words found in a sentence. They usually answer the question “When did this happen?”

• at the moment (at that moment)
• when (when)
• while (while)
• as (since)
• all night (long) (all night)
• all morning (all morning)
• all day (long) (all day)
• last Sunday (last Sunday)
• last month (last month)
• last year (last year)
• from Monday to Wednesday (from Monday to Wednesday)
• at 3:15 pm
• at 6 yesterday

Example sentences with Past Continuous

Affirmative sentences:

I was writing a letter to my granny from 4 to 4:30 pm on Sunday - I wrote a letter to my grandmother from four to 4:30 pm on Sunday

four thirty on Sunday

Yesterday they were playing tennis when the rain started - Yesterday they were playing tennis when it started to rain

Jane was sitting on the bench and was waiting for somebody - Jane was sitting on the bench and waiting for someone

At midnight I was driving home - At midnight I was driving home

They were often being late because of their dog - They were often late because of their dog

Negative Suggestions:

I wasn’t drinking coffee when you called - I didn’t drink coffee when you called

My sister wasn’t washing her clothes last weekend - My sister didn’t wash her clothes last weekend

The Past Progressive Tense, its second name The Past Continuous, denotes long-term or unfinished actions in the past. We can use this tense to describe what happened at a certain point in time in the past.
In Russian we pronounce [past continuus/progressive] - English transcription. In this article, we will introduce and study when the Past Continuous is used, as well as rules and examples of the Past Continuous.

Read the introductory text and try to retell it. Pay attention to the highlighted words.

When I arrived at the station, my boyfriend Luke was waiting for me. He was wearing a nice black suit, and he was holding red roses in his left hand. When I got off the train, he ran up to me and kissed me passionately. It was raining and thundering. I told Luke to go to a café so that we could talk, but he insisted on going to another place. While he was driving,I was listening to the radio. The weather was awful but at the same time beautiful. Luke was smiling, but he looked worried. We stopped on the top of a hill with fantastic views. He came up to me; he kneeled in front of me and took a ring out of his pocket. “Jessica, will you…” he said. “Listen, Luke I want to split up with you,” I interrupted him.

Rules of Education in Past Continuous Tense

Now we will look at how the Past Continuous is formed in English.

The past continuous tense is formed with the help of an auxiliary verb and a present participle -ing form of a semantic verb.

Past Continuous formation formula:

— For pronouns I/he/she/it was + ing form
— For pronouns you/we/they were + ing form

Example:

— My boyfriend Luke was waiting for me – My boyfriend Luke was waiting for me.
— We were listening to the radio – We listened to the radio.

Cases of using the Past Continuous

Past Continuous is a very common tense in English, you should understand it and know it well. Below are rules and example sentences in the Past Continuous that will help you quickly understand the difficulties of using the Past Continuous.

1. Past Progressive is usually used

When we talk about actions or states that lasted at a certain point in the past. This tense emphasizes that the action continued during a certain period in the past:

Example:

—Peter was reading a book at 5 pm yesterday Peter was reading a book yesterday at 5 pm. (Specific action – 5 o’clock yesterday).
— I was sleeping at 3 o’clock yesterday afternoon – I was sleeping at 3 o’clock yesterday afternoon.
— We were still discussing the plan at midnight“At midnight we were still discussing the plan.

2. The Past Continuous is often used together with

That is, one action interrupts another. Past Continuous is a long action, Past Simple is a short action.

Example:

— While I was washed the dishes the bell rank– When I was washing the dishes, the bell rang. (Long action - washed the dishes; short action - the bell rang).
— I was cycling to work when I fell off the bike – I was riding my bike to work and fell off the bike. (The previous action in progress was interrupted by another action.)
— As I was washed the dog my husband called me – While I was washing the dog, my husband called me. (Washing is a long-term action, my husband called me and interrupted this action).

3. Two or more simultaneous actions in the past (two actions that happened at the same time)

Example:

—Paul was reading out the data while Sarah was writing it down – Paul read the data out loud and Sarah wrote it down.
— While Alan was smoking in his room, his friends were swimming in the pool - While Alan was smoking in his room, his friends were swimming in the pool.
—Alex was made lunch; Mary was laying the table – Alex was preparing dinner, Mary was setting the table.

4. Descriptions of events in history

We often use the Past Progressive at the beginning of a story to describe a situation.

Example:

— I was walking, the birds were singing and the kids were crying“I was walking, the birds were singing, and the children were crying.
—It was raining the wind was blowing. I was sitting next to the fireplace. Jim was playing the guitar, and the kids were dancing- It was raining. The wind was blowing. I was sitting by the fireplace. Jim played the guitar and the children danced.
—It was getting dark, and I was walking fast to the bar. Abruptly... - It was getting dark, and I quickly went to the bar. Suddenly…

5. From the lesson, we know that the adverbs constantly, always, forever are used to express irritation

In the same way, we can use the Past Continuous, only to express past repeated actions. Let's look at sentences in the past progressive with these adverbs.

Example:

— Luis was forever smoking in my room! “Louis was always smoking in my room!”
- No was constantly sleeping on duty! – He constantly slept on duty!
—She was always losing her wallet – She always lost her wallet.

6. With verbs that show change or growth

Example:

— New buildings were going up everywhere – New buildings were erected everywhere.
— My dog was growing up quickly – My dog ​​grew up quickly.
—His Chinese was improving– His Chinese was improving.

7. Past continuous tense is also used in conditional sentences

But this time is rare. Most often we see in stories or hear in dialogues.

Example:

— If Sam was playing, they would probably win – If Sam had played, they probably would have won.
— If she was trying to find a job, she could make a fortune - If she tried to find a job, she could make a fortune.

Although the Past Continuous tense is used here, Type 2 conditional sentences refer to the future or present tense.

8. Past forms are used when we talk about the present in several polite expressions

Example:

— Excuse me, I was wondering if this was the bus for Manchester – Sorry, I would like to know if this bus was to Manchester?

9. When is the past continuous used in indirect speech?

Simple, and most importantly understandable examples will easily answer this question.

Example:

— “I'm not looking forward to going back to university,” Clara said – Clara said: “I’m not going back to university.” (Direct speech).
— Clara said she was not looking forward to going back to university – Clara said that she is not going to return to university. (Indirect speech).

As can be seen from the first example, in direct speech the verb is in , and in indirect speech, we already see that the retold words are in the Past Continuous.
Based on the above, we can conclude that if a verb is in direct speech in the present continuous, then in indirect speech it will already be in the past cont.

We described in the article how all tenses change in indirect speech Direct and indirect speech.

Words - markers (time indicators) Past Continuous Tense

Auxiliary words will help you determine which tense is used in a sentence.

Each time has its own clue words. Of course, it happens that the same keyword is used with other tenses, so you need to remember not only the signal words, but also the rules of use for each of them.

While, at midday, at lunchtime, all morning, all day, when, at 5 o’clock, from 5 till 6 yesterday, the whole evening, as, during, this afternoon, at this time yesterday etc.

Examples of sentences in the past continuous with the words satellites:

— Mila was digging in the garden when she hurt her foot – Mila was digging in the garden and injured her foot.
— While I was painting the fence, Din was resting on the couch - While I was painting the fence, Dean was resting on the couch.
— I was baking cakes all day– I’ve been baking cakes all day.
— My half-brother was skiing from 10 till 7 yesterday– My stepbrother went skiing from 4 to 7 yesterday.
—Oliver was wrapping the gift at this time yesterday Oliver was packing a gift at this time yesterday.

Forms of sentences in the Past Continuous

It is always important to know how to construct sentences in English, since there is a strict sequence of words. If we violate the rules of sentence construction, then native speakers may not understand us. Therefore, we invite you to consider all three forms of the past continuous in the form of tables, which present rules and examples.

Affirmative sentences Past Continuous

The affirmative form of sentences is constructed according to the formula:

Surely you are already familiar with the Present Continuous tense, which helps us describe a long-term action (process) occurring at the moment. But what if you need to talk about a process that lasted in the past?

In Russian, various prefixes come to our aid, helping to distinguish verbs that answer the questions “what did you do?” and “what did you do?” In English, in such cases, a tense called Past Continuous Tense comes to our aid.

What is Past Continuous

Past Continuous(also called Past Progressive) is the past continuous tense. In other words, it is a time that indicates a process that lasted at a certain moment or period in the past.

For understanding: For example, if yesterday you ran into the store for five minutes to buy the essentials, then you would simply say: “I went to the store.” If you are involved in a long and tedious shopping process in order to find a gift for your beloved granny, then the wording “I walked around the shopping center for 4 hours, during which time spring gave way to summer, a year next year, I have grown old” will come to your aid , the children grew up, and humanity conquered Mars, but I still haven’t found anything, perhaps I’ll make a postcard with my own hands.”

This example clearly demonstrates the difference between Past Simple and Past Continuous.

How is the Past Continuous formed?

The formation scheme for Past Continuous is simple, logical and similar to the formation of Present Continuous. This subject+ auxiliary verb was/were + semantic verb with the ending “- ing" For clarity, let's take a closer look at how statements, denials and questions are formed in this tense.

Spoiler: the formation of negatives and questions is no different in structure from other English tenses.

Don't forget that in colloquial speech negatives are usually shortened, so was not and were not take the forms weren't and weren't respectively.

Past Continuous marker words

The following marker words will help you determine that the Past Continuous should be used in a given sentence:

• at 7 a.m.- at 7 am (instead of 7 a.m. you can substitute any other time, what is important is the indication of a specific period of time);
• all day/night(long) - all day/all night (all day long);
• all the time- all the time;
• at that moment- at that moment;
• while- while;
• when- When.

Past Continuous marker words

Marker	Example	Translation
at 5 o'clock	Yesterday at 5 o’clock I was having a date with my boss’ wife.	Yesterday at 5 o'clock I was on a date with my boss's wife.
all night long	I was partying all night long, dudes. It was savage!	I partied the night away, dudes. It was amazing!
all the time	Rick was crafting something in his lab all the time, but nobody knew what it was.	Rick was making something in his laboratory all the time, but no one knew what it was.
at that moment	I was teaching my pigeon to fly at that moment the day before yesterday.	I taught my pigeon to fly at the same time the day before yesterday.
while	Clyde was drinking whiskey at the bar, while Bonnie was stealing a car.	Clyde was drinking whiskey at the bar while Bonnie was stealing a car.
when	I was trying to sell my little brother in the Internet when my parents came back.	I tried to sell my little brother online when my parents returned.

Cases of using the Past Continuous

So, actually, what was all this started for: in what cases exactly do we use the Past Continuous?

• The simplest and most common is to describe actions, which lasted at a certain period or a specific point in time in the past.

Last night at 6 p.m.,I was eating dinner. - Yesterday at 6 pm I had dinner.
At midnight, we were still driving through the desert. - At midnight we were still driving through the desert.
Yesterday at this time,I was sitting at my desk at work. - Yesterday, at this same time, I was sitting at my desk.
She was walking her dog in the afternoon. - She was walking the dog during the day.

It is important to remember that if a period is indicated, it must be complete. Those. if we say that she walked the dog during the day, then this means that the day has already ended.

• One of the most typical cases of use is interrupted action in the past. This is where the union comes to our aid." when».

I was watching TV when she called. - I was watching TV when she called.
When the phone rank, she was writing a letter. - When the phone rang, she was writing a letter.
While we were having the picnic,it started to rain. - While we were on a picnic, it started to rain.
What were you doing when the earthquake started? - What were you doing when the earthquake started?
I was listening to my iPod, so I didn't hear the fire alarm. - 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. - You didn't listen to me when I asked you to turn off the oven.
Sammy was waiting for us when we got off the plane. - Sammy was waiting for us when we got off the plane.
A: What were you doing when you broke your leg? - What were you doing when you broke your leg?
B:I was snowboarding. - I went snowboarding.

• Another typical case is long-term actions, which happened simultaneously in the past. In this case, the union helps us " while" and sometimes just " and».

I was studying while he was making dinner. - I studied while he was preparing dinner.
While Ellen was reading Tim was watching television - While Helen was reading, Tim was watching TV.
Were you listening while was he talking? - Did you listen while he spoke?
I wasn't paying attention while I was writing the letter, so I made several mistakes. - I wrote the letter inattentively, so I made several mistakes.
What were you doing while you were waiting? - What did you do while you were waiting?
Thomas wasn't working, and I wasn't working either. - Thomas didn’t work, and I didn’t work either.
They were eating dinner, discussing their plans and having a good time. - They had dinner, discussed plans and just had a good time.

• A slightly rarer and more specific case is the use of the Past Continuous to describe the atmosphere and settings in stories and stories.

When I walked into the office, several people were busy typing, some were talking on the phones, the boss was giving orders, and customers were waiting to be served. One customer was yelling at a secretary and waving his hands. Others were complaining to each other about the bad service. - When I entered the office, several people were busily typing something, someone was talking on the phone, the boss was giving instructions, and customers were waiting to be served. One client shouted at the secretary and waved his arms. Others complained to each other about the poor service.

• And finally - a case for the advanced: we use the Past Continuous to describe repetitive actions or habits, that have annoyed us in the past. Similar to using " used to", but with a negative connotation. Here the words “ always" And " constantly».

She was always coming to class late. - She was always late for classes.
He was constantly talking. It annoyed everyone. - He chatted constantly. This irritated everyone.
I didn't like them because they were always complaining. - I didn’t like them because they constantly complained.

Nota Bene: do not forget that the so-called " state verbs"(state verbs) we are in the times of the Continuous group we don't use.

Education Past Continuous Passive

Like most other tenses, the Past Continuous can be used in passive pledge .

Statement: subject + was/were + being + V3

The customer was being helped by the salesman when the thief came into the store. - The seller was helping the buyer when the thief entered the store.

Negation: subject + was/were + not + being + V3

The TV was not being watched when electricity went off. - No one was watching TV when the electricity was turned off.

Question: was/were + subject + being + V3?

Was he being listened by anyone when Linda arrived? - Was anyone listening to him at all when Linda arrived?

Differences from Past Simple

We hope that having read up to this point, you have already understood how Past Continuous differs from Past Simple, but just in case, let’s clarify.

Past Simple is a short, completed action in the past, while Past Continuous is a process, a long-term action that occurred over some time in the past.

That's basically all you need to know to distinguish between these times. Easy peasy.

He came home at 7 p.m. - He back home at 7 pm.
He was coming home at 7 p.m. - He was returning home at 7 pm.
She said said when I saw her.
She was saying something when I saw her. - She's doing something spoke when I saw her.

Working with the Past Continuous is simple and pleasant (compared to the Present Perfect, for example), and in order to thoroughly understand it and master everything down to the smallest detail, we recommend you exercises on our online simulator.

Conclusion

So, today we have carefully and in detail analyzed the Past Continuous Tense. We hope you found this article helpful and you will handle this time as smartly as any native and be able to tell everyone long stories about your fun time this past weekend.

We invite you to familiarize yourself with other tenses of the English language

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