Everything you need to use the past continuous correctly: the formula, when to use it, signal words, common mistakes and exercises with answers.
Actions in progress at a moment in the past. Affirmative: S + was/were + V-ing; Negative: S + was/were + not + V-ing; Interrogative: Was/Were + S + V-ing? Signal words: while, when, as, at 5 PM yesterday, at that time, all morning/afternoon.
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Affirmative | S + was/were + V-ing I/He/She/It + was | You/We/They + were | I was studying at 8 PM last night. |
| Negative | S + was/were + not + V-ing | She was not (wasn't) sleeping at that time. Contractions: was not = wasn't, were not = weren't |
| Interrogative | Was/Were + S + V-ing? | Were you watching TV when I called? Short answers: Yes, I was. / No, I wasn't. |
Describes an action in progress at a specific moment in the past.
A longer action in the past continuous is interrupted by a shorter one in the past simple.
Two or more actions happening at the same time in the past.
| Word | Example | Note |
|---|---|---|
| while | While she was reading, he was cooking. | Often used with the past continuous |
| when | I was eating when he arrived. | The "when" clause is usually in the past simple |
| as | As I was leaving, the phone rang. | Works like "while" and "when" |
| at 5 PM yesterday | At 5 PM yesterday, I was driving home. | |
| at that time | At that time, we were having dinner. | |
| all morning/afternoon | She was studying all morning. |
Fill in the blank, then open the answer to check it.
Options: am cooking · cook · cooked · was cooking
was cooking. Cooking is the longer action in progress, interrupted by the doorbell in the past simple.
Options: were play · were played · were playing
were playing. "They" takes "were", and "at 3 PM yesterday" is a specific moment, so the past continuous.
Options: has lived · have lived · live · were living
were living. "when the phone rang" shows that something else was going on when something else interrupted, so this sentence uses the Past Continuous tense. The formula is was/were + V-ing. The subject "My friends" goes with "were" so the answer is "were living".
Options: had been paying · pay · were paying · will pay
were paying. "at this time yesterday" shows that this thing was going on when something else interrupted it, so this sentence uses the Past Continuous tense. The formula is was/were + V-ing. The subject "The children" goes with "were" so the answer is "were paying".
Options: are watching · had been watching · was watching · will have watched
was watching. "all day yesterday" shows that one thing was going on when another thing interrupted it, so this sentence uses the Past Continuous tense. The formula is was/were + V-ing. The subject "My brother" goes with "was" so the answer is "was watching".
Options: are sending · had sent · has sent · was sending
was sending. "when the phone rang" shows that something else was going on when something else interrupted, so this sentence uses the Past Continuous tense. The formula is was/were + V-ing. The subject "The teacher" goes with "was" so the answer is "was sending".
Options: enjoy · enjoyed · were enjoying · will enjoy
were enjoying. "at this time yesterday" shows that this thing was going on when something else interrupted it, so this sentence uses the Past Continuous tense. The formula is was/were + V-ing. The subject "The neighbors" goes with "were" so the answer is "were enjoying".
Options: had been making · made · makes · was making
was making. "all day yesterday" shows that one thing was going on when another thing interrupted it, so this sentence uses the Past Continuous tense. The formula is was/were + V-ing. The subject "The driver" goes with "was" so the answer is "was making".
Options: check · checked · were checking · will check
were checking. "when the phone rang" shows that something else was going on when something else interrupted, so this sentence uses the Past Continuous tense. The formula is was/were + V-ing. The subject "My friends" goes with "were" so the answer is "were checking".
Options: are writing · was writing · were writing · write
was writing. "at this time yesterday" shows that this thing was going on when something else interrupted it, so this sentence uses the Past Continuous tense. The formula is was/were + V-ing. The subject "Tom" goes with "was" so the answer is "was writing".
Options: are coming · come · were coming · will come
were coming. "all day yesterday" shows that one thing was going on when another thing interrupted it, so this sentence uses the Past Continuous tense. The formula is was/were + V-ing. The subject "The students" goes with "were" so the answer is "were coming".
Options: had been swimming · swimming · were swimming · will swim
were swimming. "when the phone rang" shows that something else was going on when something else interrupted, so this sentence uses the Past Continuous tense. The formula is was/were + V-ing. The subject "The dogs" goes with "were" so the answer is "were swimming".
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