Introduction
In this lesson we will discuss about past continuous tense with all examples and usages. In the past lesson we will learn about past indefinite tense and others tenses but in this lesson we will learn about the continuous tense. Basically the past continuous tense describes actions that were happening at a specific time in the past. It is formed using the past tense of the verb ‘to be’ (was/were) followed by the base verb ending in -ing.
What does the past continuous tense mean?
The past continuous tense describes actions that were happening at a specific time in the past.
Key Points
To show that an action was happening at a particular moment in the past:
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- At 6 PM yesterday, I was cooking dinner.
To indicate two actions happening at the same time in the past:
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- While she was studying, he was watching TV.
To show that an action was interrupted by another action:
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- I was taking a shower when the phone rang.
Affirmative Sentence :
Structure : Subject + was/were + verb(-ing)
Examples :
- He was playing.
- We were running.
- They were laughing.
- She was singing.
- You were dancing.
- I was sleeping.
- He was reading.
- We were talking.
- They were cooking.
- She was drawing.
- You were writing.
- The dog was barking.
- The cat was purring.
- I was sleeping.
- He was reading.
- We were talking.
- They were cooking.
- She was drawing.
- You were writing.
- The cat was purring.
Negative Sentence :
Structure : Subject + was/were + not + verb(base form) + -ing
Examples :
- I was not eating.
- He was not sleeping.
- We were not talking.
- They were not playing.
- She was not watching TV.
- I was not running.
- He was not singing.
- We were not dancing.
- They were not laughing.
- She was not reading.
- The dog was not barking.
- You were not working.
- The kids were not swimming.
- It was not raining.
- I was not cooking.
- I was not studying.
- He was not drawing.
- We were not shouting.
- They were not arguing.
- She was not driving.
- The cat was not sleeping.
- You were not jogging.
- The children were not fighting.
- It was not snowing.
- I was not cleaning.
- He was not shopping.
- We were not traveling.
- They were not swimming.
- She was not fishing.
- The baby was not crying.
- You were not exercising.
- The birds were not chirping.
- It was not getting dark.
- I was not surfing the internet.
- He was not baking a cake.
Positive Sentence :
Structure : Subject + was/were + verb (ending in -ing) + object
Examples :
- I was reading a book.
- He was playing soccer.
- We were eating dinner.
- They were watching a movie.
- She was studying for the exam.
- The kids were laughing at the joke.
- My friends were walking in the park.
- He was cooking breakfast when I called.
- I was painting the wall.
- We were dancing at the party.
- She was fixing his bike.
- They were traveling to New York.
- The dog was barking loudly.
- He was writing a letter.
- We were playing video games all night.
- I was chatting with my friends online.
- He was cleaning the house.
- We were jogging around the track.
- They were exploring the museum.
- She was listening to music.
