1. Past Continuous Tense

2. Form of Past Continuous Tense: Positive Sentence
Subject +
“BE” +
main verb
+(V+ing)
 modifier. I
was
listening
to music.
You, We, They
were
dancing
happily.
He, She, It
reading
books.

3. Form of Past Continuous Tense: Negative Sentence
Subject +
“BE” +
NOT +
main verb (V+ing) +
 modifier. I
was
not
listening
to music.
wasn't
You, We, They
were
dancing
happily.
weren't
He, She, It
reading
books.

4. Form of Past Continuous Tense: Yes-No Question
“BE” +
Subject +
main verb
+(V+ing)
 modifier ?
Was I
listening
to music?
Were
you, we, they
watching
World’s Cup last night?
he, she, it
being
lazy?

5. Form of Past Continuous Tense: Wh-Question
Question word
BE +
Subject +
main verb
+(V+ing)
modifier ?
Who
was I
talking
to when the phone rang?
Where
were
you, we, they
watching
World’s Cup last night?
he, she, it
doing
at 11 o’clock last night?

6. Use of Past Continuous Tense
1. We use the past continuous to say that an action was in progress at a specific time in the past. The action had already started at this time, but had not finished.
At 5pm yesterday, it was raining.
I was having dinner at 6pm last night.
Last night at 11 PM, my sister and I (we) were watching TV.
At midnight, we were still driving through the desert.
What were you doing at midnight last night?

7. Use of Past Continuous Tense
2. We use the past continuous to say that an action was in progress at every moment during a period of time.
working
8:00am
4: 00pm
12:00pm
Yesterday she was sitting at her desk at work all day.
You were working all day yesterday.
Yesterday they were not playing football at 9am.
What were you doing at 10pm last night?
Jimmy was working at 10pm last night.

8. Use of Past Continuous Tense
3. We use the past continuous together with the past simple. The past continuous refers to a "longer" or "background" action that was in progress to indicate that a longer action in the past was interrupted; The past simple refers to a “shorter” action that interrupted the longer action, or happened in the middle of it.
John’s daughter was sleeping when he called her at 8pm.

9. Jimmy was taking a bath when the phone rang.
A: What were you doing when you broke your leg? B: I was snowboarding.

10. Use of Past Continuous Tense
4. We use the past continuous to say that an action in
the past was temporary.
Sarah was waiting for her friend for 20 minutes yesterday.
You were working in the Sales Department last month.
They were living in Paris for a year.

11. Past Continuous Tense & Past Simple Tense
We often use the past continuous tense with the simple past tense. We use the past continuous tense to express a long action. And we use the past simple tense to express a short action that happens in the middle of the long action.

12. Past Continuous Tense & Past Simple Tense
I was watching TV when Jim knocked the door.
Long action = (watching TV), expressed with past continuous tense
Short action = (knocked), expressed with simple past tense

13. I was watching TV when Jim knocked the door.
‘when’ + short action (past simple tense) ‘while’ + long action (past continuous tense)
I was watching TV when Jim knocked the door.
I was watching TV
when
Jim knocked the door.
When
Jim knocked the door ,
while
While

14. Choose the correct tense, past simple or past continuous
1. A nun was sitting (sit) in a church when Roger opened the door.
2.While Miss King …………………..(explain) the lesson, the principle came.
3.Father ……………..(arrive) home as mother was cooking.
4.A woman ……………(scream) while her husband was driving.
5. While her friends……..……….(dance), Amanda took a photograph.
6. Andrew……….…….….(sleep) when his son threw a ball to him.
Choose the correct tense, past simple or past continuous
was explaining
arrived
screamed
was dancing
was sleeping

15. 7. While we ………………(read) books, someone switched off the light.
8. The kite ……………….(fall) as we were playing in the field.
9. As the birds …………..(fly)in the sky, the boy shot one of them.
10. As we …………….(have) breakfast, Sue walked into the kitchen.
11.Mother ………….(rush) to the baby while the baby was crying.
12.When I…………..(hit) a dog, I was driving to work.
13. It rained while we…………………(have) a test.
14. The Whites………………..(watch) football match when the phone rang.
was reading
was falling
were flying
were having
rushed
hit
were having
were watching

16. 15. When Jason and I arrived home, our parents …………
15. When Jason and I arrived home, our parents …………..(sit) in the living – room.
16. While Jane………………(dress)in her bedroom, her mother called her.
17.David………….(see) the President while he was riding a bicycle.
18. While we……………..(sail) a boat, we saw a dolphin.
19. I saw an accident as I ……………(visit) my relations.
20. What …………you…………,when I phoned you?
21. As father………………….(walk) through the gate, he saw a snake crawling?
were sitting
was dressing
saw
was sailing
was visiting
were
doing
was walking

17. 22. I …………(hear) Julia’s noise while I was reading in a library.
23. While Roger………… (sit) on the bus, he met Kevin.
24. The bus ……………(rush) towards the crowd while I was waiting for a bus.
25. We……………….(sail) the boat when there … a storm.
26. As I…………………(shop), I saw a beautiful woman.
27.I………….amazed while I …………. (look at) the picture on the wall.
heard
was sitting
rushed
were sailing
was
was shopping
was
was looking at

18. 28. As Henry was walking home, somebody … (hit) him at the back.
29. Everybody ……………(wait) for David when he ………….. (walk) into the room.
30. While I ……………..(look for) my ring in a room, somebody locked the door.
hit
was waiting
walked
was looking at