Past Continuous Tense

In Basics of English
February 6, 2016

PAST CONTINUOUS TENSE

Loved. You can’t use it in the past tense. Death does not stop that love at all.-Ken Kesey

Use: The past continuous tense in English is used in the following cases:

actions or events in a time before now, which began in the past and is still going on.
to describe an unfinished action that was interrupted by another event or action.
to show something that continued for some time.
To show change or growth.
Something that was happening again and again.

Key: The past continuous of any verb is composed of two parts : the past tense of the verb “to be” (was/were), and the base of the main verb +ing.

Rule:

Subject +auxiliary Verb (was/were) + Main Verb (Present Participle) or base verb + ing
Subject + was/were + (1st form of verb or base verb +ing)

Tip:

If the subject is “he, she, It, I, singular or proper noun” then auxiliary verb “was” is used.
If subject is “you, we, they or plural” then auxiliary verb “were” is used.

Example:

I was busy in playing.
They were chatting.

1. for something which continued which began in the past and still going on.

The children were busy playing playing station.

2. To describe an unfinished action that was interrupted by another event or action.

You called while I was having dinner.
When I got home, she was exercising.

2. to show something that continued for some time.

She was busy in cooking when I arrived.

3. For something that was happening again and again.

They were secretly meeting after the office.
She was an expert in clicking photographs.

4. To show change or growth.

When she was growing up, I used to keep an eye on her.
My hair was turning white.

Important Note: In case of Negative Sentence use-

Rule– Subject + Auxiliary Verb (wasn’t/weren’t) +Main Verb (present participle)+ing.

Example:

She fell from Bike. She wasn’t looking where she was going.
When I arrived late, my friend wasn’t waiting.
They weren’t singing well.

Mix Sentence:

He didn’t mean what he said. He was just being silly.
I went for a long walk.But I wasn’t wearing the right shoe.

Interrogative sentences
• Auxiliary verb + Subject + Main verb (present participle) + object
• Was/were + Subject + (1st form of verb or base verb +ing) +object

Tip:

If the subject is “he, she, It, I, singular or proper noun” then the sentence starts with auxiliary verb “was”. If subject is “you, we, they or plural” then the sentence starts with auxiliary verb “were”.

eg:

was she dancing properly?
were they planning to come?

Exercise on Past Continuous Tense

Rule- Subject + Verb (was/were) + Verb+ing.

Reema______(play) at the ground.

She ______study at four o’clock.

I ______work late in the office.

They_________ eat together.

We _______watch movie at the theater.

Mrs. James_______(not/walk) in the garden when murder happened.

The maid _______(not/clean) the bedrooms.

The dog_____(sleep) at night.