English Past Continuous – Eduma English

Summary

The past continuous tense is used to describe actions that were ongoing or in progress at a specific point in the past. It is formed by using “was” or “were” followed by the -ing form of the main verb.

In-depth Explanation

How to Form the Past Continuous Tense

The past continuous tense is formed using the past tense of the verb “to be” (was/were) plus the present participle (-ing form) of the main verb. The structure is as follows:

[Subject] + was / were + [present participle]

Remember that the subjects “I,” “he,” “she” and “it” use the verb form “was” while “you,” “we” and “they” use “were.” Here are some examples:

He was smiling at me.

The neighbors were playing loud music all night.

I was living with my parents when I got the job.

Negatives in the Past Continuous

To form negative statements in the past continuous tense, just add the word “not” between “was” or “were” and the present participle:

[Subject] + was not / were not + [present participle]

For example:

We were not imagining things.

“Was not” is usually contracted to “wasn’t” and “were not” to “weren’t“:

We weren’t imagining things.

He wasn’t listening to the instructions.

I wasn’t sleeping when you called; I was watching TV.

Questions in the Past Continuous

To ask questions in the past continuous, put the auxiliary verb “was” or “were” before the subject.

Was / Were + [subject] + [present participle]?

Here are some examples:

What were you saying?

Was she studying for the exam all night?

Were they playing soccer when you arrived?

When to Use the Past Continuous Tense

Here are the main situations where you would use the past continuous tense.

Actions in progress at a specific time in the past:

At 11:00 am, she was reading a book in the library.

Parallel actions in the past: Two or more actions that were happening simultaneously in the past.

While they were walking around the museum, a man was following them.

Background actions: Actions that set the scene for another action or event that occurred in the past.

It was raining when I left the house this morning.

Interrupted actions: Actions that were interrupted by another action in the past.

We were watching a movie when our parents came home.

Polite inquiries: Used to make polite inquiries or to express a less direct request or suggestion.

I was wondering if you could help me with this.