The Past Continuous Tense

Positive form: S + was/were + verb+ing + C

Negative form: S + wasn’t/weren’t + verb + ing + C

Question Form: (Question Word) + was/were + Subject + verb +ing + C?

 

FORM

A. The past continuous tense expresses action at a particular moment in the past.

The action started before that moment but has

not finished at that moment. For example, yesterday I watched a film on

TV.The film started at 7pm and finished at 9pm.

At 8pm yesterday, I was watching TV.

How do we use the Past Continuous Tense?

B. We use it to describe the background situation at the moment when the action begins. Often, the story starts with the past continuous tense and then moves into the simple past tense.

" James Bond was driving through town. It was raining. The wind was blowing hard. Nobody was walking in the streets. Suddenly, Bond saw the killer in a telephone box..."

C. We use it to indicate that a longer action in the past was interrupted. The interruption is usually a shorter action in the Simple Past.

 

I was watching TV when she called. When the phone rang, she was writing a

letter.

D. Parallel Actions: we use it with two actions in the same sentence, it expresses the idea that both actions were happening at the same time.

I was studying while he was making dinner.

While Ellen was reading, Tim was watching television.

These verbs are usually things you cannot see somebody doing. These verbs are rarely used in continuous tenses. Abstract Verbs: 

to be, to want, to cost, to seem, to need, to care, to contain,

to owe, to exist... Possession Verbs:

to possess, to own, to belong... Emotion Verbs: 

to like, to love, to hate, to dislike, to fear, to envy, to mind...

Non-Continuous Verbs

Example:Michael was watching the World Cup match. Yesterday at 3 pm the following people were in themiddle of an action.Write positive sentences in past progressive.

a. you / play / cardsb. Alice / walk / around the lakec. Caron / listen / to the radiod. we / read / a book about Australiae. Linda / look for / her ringf. Fiona and Sam / visit / the castleg. Ben / wash / the carh. Kim and I / wait / in the parki. My sister / feed / the birdsj. Greg and Phil / count / their money

Somebody believes that yesterday at 3 pm the followingpeople were in the middle of an action. However thesepeople were not doing those things.Write negative sentences in past progressive.

a. Sarah and Luke / not / workb. Mister Miller / not / teach / chemistryc. Barry / not / drive / a lorryd. Mandy / not / have / lunche. Albert / not / play / tennisf. Taylor and Bob / not / cycle / homeg. Annie / not / clean / the tableh. Benjamin / not / write / an e-maili. Jane / not / exercise / in the gymj. Robert / not / buy / flowers

Write questions in past progressive.a. Rachel / feed / the cat b. the children / paint / a picture c. Clark / repair / his computer d. Hazel / swim / in the pool e. Lucas / have / a shower f. Jason and Aron / run / down the street

Ask for the information in the bold part of the sentence.

a. Henry was living in London last year.b. Anita was working at a restaurant last week.c. Joe was reading a book.d. At six o'clock, Myriam and her family were having

dinner.

(run)

What was she doing yesterday

at 08:00 am?

What were they doing last Sunday?

Dance /Have fun

What was he doing last night?

watch

What were you doing yesterday at 06:30 pm?

Aim: Review of past continuous tense when describing a picture.

Say the complete sentence

Cut herself /Peel an apple

Watch TV/ arrive

Play soccer/ rain

Last Sunday at 8:00 o´clock there was an earthquake, these people live happily in this building. It was 7:30 pm and they were doing different activities. Say what were they doing when the earthquake began? Example:

When the earthquake began the lady in flat 4 A was knitting.

It’s 3:00pm last Sunday. What were they

doing?

What were they doing one hour later?