Past Continuous
We use the Past Continuous to talk about past actions in progress. The actions can also be interrupted by something (for example: "I was eating my breakfast when the telephone rang"), but there are also several other uses.
Yesterday at this time Steven Seagal was riding a horse (Use 1)
John was smoking a cigarette when he saw a spider (Use 2)
Sorry, you need to install flash to see this content.
|
Use
- Actions in progress
- Interrupted actions in progress
- Actions in progress at the same time in the past.
- Irritation
- Timid / polite question (read more below)
Interrupted actions in progress
Events that were in progress when another event happened. We often use "when" to link these two events. Because "when" is usually followed by a sentence in the Past Simple, the grammatical structure has this pattern:
[Past Continuous] + When + [Past Simple]
Below you can find lots of examples marked "Use 2"
Sorry, you need to install flash to see this content.
A rhinoceros was swatting flies with his tail when suddenly a fly bit him (Use 2)
Timid / polite question
- I was wondering if...
- I was thinking you might...
Although these sentences have the Past Continuous form, they apply to the present moment. Their meaning is similar to the "could you" sentences but they are more polite.
- I was wondering if you could carry my bag.
Form
Declarative sentences:
| Subject | + | Auxiliary verb | + | Verb + ing |
| I / a dog etc. | was / were | going / taking |
- At 3 p.m., I was having lunch (Use 1)
(the lunch started earlier than 3 p.m.) - They were talking about her when she walked into the room. (Use 2)
- While Kenneth was cleaning the living room, Sam was washing the dishes. (Use 3)
- We were all thinking about our holidays. (Use 1)
- Shannon was filling in a questionnaire when the pen ran out of ink. (Use 2)
Sorry, you need to install flash to see this content.
|
Sorry, you need to install flash to see this content.
|
Questions:
| Auxiliary verb | + | Subject | + | Verb + ing |
| was/were | I/a dog etc. | going/taking |
- Was she going to the theater when it started raining? (Use 2)
- What were the defenders doing when Kenneth struck the ball? (Use 2)
- Were you painting your house yesterday at 5 p.m.? (Use 1)
- Was Mary shopping when the mall was burning ? (Use 3)
Negative sentences:
| Subject | + | Auxiliary verb + not | + | Verb + ing |
| I/a dog etc. | wasn't/weren't | going/taking |
- He asked me why I wasn't having dinner at the hotel. (Use 1)
- We weren't playing football when the earthquake began. (Use 2)
Remember that you can also use the Past Continuous to show your irritation over something or somebody in the past. E.g. She was always asking me stupid questions.
Comments
Hi. One little remark: Spiders have eight legs.
Keep up the good work.
nice site i like it
Great animations! The horse is flying. :D
Excellent web site for learing english.g8t.But is it possible with any another language translation?
very good .... i like this side. keep it up
Nice site...animations could have been better
What a captivating site! Good work. Please keep it up!
Good animations I saw them with my students
Wow! This site is great. I like it. I've never seen a website, which is using cartoons for educational purpose. The idea is brilliant.
Great info on pragmatics/discourse/use and meaning, as well as form.
Why can we say 'Iwas reading a book for ten hours yesterday, but we can't say 'His fame was lasting for 10 hours yesterday'?
"When it was raining, a man RUN pass me."
Why "run" is used instead of "ran" in the sentance?
Is there any special notice in past continuous?
I would use "ran" in this sentence...
When vs While. Very nice test and examples, but I still do not know if is there any rule about the use of one or another. By the way..... which is the category for when and while? Adverb? Just linking words? Thanks
you suck very strong
Shut up! this site is really good. IM a student and i I can say this site is probably one of the less boring we had!!! and you dont say ''they suck'' you could say what you dont like! constructive comment, idiot!
pretty cool,but a think the spider should have eight legs, no? ......hahahahahahaha =]
come on !!!
[url=http://www.lianglian.cn]Bomber jacket[/url]