Past Continuous

We usually use the Past Continuous to talk about activities that lasted for some time in the past. The actions can be interruped by something or can be happening at the same time.

We use the Past Continuous to talk about actions or situations that lasted for some time in the past, and whose duration time is unknown or unimportant.

Examples:

• I was watching TV yesterday in the evening.
• She was sleeping on the couch.
• The dog was barking.

The Past Continuous is often used when one action in progress is interruped by another action in the past. We usually use when or while to link these two sentences.

1. Sentence in Past Continuous	+	WHEN	+	Sentence in Past Simple
   e.g. I was singing				e.g. my wife came home

2. WHEN/WHILE	+	Sentence in Past Continuous	+	Sentence in Past Simple
   		e.g. I was singing		e.g. my wife came home

Examples:

• I was talking with James when the telephone rang.
• While Angelica was playing tennis, the plane crashed .
• When Bob was painting windows, it started raining.

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To understand this use better, watch this interactive animation:

Explanation

In this cartoon, you can see a man who says: "When I was jogging someone stopped me and asked what time it was.".

• Why is this in Past Continuous? Click on the button labled "event 1". You can see that the man is jogging. This is a continuous action. Suddenly, another man stops him and asks what time it is. This is "event 2". Notice that the action of jogging is interrupted by event 2. This is why the use of Past Continuous is correct here.

We also use this tense to talk about two or more activities happening at the same. We usually use when or while to link the two sentences.

1. Sentence in Past Continuous	+	WHEN/WHILE	+	Sentence in Past Continuous
   e.g. I was singing				e.g. She was cooking

2. WHEN/WHILE	+	Sentence in Past Continuous	+	Sentence in Past Continuous
   		e.g. I was singing		e.g. She was cooking

Examples:

• I was watching TV and Barbara was reading a book.
• The family was eating the dinner and talking.
• When Bob was painting windows, Mary was working in the kitchen.

If we want to ask a polite question, we can use the Past Continuous.

Examples:

• I was wondering if you could open the window.
• I was thinking you might help me with this problem.

Even though the sentences have a Past Continuous form, they refer to the present moment. Their meaning is similar to the "could you" sentences, but they are more polite.

Remember that you can also express irritation over somebody or something in the past.

Examples:

• She was always coming late for dinner!

To form a sentence in the Past Continuous, you need:

1. The proper conjugation of the auxiliary verb "to be" in the past form
2. The Present Participle of your verb (verb + ing)

1. Auxiliary verb "to be"

The past form of the auxiliary verb "to be" is:

1. For the first and third person singular: "was"
2. For all others: "were"

Examples:

• She was always coming late for dinner!
• You were always coming late for dinner!

2. The Present Participle

The present participle is of a verb is a verb form that appears with the present tenses. The present participle is formed by adding -ing to the verb.

• talk + ing = talking
• be + ing = being

There are exceptions.

Subject	+	Auxiliary verb	+	Verb + ing
e.g. I/a dog etc.		was / were		e.g. swimming/talking etc.

Auxiliary verb	+	Subject	+	Verb + ing
was / were		e.g. I/a dog etc.		e.g. swimming/talking etc.

Subject	+	Auxiliary verb	+	Verb + ing
e.g. I/a dog etc.		was not / were not		e.g. swimming/talking etc.

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Check your understanding!