Past ContinuousFORM
S + [was/were + present participle (Ving)]Examples:
* You
were studying when she called.
*
Were you
studying when she called?
* You
were not studying when she called.
Complete List of Past Continuous Forms
USE 1 Interrupted Action in the PastUse the Past Continuous to indicate that a longer action in the past was interrupted. The interruption is usually a shorter action in the Simple Past. Remember this can be a real interruption or just an interruption in time.
Examples:
* I
was watching TV when she called.
* When the phone rang, she
was writing a letter.
* While we
were having the picnic, it started to rain.
* What
were you
doing when the earthquake started?
* I
was listening to my iPod, so I didn't hear the fire alarm.
* You
were not listening to me when I told you to turn the oven off.
* While John
was sleeping last night, someone stole his car.
* Sammy
was waiting for us when we got off the plane.
* While I
was writing the email, the computer suddenly went off.
* A: What
were you
doing when you broke your leg?
B: I
was snowboarding.
USE 2 Specific Time as an InterruptionIn USE 1, described above, the Past Continuous is interrupted by a shorter action in the Simple Past. However, you can also use a specific time as an interruption.
Examples:
* Last night at 6 PM, I
was eating dinner.
* At midnight, we
were still
driving through the desert.
* Yesterday at this time, I
was sitting at my desk at work.
IMPORTANT
In the Simple Past, a specific time is used to show when an action began or finished. In the Past Continuous, a specific time only interrupts the action.
Examples:
* Last night at 6 PM, I
ate dinner.
I started eating at 6 PM. * Last night at 6 PM, I
was eating dinner.
I started earlier; and at 6 PM, I was in the process of eating dinner.USE 3 Parallel ActionsWhen you use the Past Continuous with two actions in the same sentence, it expresses the idea that both actions were happening at the same time. The actions are parallel.
Examples:
* I
was studying while he
was making dinner.
* While Ellen
was reading, Tim
was watching television.
*
Were you
listening while he
was talking?
* I
wasn't paying attention while I
was writing the letter, so I made several mistakes.
* What
were you
doing while you
were waiting?
* Thomas
wasn't working, and I
wasn't working either.
* They
were eating dinner,
discussing their plans, and
having a good time.
USE 4 AtmosphereIn English, we often use a series of parallel actions to describe the atmosphere at a particular time in the past.
Example:
* When I walked into the office, several people
were busily
typing, some
were talking on the phones, the boss
was yelling directions, and customers
were waiting to be helped. One customer
was yelling at a secretary and
waving his hands. Others
were complaining to each other about the bad service.
USE 5 Repetition and Irritation with "Always"The Past Continuous with words such as "always" or "constantly" expresses the idea that something irritating or shocking often happened in the past. The concept is very similar to the expression "used to" but with negative emotion. Remember to put the words "always" or "constantly" between "be" and "verb+ing."
Examples:
* She
was always coming to class late.
* He
was constantly talking. He annoyed everyone.
* I didn't like them because they
were always complaining.
While vs. WhenClauses are groups of words which have meaning, but are often not complete sentences. Some clauses begin with the word "when" such as "when she called" or "when it bit me." Other clauses begin with "while" such as "while she was sleeping" and "while he was surfing." When you talk about things in the past, "when" is most often followed by the verb tense Simple Past, whereas "while" is usually followed by Past Continuous. "While" expresses the idea of "during that time." Study the examples below. They have similar meanings, but they emphasize different parts of the sentence.
Examples:
* I [was studying
when she called.
*
While I was studying, she called.
REMEMBER Non-Continuous Verbs / Mixed VerbsIt is important to remember that Non-Continuous Verbs cannot be used in any continuous tenses. Also, certain non-continuous meanings for Mixed Verbs cannot be used in continuous tenses. Instead of using Past Continuous with these verbs, you must use Simple Past.
Examples:
* Jane
was being at my house when you arrived.
Not Correct * Jane
was at my house when you arrived.
Correct
ADVERB PLACEMENTThe examples below show the placement for grammar adverbs such as: always, only, never, ever, still, just, etc.
Examples:
* You were
just studying when she called.
* Were you
just studying when she called?
ACTIVE / PASSIVEExamples:
* The salesman
was helping the customer when the thief came into the store.
Active * The customer
was being helped by the salesman when the thief came into the store.
Passive