Past continuous tense in English
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Sign up for freeThis chapter will discuss the past continuous tense in English. This tense is used to describe actions starting in the past and are still continuing in the present.
Lesson outline
Hide- 1.Structure of past continuous tense in English
- 2.How to form the past continuous tense
- 2.1.Affirmatives
- 2.1.1.Examples:
- 2.2.Negatives
- 2.2.1.Examples:
- 2.3.Interrogatives
- 2.3.1.Examples:
- 3.Usage of the past continuous in English
- 4.When and while in English
- 5.Exercises
- 5.1.Practice the English past continuous
- 5.2.Fill in the correct form of the English past continuous
- 5.3.Fill in the English past form of 'to be'
- 5.4.Fill in the English past continuous
Structure of past continuous tense in English
The past continuous is formed with the past simple of the auxiliary verb 'to be' and the present participle of the verb.
to be + present participle (infinitive + ing)
Past continuous tense examples:
- He was working at the supermarket.
- The sun was shining.
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How to form the past continuous tense
How the past continuous tense is formed, depends on whether the sentence is:
- Affirmative: expresses the truth of a certain assertion.
- Negative: expresses the falsity of a certain assertion.
- Interrogative: expresses a question.
1. Affirmatives
Structure: Subject + 'to be' in the past simple form + present participle (verb + suffix 'ing') + rest of the sentence
| Subject | Past form of 'to be' |
|---|---|
| I | was |
| You | were |
| He / she /it | was |
| We | were |
| You | were |
| They | were |
Examples:
- I was walking to school.
- He was cooking a meal for his family.
- They were drinking beer in a bar.
2. Negatives
Structure: Subject + negative form of 'to be' in the past + present participle (verb + suffix 'ing') + rest of the sentence
| Subject | Negative past form of 'to be' |
|---|---|
| I | was not |
| You | were not |
| He / she / it | was not |
| We | were not |
| You | were not |
| They | were not |
Examples:
- She was not working at the office on Friday.
- We were not having dinner at the restaurant last week.
- They were not paying attention in class, because they were talking.
3. Interrogatives
Structure: 'To be' in the past form + subject + present participle (verb + suffix 'ing') + rest of the sentence + question mark
Examples:
- Were you coming to the party?
- Was he really traveling through Australia?
- Were they running to catch the bus?
Usage of the past continuous in English
The table below shows when the past continuous is used in English.
| Use | Example |
|---|---|
| To indicate an action that was interrupted by another action |
|
| To express a change of opinion |
|
| Actions that occurred at a specific time in the past |
|
| Two actions that were happening at the same time in the past |
|
When and while in English
The past continuous tense in English often contains the words 'when' or 'while'. Both of these are used when two or more actions are taking place.
'When' is used when talking about situations which happened at the moment another action was in progress.
- They were reading a book when the doorbell rang.
Past simple tense is used after 'when'.
'While' is used when talking about situations that happen at the same time.
- I was reading a book while my mother was cooking dinner.
Past continuous tense is used after 'while'.
Train your skills by doing the exercises below!
Exercises
- Practice the English past continuous
- Fill in the correct form of the English past continuous
- Fill in the English past form of 'to be'
- Fill in the English past continuous
Practice the English past continuous
Fill in the correct form of the English past continuous
Fill in the English past form of 'to be'
Fill in the English past continuous
Exercises
- Practice the English past continuous
- Fill in the correct form of the English past continuous
- Fill in the English past form of 'to be'
- Fill in the English past continuous