Past continuous tense
1. All continuous tenses express an on-going action or activity. The past continuous tense expresses an on-going action or activity happening at a certain time in the past.
Before advancing, study this example:
Yesterday Karen and Jim played tennis. They began at
So, at 10.30 they were playing tennis.
They were playing = they were in the middle of playing. They had not finished playing.
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I was doing. (past continuous tense)
----------l--------------------------------------------------------------l-----------------------------l-------------à
I started doing I finished doing
(past) (past) (now)
Forms
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I/he/she/it was
We/you/they were
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playing
doing
working
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Ex:
1. This time last year I was living in Brazil
2. What were you doing at 10 o’clock last night.
3. I waved to Helen, but she wasn’t looking.
2. When do we use the past continuous tense
We usually use the past continuous tense in the following three situations.
1. To say something was going on at a certain moment, such as 10.30 in the morning or 5 p.m. , etc., in the past.
Ex:
1. (x) What didi Kevin do at eleven last night?
(o) What was Kevin doing at eleven last night. à Use the past continuous tense for something was going on at a certain moment.
2. (x) John watched TV at 7.00 last night.
(o) John was watching TV at 7.00 last night. à Use the past continuous tense for something was going on at a certain moment.
2. We use the past tense and the past continuous tense together to say that something happened in the middle of something else. (longer actions à were/was Ving)
Use “while” or “when” to join two sentences
à “While” is often used with a longer background action or situation, but not for a shorter one. For a shorter action, use “when”
à “When” can be used for both longer actions and shorter actions.
Ex:
1. Matt phoned while we were having dinner.
= When Matt phoned, we were having dinner.
= Matt phone when we were having dinner.
2. I hurt my back while I was working in the garden.
= When I hurt my back, I was working in the garden.
= I hurt my back when I was working in the garden.
3. To stress that an action was going on at every moment during a period of past time.
Ex:
1. Kim said Paul and his classmates were quarreling all morning today at the gym.
à They were doing it the whole morning at the gym.
Notice
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Some verbs (for example, know and want) are not normally used in the continuous.
A short list of such verbs:
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like love hate want need prefer
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know realize suppose mean understand believe remember
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belong fit contain consist seem
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Compare the past continuous (I was doing) and past tense (I did)
Past continuous (in the middle of an action)
- I was walking home when I met Dave.
(in the middle of an action)
- Kate was watching TV when we arrived.
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Past simple (complete action)
- I walked home afer they party last night.
(complete action)
- Kate watched TV a lot when she was ill last year.
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The past continuous tense exercises:
past progressive tense (change the verbs) (1).doc answer keys: past progressive tense (change the verbs) (1) answer keys.doc
The past continuous tense on-line exercises:
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