Past Continuous Tense: Definition, Useful Rules and Examples

Past Continuous Tense! In this section, we are going to be looking at the function of the past continuous
tense as well as the rules which we must follow when using it.
What is the Past Continuous Tense?
The past continuous tense is one which is used very frequently in the English language and is made up of
an -ing verb preceded by the past tense of the verb ‘to be.’ For example ‘the animals were running
gracefully through the field.’ This is an easy concept to understand and once you have mastered it, you
will be able to speak much more freely about the past.
The past continuous, or past progressive, tense describes an action or situation that began in the past
and is still going on in the present time.
The past continuous is easily formed by pairing up the verb to be’ with a verb ending in -ed’ instead of -
ing’ (e.g. was talking).
The second section below has some great examples of how to use the past continuous tense in actual
conversation. After studying those samples, continue reading to the end for some practice choosing the
correct form of this verb tense to complete a sentence. When reading a book or article, it is often a great
idea to keep a dictionary or thesaurus at hand, especially when encountering unfamiliar or irregular verbs.
Past Continuous Tense Structure
The Past Continuous is used to describe actions that began in the past and often continued for a short
period of time after the action started.
The structure of the Past Continuous Tense is:
Was/were + V-ing (Present Participle)
Example:
At three o’clock yesterday, I was working in the garden.
Examples of the Past Continuous Tense
1. My kids were playing basketball together for hours yesterday.
2. My daughter was planning to join the school band but chose the choir instead.
3. I was talking to my neighbor when she told me about the fire that started across the street.
4. Our school was holding a pep rally when the fire alarm went off.
5. I was not giving to charity last year, but then I received a raise and started contributing to the
local animal shelter.
6. While I was getting ready for bed, I turned on the news to see what had happened during the day.
7. My team was holding an offsite lunch n learn but discontinued it when people stopped showing
up.
8. My brother was dropping me off at school every morning so I didn’t have to wait in the cold for
the bus.
 9. I was hanging more and more elaborate Christmas lights every year until I realized I couldn’t do
anything bigger this year so I stopped.
10. My friend was sleeping over every Friday for three months during the Summer but then we had to
stop when school started.
How to Use the Past Continuous Tense
The Past Continuous Tense Usage
The past continuous is used:
To describe parallel actions
The past progressive is often used to denote an action that was interrupted by an event, or for two actions
taking place in parallel.
Examples:
 While I was washing the dishes, I heard a loud noise.
 While you were washing the dishes, Sue was walking the dog. To express specific Time as an
Interruption
To describe what someone was doing at a particular point in time
Example:
I was working in the garden all day yesterday.
That could also be expressed using the simple past, as I worked…, which implies that the action is viewed
as a unitary event (although the effective meaning is not very different).
To express interrupted action in the past
Often the past progressive is mixed with the past simple to show what was happening when something
happened.
Examples:
 I was driving to work when I crashed my car.
 I watched a movie while I was flying to Dubai.
To describe repetition and irritation
Example:
He was always complaining in class.
Note
For stative verbs that do not use the progressive aspect, the simple past is used instead.
Example:
At three o’clock yesterday we were in the garden.
Time Expressions Used with the Past Progressive Tense
 When
 While
 Always
 Constantly
 At that time
 In those days
 All day
 All evening
 For hours…

Past continuous tense

It is used:

 Often, to describe the background in a story written in the past tense, e.g. "The sun was
shining and the birds were singing as the elephant came out of the jungle. The other
animals were relaxing in the shade of the trees, but the elephant moved very quickly.
She was looking for her baby, and she didn't notice the hunter who was watching her
through his binoculars. When the shot rang out, she was running towards the river..."
 to describe an unfinished action that was interrupted by another event or action, e.g.
"I was having a beautiful dream when the alarm clock rang."
 to express a change of mind: e.g. "I was going to spend the day at the beach but I've
decided to get my homework done instead."
 with 'wonder', to make a very polite request: e.g. "I was wondering if you could baby-sit
for me tonight."

Examples
 They were waiting for the bus when the accident happened.
 Caroline was skiing when she broke her leg.
 When we arrived he was having a bath.
 When the fire started I was watching television.

Note: with verbs not normally used in the continuous form, the simple past is used.

Forming the past continuous

Subject +was/were +base + ing

They were watching

Affirmative

She was reading

Negative

She wasn't reading

Interrogative
 Subject +was/were +base + ing

Was she reading?

Interrogative negative

Wasn't she reading?

To play, past continuous

Affirmative Negative Interrogative

I was playing I was not playing Was I playing?

You were playing You were not playing Were you playing?

He was playing He wasn't playing Was he playing?

We were playing We weren't playing Were we playing?

They were playing They weren't playing Were they playing?