(Or past progressive tense)
How can we make the past continuous? Firstly, check that you know how to make the past simple with 'be' (subject + was / were). Then just add verb-ing.
Here's the positive form:
I was sleeping
you were working
he was coming
she was reading 'War
and Peace'
it was raining
we were shopping
they were watching a
film
Next, here's the negative - it's very easy, just add 'not':
I was not (wasn't)
sleeping
you were not (weren't)
working
he was not (wasn't)
coming
she was not (wasn't)
reading 'War and Peace'
it was not (wasn't) raining
we were not (weren't)
shopping
they were not
(weren't) watching a film
Here's an exercise about the positive and negative verb formsAnd, just like the past simple with 'be', to make a 'yes / no' question, put 'was / were' in front of the subject:
Was I listening?
Were you working?
Was she working?
Was he living in Paris at the time?
Was it snowing when
you arrived?
Were we eating?
Were they studying?
To make a 'wh' question (of course) put the question word
at the beginning:
Why was I working?
Where were you living?
How was she
travelling?
Where was he going?
Why was it snowing in
the summer?
What were we eating?
Why were they
studying?
Using the Past Continuous
(or past progressive tense)
The past continuous tense in English is used quite often,
especially when telling stories.
how to MAKE this tense
1
|
A continuous action in the past which is
interrupted by another action or a time:
I was taking a bath when the telephone rang. At three o’clock, I was working. |
2
|
Background information, to give atmosphere to a
story:
It was a beautiful day. The birds were singing, the sun was shining and in the cafes people were laughing and chatting. |
3
|
An annoying and repeated action in the past,
usually with ‘always’:
He was always leaving the tap running. (In the same way as the Present Continuous) |
4
|
For two actions which happened at the same time in
the past:
I was watching TV and he was reading. |
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