Past Continuous

We use the Past Continuous to talk about actions that were in progress at a specific time in the past.

Structure

It is formed using the verb to be in the past (was/were) + the verb ending in -ing.

Subject	Auxiliary (To Be)	Main Verb (+ing)	Example
I	was	working	I was working at 9 PM.
You	were	sleeping	You were sleeping when I called.
He/She/It	was	eating	She was eating dinner.
We	were	watching	We were watching TV.
They	were	playing	They were playing football.

When to use it?

1. Action in progress at a specific time

• At 8 o'clock yesterday, I was waiting for the bus. (The action started before 8 and continued after).

2. Interrupted Action (Past Simple vs Past Continuous)

We often use the Past Continuous together with the Past Simple.

• The Past Continuous describes the "long" action (background).
• The Past Simple describes the "short" action that interrupts it.

Examples:

• I was walking down the street when I saw him.
  • (Long action: walking / Short action: saw)
• She was cooking when the phone rang.
• We were studying when the lights went out.

3. Two actions happening at the same time

• I was reading while he was cooking.

Negative and Question Forms

Negative

Add not after was/were.

• I was not (wasn't) sleeping.
• They were not (weren't) listening.

Questions

Invert the subject and auxiliary verb.

• Were you working yesterday?
• Was she studying?

Practice

Choose the correct form:

1. Yesterday at 6 PM, I (work) ______ on my project.
2. I (sleep) ______ when you called me.
3. They (not / watch) ______ TV.

Check Answers

1. was working (Specific time in the past)
2. was sleeping (Interrupted action)
3. were not watching (Negative)