Definition & Examples

The Past Continuous Tense is a verb tense used to describe an action that was in progress in the past and was interrupted. It is also used to describe two actions that were taking place at the same time in the past.

Structure:
Subject + was/were + verb-ing

For example:

I was studying for the test when my friend called.
She was walking to the store when it started to rain.

The auxiliary verb “was” is used with singular subjects, and “were” is used with plural subjects. The verb form “-ing” is added to the base form of the verb to indicate continuous action.

The Past Continuous Tense is often used in conjunction with the Simple Past Tense to show that one action was interrupted by another action in the past. For example:

I was studying for the test when my friend called. (The action of studying was in progress and was interrupted by the call from my friend.)

The key words for the Past Continuous Tense include the auxiliary verbs “was” and “were” and the “-ing” form of verbs, which indicate continuous action in the past. Some common key words that signal the use of the Past Continuous Tense include:

While
When
As
At the time that
All day/night/morning/afternoon
For (period of time)
The whole time

For example:

I was studying while he was cooking dinner. (While is a key word indicating the two actions were taking place at the same time in the past)
She was walking when it started to rain. (When is a key word indicating the action of walking was interrupted by the action of it starting to rain)
They were singing as they walked down the street. (As is a key word indicating the two actions were taking place at the same time in the past)
At the time that I was studying, my roommate was watching TV. (At the time that is a key word indicating the two actions were taking place at the same time in the past)
I was working all day yesterday. (All day is a key word indicating the action took place continuously over a period of time in the past)
They were playing soccer for two hours. (For two hours is a key word indicating the action took place continuously over a period of time in the past)
He was reading the whole time I was cooking. (The whole time is a key word indicating the action took place continuously over a period of time in the past)

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习题-Exercises

xercise 1:
Fill in the blanks with the appropriate form of the verb in parentheses.

She ________ (walk) to the store when she saw her friend. (was walking)
They ________ (play) basketball all afternoon. (were playing)
I ________ (watch) TV when the power went out. (was watching)
He ________ (study) for the test when his phone rang. (was studying)
We ________ (cook) dinner when you arrived. (were cooking)

Exercise 2:
Convert the following sentences into the Past Continuous Tense:

I walked to the store. (I was walking to the store.)
She played the piano. (She was playing the piano.)
They read a book. (They were reading a book.)
He watched a movie. (He was watching a movie.)
We studied for the test. (We were studying for the test.)

Key words: while, all day, as, when

Exercise 3:
Use the key words to write sentences in the Past Continuous Tense:

While: I was studying while she was cooking dinner.
When: The power went out when I was watching TV.
As: They were singing as they walked down the street.
All day: She was working all day yesterday.
For: He was playing basketball for two hours.