We use the past continuous to talk about something we were doing at a specific point in time in the past:
• "At 7 o'clock this morning, I was just waking up."
Sometimes it helps to visualize a tense on a timeline:
? "What were you doing at about 8.30? I tried to call you."
+ "I was watching a really interesting programme on TV."
– "Dave wasn't (was not) watching; he was working."
Was / were + -ing
The past continuous is formed using the past tense of the verb to be:
was / were and the -ing form of the verb.
|
| singular |
plural |
1st person
|
I was/wasn't |
we were/weren't |
2nd person
|
you were/weren't
|
you were/weren't |
3rd person
|
he, she, it was/wasn't |
they were/weren't |
The past continuous is often used to describe something that was happening in the background:
• "The sun was shining and the birds were singing."
The past continuous is often used in sentences together with the past simple. The past continuous is used to describe an action that was happening when another action interrupted (past simple) it:
• "I was walking the dog when I bumped into Johnny."
• "Janet was having an argument with her husband when I walked in."
Remember that some verbs are not used in the continuous form.
Now try the exercise on the next page.
Dagmar Taylor
