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GrammarThe Past Continuous

The Past Continuous

Introduction

The Past Continuous Tense is used to describe actions that were in progress at a specific point in the past. It is also known as the Past Progressive Tense and it is used to express the duration and continuity of a past action.

Form of the Past Continuous

Formation: The Past Continuous Tense is formed using the auxiliary verb “was/were” followed by the present participle (-ing form) of the main verb. For example, “I was eating” or “They were playing.”

Was/were + verb (ing)

Affirmative

  • I was playing
  • He was playing
  • She was playing
  • It was playing
  • We were playing
  • You were playing
  • They were playing

Negative

  • I was not playing
  • He was not playing
  • She was not playing
  • It was not playing
  • We were not playing
  • You were not playing
  • They were not playing

Interrogative

  • Was I playing?
  • Was he playing?
  • Was she playing?
  • Was it playing?
  • Were we playing?
  • Were you playing?
  • Were they playing?

Notice :

was not = wasn’t

were not = weren’t

Use of the Past Continuous

We use the Past continuous :

  • With a very specific point in time in the past.

Example :

A: What were you doing yesterday at 19h30?

B: Yesterday at 19h30 I was doing my exercises

  • For a past action that continued for some time and whose exact limits are not known.

Example: He was driving so fast.

The past continuous
  • We use the past continuous with the simple past to show that the action of the continuous started before the action of the simple past and continued after it.

Example :

We were watching TV when the bell rang.

The past continuous
  • For  parallel/simultaneous actions happening at the same time

Example:

While/as we were studying English, other students were studying French.

the-past-continuous-3

The Simple Continuous Tense is often used with time expressions that indicate the duration of an action in the past. Here are some common time expressions used with this tense:

  • all day
  • all night
  • all week
  • all year
  • for an hour/two hours
  • for five minutes/ten minutes
  • for a month/six months
  • for a year/two years
  • from 2 PM to 4 PM
  • at 8 PM/9 AM
  • yesterday evening
  • last night
  • the whole day
  • the entire time
  • until 3 PM/4 PM
  • while

These time expressions help to specify the length or duration of the action described in the Past Continuous Tense and make it clear that it was in progress at a specific point in the past.

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