Compiled sentences in the past continuous. Past Continuous - past long time: everything you need to know

In this lesson we will analyze the topic "Past continuous in English". For most, this topic causes certain difficulties, however, if you study it in detail, it turns out that there is nothing complicated about it. You just need to carefully read the material presented and learn the basic rules. The British language is rich in tense forms, it is necessary to know each to master the grammar. Together with you, we will go over topics such as the meaning of the past continuous in speech and the basic rules of education, as well as the main differences from other temporary forms. So we start.

This part of speech is one of the tenses from the Continuous group. Means the past long time. In principle, both in oral and in written speech, it is not used very often, as a rule, in indirect speech , however, it should be studied. But, thanks to the past continuous, a story or description of an action in the past becomes deeper and more effective.

Past continuous tense describes an action that has already happened in the past. A distinctive feature of this tense is that it expresses an action that has a long time interval in the past. A process that lasted a certain period of time, and it may not have ended yet.

I was taking a bath when the phone rang. - I was taking a bath when the phone rank. In this case, I was taking a bath is an action that happened in the past when the phone rang . We do not know when the character started to take a bath and for how long he did it, however, we received information that it was at the moment of taking a bath that the telephone rang. The first part of the sentence is used in Past Continuous, the second part in Past Simple (simple past tense).

Many native speakers use the action in the Past Simple form.

For example,

when I returned - when I returned; when the phone rang - when the phone rang.

Or with the help of pointer words, which speak of the exact time.

For example,

yesterday at this time - yesterday at this time, last night at 8 p.m. - last night at 8 o'clock.

It is necessary to analyze in more detail the differences between these temporary forms.

What is the difference between Past Continuous and Past Simple

Translated into Russian, Past means "past" and shows us that the action was committed in the past. Continuous is translated as "long". In the past tense, this tells us that some action began a long time ago, lasted a certain period of time, and has already been completed by now. This tense form is often used in indirect speech.

Using the past continuous tense, we emphasize the duration of an action in the past. Past Simple, on the other hand, is used by us when it is necessary to say about something as a fact that took place in the past. You should look at the examples for better assimilation of the material.

Past Continuous: I was talking to her for 3 hours. I spoke to her for three hours.
Past Simple: I talked to her. - I talked to her.

In the first case, we built a construction that speaks of a process that lasted a certain period of time (in this case, 3 hours). In other words, we put the emphasis on exactly how long the action took place. In addition, emotion is invested in the construction we have built, and not just a list of actions.

In the second example, we are just talking about a fact. It can be used to describe any other activity: I ate, I slept, I had breakfast, I went to bed, I learned a foreign language, and so on.

How is the past continuous tense formed?

The formation of the past continuous occurs with the help of several verbs. Formula: the verb to be and the main verb with the ending ing (present participle). It should be noted that in this case only the verb to be changes. It is put in the past tense were or was. The table below shows the designs.

The construction that is formed using the Past Continuous:

She was working on this article from 8 to 11 - She was working on this article from 8 to 11.
I was thinking of you, when you came in - I thought about you when you came in.
My boss was yelling at me this morning - My boss yelled at me this morning.

Formation of the interrogative form in the past continuous tense

When composing questions in the past continuous, the auxiliary verb was (were) is put in the first place, then the subject comes and completes the main verb. Consider the examples in the table below:

Some interrogative sentences, including in indirect speech, with this tense form:

Were they playing chess this morning? - Did they play chess in the morning?
Was you cooking when I called? - Were you cooking (food) when I called?

Formation of the negative form in the past continuous

When forming negative sentences in the past continuous and forming progressive, the particle not is placed between the auxiliary and main verbs.

When used in colloquial speech, was and were can be combined with not, resulting in abbreviated forms.

For example, You weren't talking. She wasn't writing.

Variants of negative sentences with past continuous tense:

We weren't trying to insult you, we were just discussing your opinion.- We didn't try to offend you, we just discussed your point of view.

Don't interrupt me, I wasn't talking to you. Don't interrupt me, I wasn't talking to you.

The question and the positive answer to it will look like this:

The question and the negative answer to it in the formed group of continuous forms of the past progressive will look like this:

Words indicating a long time

The past long tense in English is often used with common phrases:

all day long - all day;
all the time - all the time;
all day yesterday - all day yesterday;
the whole morning - the whole morning;
from 5 to 7 p.m. - from 5 to 7.

They help us to understand that we have an extended period of time before us.

For example,

I was painting all day yesterday. I was painting all day yesterday.
They were reading from 5 till 9 p.m. They read from five to nine in the evening.
He was working the whole morning. He has been working all morning.

Please note that in all examples, special pointer words come last.

Use of special question words

If we use the following interrogative words in a question, they require after themselves that the form of the past continuous is formed:

What - what;
Where - where;
Who - who;
Which - which one;
Why - why.

These words must be placed in a specific order. Then the word order is as in a regular question.

Scheme: question word + was/were + the one in question + verb + -ing.

For example:

What were they reading? What did they read?
Why was he studying whole morning? Why did he study all morning?

Using When and While

When and While are translated into Russian as "when". When we talk about the past, when is followed by a verb in the Past Simple tense. After the while is the form of the past continuous. While is used in the meaning of "while", "while".

For example:

While I was studying, she called. - When I was studying, she called. (Underlined what I did.)
I was studying when she called. I was studying when she called. (It is emphasized that she called).

Mixed Verbs/Non-Continuous Verbs

Remember that non-continuous verbs are not used in Continuous tenses. In addition, some meanings of verbs from the mixed group are also not used in a long time. They are used with Past Simple.

For example:

Invalid option: Jane was being at my house when you arrived.

Correct option: Jane was at my house when you arrived. Jane was at my house when you came.

All verbs that are not used in this tense form

Verbs that express states, emotions and mental processes are not used not only in the past form, but also in all forms of the continuous group. These include:

to know - to know (I don`t know - I don’t know);
to fit - fit, fit (The coat fits her well - her coat is just right);
to astonish - amaze, amaze;
to disagree - disagree, disagree (I disagree with you = I disagree with you);
to impress - to impress;
to promise - promise (I promise I`ll do it = I promise I will do it);
to understand - understand;
to want - want;
to believe - to believe;
to love - to love;
to like - like;
to hate - to hate;
to forget - forget;
to remember - remember;
to possess - to possess;
to seem - to seem;
to appear - to appear;
to notice - notice;
to wish - wish;
to desire - to desire;
to adore - to adore;
to envy - to envy;
to fear - to be afraid;
to forgive - to forgive;
to hear - to hear;
to see - see;
to taste - to have a taste;
to smell - smell;
to feel - feel;
to consist - consist;
to contain - contain;
to need - need;
to prefer - prefer;
to belong - to belong;
to realize - realize, understand;
to suppose - to believe, to think, to suppose;
to mean - mean, mean (What do you mean? - What do you mean?);
to have - to have;
to think - consider, believe;
to recognize - recognize (in person);
to agree - agree;
to refuse - refuse;
to doubt - to doubt;
to satisfy - satisfy;
to deny - deny;
to resemble - to resemble, to resemble, to be similar;
to depend - depend;
to involve - include (It involves a lot of work - you have to work here);
to include - include (The price includes breakfast - the price includes breakfast);
to own - to possess;
to owe - to be indebted, to be in debt;
to look - look;
to miss - to miss;
to matter - to matter (It doesn`t matter - does not matter);
to deserve - deserve (He deserves a pat on the back - he deserves praise / approval);
to respect - respect.

Some of the verbs in the list above are sometimes used in the Continuous tense, however, they have a certain connotation.

For example, I'm loving it. - I love it. She is appearing at the club tonight. She is performing at the club today.

The verb to have. In the meaning of "to have" is not used in this tense form, however, it is used to denote an action. For example, I am having a bath. - I am taking a bath.

The verb to think. Meaning "to be in thought". For example, I was thinking to myself - I thought.

The verb to smell. In Continuous only in the meaning of "sniff". For example, I am smelling the rose now - I smell a rose.

The verb to taste. In Continuous meaning "taste". For example, I am tasting the pizza - I'm trying pizza.

Summary table conjugation of verbs in the form under consideration

To organize the material, a summary table is offered to your attention.

Number	Face	positive form	negative form	Interrogative form
The only thing	1	I was singing.	I was not singing.	Was I singing?
2	You were singing.	You were not singing.	Were you singing?
3	He was singing. She was singing.	He wasn't singing. She wasn't singing. It was not singing.	Was he singing? Was she singing?
plural	1	We were singing.	You were not singing.	Were you singing?
2	You were singing.	We were not singing.	Were we singing?
3	They were singing.	They were not singing.	Were they singing?

Please note that the rules for the formation of "-ing" - the forms of the verb and the changes that occur in this case in writing, are discussed in the present participle section.

Use of the past continuous tense

Consider the main cases of using the past continuous. Often such a construction can be found in the indirect speech of the interlocutor.

1. This tense form is used when the interlocutors describe an action that happened in the past and lasted for a certain time interval. We do not know the time of its beginning, its duration, and also whether it is happening at the moment or not. As a rule, in such constructions there are words that indicate time.

There are 2 options:

In the compiled design, the specific time when the event occurred is indicated. For this purpose, the following expressions are used:
— at 8 a.m. (at 8 am),
- at 4 o'clock yesterday (yesterday at 4 o'clock),
- at noon (at noon),
- this morning at 5.10 (this morning at 5:10), etc.
For example, At midnight I was reading a book. At midnight I was reading a book. In this construction, we are talking about the fact that we started reading the book before midnight, probably continued after and at this point in time we continue to do so.
We were reading newspapers at 7 o'clock (yesterday). At seven o'clock (yesterday) we were reading the papers.
The design indicates the period of time when the described events occurred. In this case, apply:
- all day (all day),
- this afternoon (this afternoon),
- this time last month / year (at this time in the last month / year), etc.
For example, This time last year they were living in Argentina. This time last year they were living in Argentina.

2. The considered temporary form is used when the conversation is about a temporary situation in the past, while the actions did not last long. A specific time period is indicated in the design.

For example,

They were living in China for 3 months. They lived in China for 3 months.

3. The past continuous tense in English is used when it comes to 2 actions taking place in the past at the same time. These actions can be combined in constructions with unions while (while, while) and and (and, a).

For example,

My girlfriend and I were watching a film and my baby sister was playing with her new doll. My girlfriend and I were watching a movie, and my sister was playing with her new doll.

4. Often the simple past tense and the past continuous tense are used together. In this combination, Past Simple takes on the role of a short single action, and Past Continuous - a long action. In such constructions, a long action is interrupted by a single one. The following unions are used here to combine parts - after (after), when (when), before (before), until (not yet).

For example,

I was reading a book when my friend knocked at the door. I was reading a book when my friend knocked on the door. (reading is a long action, my friend knocked and interrupted it, but that's all in the past).

5. In English, the past continuous is formed when the interlocutor tells a story. With its help, you can describe the atmosphere, time.

For example,

She came to her friend on Thanksgiving. The guests were sitting on the sofa. They were laughing and chatting. The smell of the roasted turkey was filling the room. Everyone was waiting for the dinner. She came to a friend's house for Thanksgiving. The guests sat on the sofa. They talked and laughed. The aroma of roasted turkey filled the room. Everyone was waiting for dinner.
A girl was playing the piano and (was) singing softly to herself. Suddenly there was a knock at the door. The girl stopped playing. The cat woke up ... - The girl played the piano and hummed softly. Suddenly there was a knock at the door. The girl stopped playing. The cat woke up...

6. The past continuous tense is used when it comes to the habits that the object of narration has in the past. Such habits can be unpleasant for us, cause irritation and resentment. In such constructions, you can find adverbs constantly (constantly), often (often), always (always, constantly).

For example,

We were often being late because of you! We are often late because of you!

7. Also with always, this tense form is used to express repeated actions that bother the speaker.

For example,

Was not always ringing me up after his work. He always called me after work. (I'm sick of you.)

For comparison: Not always rank me up after his work. In this case, we used Past Simple, thereby changing the emotional coloring. Now the attitude of the speaker to what is happening is perceived by him as something taken for granted, as a phenomenon related to normal. Translation - He always called me after work.

8. The past continuous is used in conditional sentences of the second type. It is worth noting that it is used much less frequently than Past Simple. Past continuous tense is used when we want to highlight the fact that the action in the past in the condition is continuous. The situation in this construction refers to the future or the present.

For example,

If the wind were not blowing hard, we would go yachting. If the wind hadn't been blowing hard, we would have gone sailing on a yacht.

9. The considered temporary form is used to express gradually developing events. Nothing is said about the time of development of events, but everything is clear from the context.

For example,

It was getting dark. It was getting dark.
The wind was rising. The wind was up.

10. The long past tense is used when we describe events that were planned but did not take place. The following verbs can be found in the construction - to plan (plan), to mean to (gather, intend), to expect to (expect), to intend to (intend).

For example,

They were thinking of buying a house, but then he lost his job and they had to put off their plans. They thought about buying a house, but he lost his job and they had to postpone their plans.

11. The considered form is used in questions when the interlocutor is interested in the time spent. This is a more polite form of answer or question than Past Indefinite.

For example,

What were you doing during your summer vacation? What did you do during summer holidays? And for comparison - What did you do during your summer vacation?

12. With the verb to wonder, the construction in question can be used to form a polite form.

For example,

I was wondering if you could give me your e-mail address.

This is all we would like to say on the topic of past continuous tense. Learn the theory and come up with your own constructions to consolidate the studied material. And you can also check yourself by doing the past continuous exercises on our website. Knowing the past continuous is necessary for mastering English at a high level. Use the tips that we give you in the form of tables - print them out and hang them in a prominent place.

The past continuous/extended is the past tense to denote an ongoing activity. It is formed by the form of the service verb be+ real communion. Past continuous negatives was not / wasn't, were not / weren't before communion.

The past continuous says that someone was in the process of doing something at a particular time. This action/situation has already begun by that time, but has not yet ended.

It was raining all night - Allnightlilo

was/were + -ing


was sb doing sth	sb was doing sth	sb wasn't doing sth

Past continuous spelling

To add an end –ing

consonant verbs + — e discard the last vowel (except being)

starve – starving

carve-carving

verbs with a stressed vowel + consonant double the final consonant

rub-rubbing

stop-stopping

verbs in — ie change it to – y-

lie-lying

die-dying

vowel verbs + — l double the final consonant (in British English)

travel-travelling

cancel - cancelling

Past Continuous Values

past actions (with a temporary indication)

At 7 o'clock yesterday evening they were having dinner - Yesterdayin7 pmtheyhad dinner

In May of last year she was studying hard for her final examspastMayshe isstubbornlypreparedtograduationexams

At 6 o'clock this morning I was walking along the beach6 a.mIwalkedonbeach

What were you doing at 10 o'clock last night? - WhatYoudidin10 pm?

temporary situations (around another past interruption)

He was walking down the street when he ran into an old friend - Hewalkedonstreet, whencame acrosson thehisoldfriend

They were watching a film when we arrived - Whenwecame, theywatchedmovie

She was studying law when the war started - Onmomentstartwarsshe isstudiedjurisprudence

I waved to her but she wasn't looking - Iwavedher, butshe isevennotwatched

Ithoughtyouwerenevercoming - I already thought you would never come

concurrent processes

Shewastalkingonhermobilephonewhileshewasdrivingtowork - She was talking on a mobile phone, while she was driving to work

While I was driving along this morning, I was thinking about what you'd saidIwasin the morningbehinddriving, Ithoughtaboveyourwords

He was cooking the dinner while she was talking to him - Byeshe iswiththemtalking, is hecookeddinner

stage plots (introductions/prehistory of stories)

One beautiful autumn afternoon, Ben was strolling down a quiet country lane. The birds were singing and the leaves were rustling in the breeze - OnewonderfulautumnafternoonBenwalked

along a quiet lane. The birds sang and the leaves rustled in the breeze

The wind was blowing and the rain was beating down. John Snell was standing at the bus stop shivering. He was trying to imagine being at home sitting by a warm fire – Dulwind, andpoundedrain. John Snell stood trembling at the bus stop. He tried to imagine how he sits at home by a warm fire.

Temporary indication

while, when, as

I was walking home when I met Dave - Ialreadywalkedhome, whenmetDave

Ann was watching TV when the phone rang – AnnwatchedTV, whenrangtelephone

Tom burnt his hand when he was cooking the dinner – Tomburnedhandcookingdinner

adverbial phrases

all morning/evening/day/yesterday/night/week

I was watching TV all evening - IwatchedTVthe wholeevening

Were you working all weekend? - Youworkedallweekend?

This time last yearI was living in Brazil – RivneyearbackIlivedinBrazil

English Joke

The little girl in the zoological park tossed bits of a bun to the stork, which gobbled them greedily, and bobbed its head towards her for more.

"What kind of a bird is it, mamma?" the child asked.

The mother read the placard, and answered that it was a stork.

"O-o-o-h!" the little girl cried, as her eyes rounded. Of course, it recognized me!

The rules for using Past Continuous (Past Progressive Tense, or the past long time) seem quite complicated to many. Actually it is not. Today's lesson will help you understand once and for all when we use the past long tense in English.

The Past Continuous form is formed in almost the same way as the Present Continuous, with the only difference being that the verb to be has the form of the past tense.

Education Past Progressive

The Past Continuous education scheme is as follows:

Let's take the verb to work as an example and conjugate it into the Past Continuous:

The conjugation of any verb will look the same. The difference lies only in the formation of the gerund (ing form). In some cases it will be different.

The past continuous tense describes unfinished (unfinished) actions or events in the past. It's not entirely clear yet, so let's take a closer look.

Use Past Continuous (Past Progressive)

1. Interrupted actions in the past

The Past Continuous Tense is used to show that a continuous action in the past has been interrupted. Since interruption is a relatively short action, it is conveyed through the Past Simple form. The word "interruption" does not always mean the actual termination of the action. Sometimes it means simply the imposition of one event (action) in time on another, when a short action, expressed in Past Simple, breaks into a long, unfinished action, as it were.

When the phone rank, I was writing a letter.- When the phone rang, I was writing a letter.

While Kate was sleeping, someone stole her car. While Kate was sleeping, someone stole her car.

I was waiting for her when she got off the plane.- I was waiting for her (met) when she got off the plane.

When the fire started I was watching television. When the fire started, I was watching TV.

In such cases, it is also possible to specify a specific time:

At six o'clock, I was working. I worked at six o'clock.

Yesterday at 8 PM, we were eating dinner. We had dinner at 8 o'clock yesterday evening.

At midnight, we were still watching TV. We were still watching TV at midnight.

IMPORTANT:

Simple Past is used when specifying a specific time to show when the action began or ended, but with Past Continuous the situation is somewhat different. Let's see an example:

Last night at 6 PM, I ate dinner. (I started supper at 6 o'clock.)
Last night at 6 PM, I was eating dinner. (I started dinner earlier, and at 6 o'clock I was in the process.)

2. Parallel events

She was reading while he was making dinner. She was reading while I was preparing dinner.

What were you doing while you were waiting? What were you doing while you were waiting?

When two actions or events in the Past Continuous are indicated in one sentence, this means that these actions (events) occur simultaneously (in parallel).

3. Story in the past tense

Past Continuous can be found in narratives written in the past tense. In this case, any background events are described using this time. Let's see an example:

In the example, you will notice several situations where the Past Continuous is used. As you can see, these are events that have a certain duration (length): the sun was shining, the birds were singing, she was looking for her child, and so on. If you decide to write your own story in English, then this lesson will help you a lot. At the same time, note that in such cases, Past Continuous is used in conjunction with Past Simple.

It can also be said that with the help of the past long time, the so-called atmosphere that prevailed in a certain place at a certain time is described.

4. Past habits

Past Progressive is also used when describing any habits (most often annoying) in the past. Words can be indicators of such sentences. always, constantly, forever, at that time, in those days. In Present Continuous there is also such a rule, but for the present time.

He was constantly talking.“He talked all the time.

She was always coming to class late. She was always late for lessons.

I didn't like his friend because he was always complaining. I didn't like his friend because he complained all the time.

5. Finally, we use the past continuous tense when we want to emphasize that some event or action lasted for some long time. This is often indicated by expressions such as all day, all night, for hours etc.

We were working all day.— We worked all day.

I was preparing for the exam all evening. I have been preparing for the exam all evening.

A few more specific cases of using Past Progressive Tense

1. When a person changed his mind and changed plans (in the construction was / were going to):

I was going to spend the day at the beach but I've decided to get my homework done instead. I wanted to spend the whole day at the beach, but I decided to do my homework instead.

2. With a verb to wonder to form polite requests:

I was wondering if you could give me your e-mail address.

while and when

When we talk about the past using when and while, then when is usually followed by Past Simple, while while is followed by the Past Continuos form, because while is translated as “during the time as”, “while”, that is, it implies lengthy process. The following two examples have exactly the same translation, but pay attention to the use of the past tense - they are different from each other.

He was studying when his mother called.
While he was studying, his mother called.

Remember that some verbs are not used in the continuous form. That is, instead of Past Continuous, such verbs are used in Past Simple:

I was being at my house when she came. Not right!
I was at my house when she came. Correctly

Active and passive form:

Assets: The salesman was helping the customer when the thief came into the store. The shop assistant was helping the customer when a thief entered the store.

Passive: The customer was being helped by the salesman when the thief came into the store.

Brief scheme of using Past Progressive:

These were all the rules for using the past long tense. Don't forget to practice using English tenses and come up with your own examples to reinforce the material.

Surely you are already familiar with the Present Continuous time, which helps us describe a long-term action (process) that is happening at the moment. But what if you need to talk about a process that lasted in the past?

In Russian, various prefixes come to our aid, which help to distinguish between verbs that answer the questions “what did you do?” and “what did you do?”. In English, in such cases, a time called Past Continuous Tense comes to the rescue.

What is Past Continuous

Past continuous(also called Past Progressive) is the past long time. In other words, this is a time that indicates a process that lasted at a certain moment or period in the past.

For understanding: For example, if you ran into the store yesterday for five minutes to buy the essentials, then you will simply say: "I went to the store." If you got involved in a long and tedious shopping process in order to find a gift for your beloved granny, then the wording “I walked around the mall for 4 hours during this time, during this time the spring managed to change into summer, next year, I got old , the children grew up, and humanity conquered Mars, but I still didn’t find anything, perhaps I’ll make a postcard with my own hands.

This example clearly demonstrates the difference between Past Simple and Past Continuous.

How is the Past Continuous Formed?

The Past Continuous education scheme is simple, logical and similar to the formation of Present Continuous. This is subject+ auxiliary verb was/were + semantic verb with the ending "- ing". For clarity, let's take a closer look at how statements, denials and questions are formed in this tense.

Spoiler: the formation of negatives and questions does not differ in structure from other English tenses.

Keep in mind that in colloquial speech, negations tend to be abbreviated, so was not and were not take the forms wasn't and weren't, respectively.

Marker words Past Continuous

To determine that the Past Continuous should be used in this sentence, the following marker words will help you:

at 7 a.m.- at 7 am (instead of 7 a.m., you can substitute any other time, it is important to indicate a specific period of time);
all day/night(long) - all day / all night (all the way through);
all the time- all the time;
at that moment- at that moment;
while- while;
when- when.

Marker words Past Continuous

Marker	Example	Translation
at 5 o'clock	Yesterday at 5 o'clock I was having a date with my boss' wife.	Yesterday, at 5 o'clock, I was on a date with my boss's wife.
all night long	I was partying all night long, dudes. It was saving!	I've been partying all night long, dudes. It was awesome!
all the time	Rick was crafting something in his lab all the time, but nobody knew what it was.	Rick was making things in his lab all the time, but no one knew exactly what.
at that moment	I was teaching my pigeon to fly at that moment the day before yesterday.	I taught my pigeon to fly at the same time the day before yesterday.
while	Clyde was drinking whiskey at the bar, while Bonnie was stealing a car.	Clyde was drinking whiskey at a bar while Bonnie was stealing a car.
when	I was trying to sell my little brother in the Internet when my parents came back.	I was trying to sell my little brother online when my parents returned.

Cases of using Past Continuous

So, in fact, for the sake of what all this was started: in what cases do we use the Past Continuous?

The simplest and most common to describe actions, that lasted for a specific period or a specific point in time in the past.

Last night at 6 p.m., I was eating dinner. - I had dinner at 6 pm yesterday.
At midnight, we were still driving through the desert. At midnight we were still driving through the desert.
Yesterday at this time, I was sitting at my desk at work. - Yesterday, at the same time, I was sitting at my desk.
She was walking her dog in the afternoon. - She walked the dog during the day.

It is important to remember that if a period is specified, then it must be completed. Those. if we say that she walked the dog during the day, then this means that the day has already ended.

One of the most typical use cases is interrupted action in the past. This is where the union comes to the rescue. when».

I was watching TV when she called. I was watching TV when she called.
When the phone rank, she was writing a letter. When the phone rang, she was writing a letter.
While we were having the picnic, it started to rain. While we were at the picnic, it started to rain.
What were you doing when the earthquake started? What were you doing when the earthquake started?
I was listening to my iPod, soI didn't hear the fire alarm. I was listening to my iPod so I didn't hear the fire alarm.
You were not listening to me when I told you to turn the oven off. - You didn't listen to me when I asked you to turn off the oven.
Sammy was waiting for us when we got off the plane. Sammy was waiting for us when we got off the plane.
A:What were you doing when you broke your leg? What were you doing when you broke your leg?
B: I was snowboarding. - Snowboarding.

Another characteristic case is long-term actions, that happened at the same time in the past. In this case, the union helps us " while' and sometimes just ' and».

I was studying while he was making dinner. I was studying while he was cooking dinner.
While Ellen was reading, Tim was watching television. While Helen was reading, Tim was watching TV.
Were you listening while he was talking? Did you listen while he spoke?
I wasn't paying attention while I was writing the letter, so I made several mistakes. - I wrote the letter inattentively, so I made a few mistakes.
What were you doing while you were waiting? What were you doing while you were waiting?
Thomas wasn't working, and I wasn't working either. Thomas didn't work, and I didn't work either.
They were eating dinner, discussing their plans and having a good time They had dinner, discussed plans and just had a good time.

A slightly rarer and more specific case is the use of the Past Continuous to describe the atmosphere and setting in stories and stories.

When I walked into the office, several people were busily typing, some were talking on the phones, the boss was giving orders, and customers were waiting to be served. one customer was yelling at a secretary and waving his hands. Others were complaining to each other about the bad service. - When I entered the office, several people were busily typing, someone was talking on the phone, the boss was giving instructions, and the customers were waiting to be served. One client yelled at the secretary and waved his arms. Others complained to each other about poor service.

And finally - a case for the advanced: we use the Past Continuous to describe repetitive actions or habits, that annoyed us in the past. It looks like using used to", but with a negative connotation. This is where the words " always" and " constantly».

She was always coming to class late. She was always late for class.
He was constantly talking. It announced everyone. - He was constantly talking. It annoyed everyone.
I didn't like them because they were always complaining. I didn't like them because they complained all the time.

Nota Bene: do not forget that the so-called " state verbs» (state verbs) we are in Continuous tenses do not use.

Education Past Continuous Passive

Like most other tenses, the Past Continuous can be used in passive bail .

Statement: subject + was/were + being + V3

The customer was being helped by the salesman when the thief came into the store. - The seller helped the buyer when the thief entered the store.

Negation: subject + was/were + not + being + V3

The TV was not being watched when electricity went off. Nobody was watching TV when the power went out.

Question: was/were + subject + being + V3?

Was he being listened to by anyone when Linda arrived? - Was anyone listening to him when Linda came?

Differences from Past Simple

We hope that by reading up to this point, you have already understood how Past Continuous differs from Past Simple, but just in case, let's clarify.

past simple is a short, completed action in the past, while Past continuous is a process, a long-term action that took place over a period of time in the past.

That, in general, is all you need to know in order to distinguish between these times. Easy peasy.

He came home at 7 p.m. - He returned home at 7 pm.
He was coming home at 7 p.m. - He returned home at 7 pm.
She said said when I saw her.
She was saying something when I saw her. - She's something spoke when I saw her.

Working with Past Continuous is simple and pleasant (compared to the same Present Perfect, for example), and in order to properly understand it and learn everything to the smallest detail, we recommend you to exercise on our online simulator.

Conclusion

So, today we have carefully and in detail analyzed the Past Continuous Tense. We hope that this article was useful for you, and you will handle this time as cleverly as any native, and will be able to tell everyone long stories about your exciting pastime over the past weekend.

We offer you to get acquainted with other tenses of the English language