Past Continuous Tense
Also called Past Progressive Tense
Function
This Tense is used to say that some activity was in progress around a particular time in the past. It’s very often used in association with the Past Tense.
I was waiting at the bus stop at Six O’ clock yesterday morning.
When the phone rang he was watching a TV program.
It was raining when I got up this morning (The noun rain itself is used as a verb here)
Used for repeated action in the past (also for past habits)
She called him (over phone) several times.
When she was in school she prepared her own food.
It is used to denote temporary and permanent activity in the past.
She authored the book when I was in Perth
They lived in Chicago for seven years, While they were trainees.
When I saw her yesterday, She was playing Carrom.
Other structure
It stopped raining when we went out.
He stopped reading and opened the door.
PREVIOUS INFORMATION
Past form of the verb The past form of the stem verb drink is drank.
Helping/being/auxiliary verb – am, is, are, was, were, will etc.
yes/no question – The question that expects ‘yes or no’ answer.
wh question – The question that expects complete response, and starts with the words like what, when,
how etc.
Collective noun – Group of people, animals, or things referred collectively as team, group, crowd, herd etc.
(team/group/crowd/herd = collective noun)
STRUCTURE
we/you/they + were + verb (present participle = ‘ing’ verb form) - e.g. They were watching TV when she met them - Simple statement/information/news etc. (When she met them is Past Tense structure)
we/you/they + weren’t + verb (present participle or ‘ing’ verb form) - e.g. They weren’t watching TV when she met them - Negative statement/information/news etc.
Were we/you/they + verb (present participle or ‘ing’ verb) – e.g . Were they watching TV when she met them?
- ‘yes/no’ question.
Weren’t we/you/they + verb(Present participle or ‘ing’ verb) – e.g. weren’t they watching TV when she met them? – ‘yes/no’ negative question.
‘Wh’ question word + were + verb (Present participle or ‘ing’ verb) – e.g. What were they doing, when she met them? – ‘Wh’ question
NOTE: All the above Five types can be spoken in EIGHT or more moods
With the subjects I/he/she/it, ‘was’ is used as helping verb.
I/we/you/they/he/she/it are called subject pronoun or simply subjects.
He/she/it include all singular nouns, pronouns, collective nouns, common nouns etc.
They includes all plural nouns.
Present Continuous and Past Tense - Comparison
It is raining now - . It was raining in the evening yesterday.
What are you doing now/ Jack. - What were doing at 7.30 yesterday?
Where are they staying now? - Where were they staying yesterday?
More sentences (Past Tense is given in parenthesis, to balance the Sentence.)
In 2003 we were living in Sydney.
He was writing something, (when I rang the bell)
The children were playing in the garden some time back.
We were watching the match this time yesterday.
(We woke up at 5 O’ clock this morning), it was raining.
Conversation
A: What was she doing this morning? Was She sleeping?
B: No, She was preparing the breakfast.
A: How fast were you riding the bike, when the signal lights turned red?
B: Thank God, I wasn’t riding fast
A: Was she wearing casuals yesterday?
B: No, she was wearing a skirt,
A: (When did the train arrive this morning?)
B: It arrived while we were having coffee.
A: Weren’t the students studying when you saw them?
B: No, They were playing in the class room.
PAST CONTINUOUS STRUCTURE IN NEWS HEADLINES (Not real)
What was Secretary of state doing when Russian warship entered Persian Gulf last week?
The President was watching helplessly when the, mutineers entered the presidential palace.
Wasn’t the crew alert when the Pirates were boarding the ship? – Investigators to Captain.
Demonstrators were gathering in large numbers when the General assembly session was on.
We were enduring great hardships till UN Peace keepers arrived: Refugee.
PAST CONTINUOUS IN Ads (Not real)
We were conquering the Peaks, Now we are colonizing the skies – Mercury Apartments, New York.
We were making jet class cars now we are assembling super jets - Pace Jets needs super brains to train our designing team.
We were scaling greater heights,now we are counting on our success - UIB securities & Investments, Berlin
It was raining Dollars at Globex last year, now it’s raining gold- Your Safe Investment destination, Dallas Securities - Dallas
We were training Commercial Pilots, Now we are training Advance Jet Pilots – Falcon Pilot Training School- Scotland.
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