FORM
person + was/were + gerund (verb with -ing ending) + the rest of the sentence
• I was reading when she came in.
• Were you watching TV when I called?
USE
1. Interrupted Action in the Past
Use the Past Continuous to indicate that a longer action in the past was interrupted. The interruption is usually a shorter action in the Simple Past. Remember this can be a real interruption or just an interruption in time.
• While I was going to school, my friend saw me.
• They were riding a bike when I saw a beautiful bird.
2. Specific Time as an Interruption
In USE 1, described above, the Past Continuous is interrupted by a shorter action in the Simple Past. However, you can also use a specific time as an interruption.
• We were watching a movie yesterday at 7.
• I was not cooking dinner last evening.
3. Parallel Actions
When you use the Past Continuous with two actions in the same sentence, it expresses the idea that both actions were happening at the same time. The actions are parallel.
• While she was cleaning the house, he was having a drink.
• She wasn't reading, and I wasn't reading either.
4. Atmosphere
In English, we often use a series of parallel actions to describe the atmosphere at a particular time in the past.
• It was snowing and my sister and I were sitting in the living room.
• Birds were singing, sun was shining and leaves were falling down.
5. Repetition and Irritation with "Always"
The Past Continuous with words such as "always" or "constantly" expresses the idea that something irritating or shocking often happened in the past. The concept is very similar to the expression "used to" but with negative emotion. Remember to put the words "always" or "constantly" between "be" and "verb+ing."
• She is always putting her legs on the table.
• They are always complaining!
5. Active/Passive
• She wasn't eating a lunch when I came back. ACTIVE
• A lunch wasn't being eaten by her when I came back. PASSIVE
More exercises on the Past Continuous can be found in our forum and on the www.aling.pl!