Past Continuous Tense
Definition
The Past Continuous tense describes an action that was in progress at a specific time in the past, or a background action interrupted by another event.
Formula
Subject + was/were + verb-ing
Key Rules
1. Use for an ongoing action at a specific past time: At 9 p.m., I was watching TV.
2. Use with Simple Past for an interrupted action: I was cooking when the phone rang.
3. Use for two simultaneous past actions: She was reading while he was cooking.
4. ‘Was’ is used with I/he/she/it; ‘were’ with you/we/they.
Signal Words / Keywords
while, when, at that time, at 3 o’clock (yesterday), all morning/evening
10 Example Sentences
1. I was sleeping when the alarm went off.
2. She was working late last night.
3. They were arguing when I arrived.
4. He wasn’t paying attention in class.
5. Were you waiting long?
6. We were driving when it started to snow.
7. The kids were playing in the yard all afternoon.
8. I was thinking about you earlier.
9. She was studying while her roommate was watching TV.
10. What were you doing at midnight?
Dialogues
Dialogue 1 – An Interruption
Amy: Did you hear the thunderstorm last night?
Dave: Yes! I was reading a book when suddenly all the lights went out.
Amy: That sounds scary. What did you do?
Dave: My roommate was making popcorn, so we just sat in the dark and talked.
Dialogue 2 – Explaining Absence
Professor: You missed the first half of the lecture. What happened?
Student: I’m really sorry. I was looking for a parking spot for almost forty minutes.
Professor: Were you able to follow the notes?
Student: Yes, my classmate was taking notes, and she shared them with me.
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