How do you make stories more exciting and descriptive? The past continuous helps you “set the scene” by describing an action that was in progress in the past, especially when something else suddenly happened. It’s the perfect tense for telling stories and explaining context. 🎬
Function & Usage
We use the past continuous to talk about longer, unfinished actions in the past that are often “interrupted” by a shorter, finished action.
- Interrupted Actions: To show that a longer action was in progress when a shorter action happened. The longer action uses the past continuous; the shorter, interrupting action uses the past simple.
Example: I was studying (long action) when my friend called (short interruption). - Setting the Scene / Parallel Actions: To describe what was happening at a specific time in the past, often with multiple actions happening at the same time.
Example: At 8 PM last night, I was watching TV and my brother was playing video games.
The Structure (Form)
The structure always uses the past of ‘to be’ (was/were) plus the main verb with an -ing ending.
| Subject | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| I / He / She / It | was + verb-ing | He was sleeping. |
| You / We / They | were + verb-ing | They were eating. |
| Negative (-) | wasn’t/weren’t + verb-ing | She wasn’t listening. |
| Question (?) | Was/Were + Subject + verb-ing? | Were you working? |
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Using Past Simple for the wrong action: Don’t use the past simple for the background action if you want to show an interruption. “I read a book when the phone rang” means you finished the book first. “I was reading a book when the phone rang” means the call interrupted your reading.
- Forgetting `was` or `were`: The auxiliary verb is necessary. Incorrect: “He sleeping when I arrived.” Correct: “He was sleeping when I arrived.”
Let’s see it in action! 🎬
Person A: What happened to your arm?
Person B: I fell while I was running for the bus this morning.
Person A: The power went out last night! What were you doing?
Person B: I was cooking dinner. Suddenly, everything went dark!
Police Officer: What were you doing at 10 PM on Friday?
Witness: I was driving home from work when I saw the accident.
Check Your Understanding! ✅
1. I when you called. (work)
2. They cards when the guests arrived. (play)
3. It heavily this morning. (rain)
4. He too fast when the accident happened. (drive)
5. What at 3 PM yesterday? (you/do)
6. She was reading a book while her brother ___ TV.
7. I ___ to music, so I didn’t hear the doorbell.
8. ___ you sleeping when I called?
9. He wasn’t paying attention while the teacher ___.
10. The sun ___ when I woke up this morning.
