The past continuous tense  is used to describe ongoing actions in the past, unlike the simple past actions in the past continuous tense can imply duration. The past continuous tense requires the auxiliary verb -be in the simple past tense (was / were) to be combined with the present participle of a dynamic verb. The present participle form of all verbs (regular and irregular) are formed by adding -ing to their infinitive form. This tense should only be used with dynamic verbs (actions that have a clear beginning and end) not stative verbs (actions that describe states).

Note: Some stative verbs have both a stative form and a dynamic form. 

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This tense is used: 

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1) To emphasize the duration of an action in the past  

2) To describe actions that were ongoing at a specific time

3) To establish the background of a story

4) To describe repeated actions in the past

5) To describe actions that interrupt other actions

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Time Expressions 

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The past continuous tense is often used with past time expressions. However, it is not necessary to always mention a past time expression when using a past tense if the context of the past was already established by a previous statement or question in a conversation. 

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​Formation - Affirmative Statements & Questions  

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Affirmative statements in the past continuous are formed using the auxiliary verb -be in the simple past tense (was /were) conjugated to match the subject followed by the present participle of a dynamic verb. Singular subjects use the form -was, plural subjects use the form -were. Questions are formed by placing the auxiliary verb -be before the subject followed by the present participle of a dynamic verb.

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Structure used to form affirmative statements in the past continuous​

​Subject + was / were + present participle of a dynamic verb

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Structure used to form affirmative questions in the past continuous​

​Was / Were + ​subject + present participle of a dynamic verb?

 

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      ​​​​​​​​Examples:

​​      Ex: I was making adjustments to my bicycle. 

      Ex: Were you doing homework? 

      Ex: We were listening to music all night. 

      Ex: He was taking a test this morning. 

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Formation - Negative Statements & Questions 

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Negative statements in the past continuous are formed using the auxiliary verb -be in the simple past tense (was /were) conjugated to match the subject followed by the adverb -not and the present participle of a dynamic verb. Singular subjects use the form -was, plural subjects use the form -were. Negative questions are formed by placing the auxiliary verb -be before the subject followed by the adverb -not and the present participle of a dynamic verb. Negative questions are used to express surprise, confirm a belief, or invite agreement. 

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Structure used to form negative statements in the past continuous​

​Subject + (was / were) not + present participle of a dynamic verb

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Structure used to form negative questions in the past continuous​

​Was / Were + ​subject + not + present participle of a dynamic verb?

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      ​​​​​​​​Examples:

​​      Ex: I wasn't kidding when I said I would quit my job. 

      Ex: Weren't they throwing a party last night? 

      Ex: She wasn't writing any reports when we arrived. 

      Ex: Mark wasn't doing anything on Saturday. 

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Past Continuous uses 

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To emphasize the duration of an action in the past  

Note: We normally use phrases such as, all + period of time, for + period of time, the whole + period of time, most of the + period of time, the entire + period of time, in + period of time, etc., although it is not necessary.

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Examples

Ex: I was playing poker all night with friends. 

Ex: They were arguing the whole weekend. 

Ex: Wasn't he playing chess with you the entire time? 

Ex: We weren't taking a break for more than an hour.

Ex: Mark was swimming at the beach all morning.  

Ex: Were you not talking on the phone most of the day at work? 

Ex: We were having a blast at six flags when we went. 

Ex: The factory wasn't operating in March.  

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To describe actions that were ongoing at a specific time

​Note: Actions in the past continuous start before a mentioned specific time and continue after the mentioned time. If the action started at the specific time, we should use the simple past instead. 

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Examples

Ex: At 10pm, I was alone watching a movie. 

Ex: The photographers were taking photos at sunset. 

Ex: Fortunately, she wasn't sleeping at midnight when the fire started. 

Ex: At noon, they were driving to Albany 

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To establish the background of a story   
 

Examples

Ex: The wind was howling and the sea was raging. 

Ex: People were gathering at the town square to watch the show. 

Ex: It was a casual Sunday afternoon, families were playing with their children in the park.

Ex: The jury was deliberating, no one in the courtroom was expecting what was about to unfold. 

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To describe repeated actions in the past 

Note: Adverbs and adverb phrases related to frequency are used to express this context such as always, often, constantly, now and then, all the time, occasionally, etc.. 

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Examples

Ex: I was hardly doing enough exercise during my college years.  

Ex: Kate was always getting into trouble when we were kids. 

Ex: He was meeting with the police for several weeks before the raid finally happened. 

Ex: They were regularly coming to the book club last year. 

Ex: I wasn't playing video games a lot until the Nintendo switch came out. 

Ex: Were you frequently going to Casinos before you decided to stop gambling?

Ex: They weren't going on trips much, but winning the lottery changed everything. 

Ex: Weren't you usually cooking for yourself before you got married?

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To describe actions that interrupt other actions

Note: In order to use the past continuous in this context we need to use an action in the simple past to interrupt an action in the past continuous tense. The action that interrupts the action in the past continuous is the more important action, this technique is useful in making stories more exciting. 

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Examples

Ex: We were playing baseball in a field when a bolt of lightning struck a tree 100 feet away from us. 

Ex: A strange man caught my attention while I was sitting at a table drinking coffee.  

Ex: Mark was writing code, suddenly his computer shut off. 

Ex: They were driving on the highway and listening to the radio when without warning a police siren started    blaring behind them.  

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Past Continuous - When not to use 

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The past continuous tense should not be used with actions that are sudden and have short durations. Actions that start and finish quickly sound strange in the past continuous because it seems as if we did them repeatedly or that they were ongoing actions when we describe them with this tense. In these cases we should use the simple past instead.  

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Examples​

Ex: I was dropping my phone on the floor yesterday. - incorrect 

I dropped my phone on the floor yesterday. 

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Ex: He was turning off the lights. - incorrect 

He turned off the lights. 

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Ex: Mark was breaking his knee.- incorrect 

Mark broke his knee. 

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Ex: She was lighting a cigarette. - incorrect 

She lit a cigarette. 

 

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