FORM
[was/were
+ present participle]
Examples:
1. You were studying when she called.
2. Were you studying when she called?
3. You were not studying when she 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.
Examples
1. I was watching TV when she called.
2. When
the phone rang, she was writing a
letter.
3. While
we were having the picnic, it
started to rain.
4. What were you doing when the earthquake started?
5. I was listening to my iPod, so I didn't
hear the fire alarm.
6. You were not listening to me when I told
you to turn the oven off.
7. While
John was sleeping last night,
someone stole his car.
8. Sammy
was waiting for us when we got off
the plane.
9. While
I was writing the email, the
computer suddenly went off.
1. A: What were
you doing when you broke your leg?
1. B: I was
snowboarding.
USE 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.
Examples:
1. Last
night at 6 PM, I was eating dinner.
2. At
midnight, we were still driving through the desert.
3. Yesterday
at this time, I was sitting at my
desk at work.
IMPORTANT
In
the Simple Past, a specific time is used to show when an action began or
finished. In the Past Continuous, a specific time only interrupts the action.
Examples:
1. Last
night at 6 PM, I ate dinner.
I started eating
at 6 PM.
2. Last
night at 6 PM, I was eating dinner.
I started
earlier; and at 6 PM, I was in the process of eating dinner.
USE 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.
Examples:
1. I was studying while he was making dinner.
2. While
Ellen was reading, Tim was watching television.
3. Were you listening while he was
talking?
4. I wasn't paying attention while I was writing the letter, so I made
several mistakes.
5. What were you doing while you were waiting?
6. Thomas
wasn't working, and I wasn't working either.
7. They were eating dinner, discussing their plans, and having a good time.
USE 4 Atmosphere
In
English, we often use a series of parallel actions to describe the atmosphere
at a particular time in the past.
Example:
·
When I walked into the office, several people were busily typing, some were talking
on the phones, the boss was yelling
directions, and customers were waiting
to be helped. One customer was yelling
at a secretary and waving his hands.
Others were complaining to each
other about the bad service.
USE 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."
Examples:
1. She was always coming to class late.
2. He was constantly talking. He annoyed everyone.
3. I
didn't like them because they were
always complaining.
While vs. When
Clauses
are groups of words which have meaning, but are often not complete sentences.
Some clauses begin with the word "when" such as "when she
called" or "when it bit me." Other clauses begin with
"while" such as "while she was sleeping" and "while he
was surfing." When you talk about things in the past, "when" is
most often followed by the verb tense Simple Past, whereas "while" is
usually followed by Past Continuous. "While" expresses the idea of
"during that time." Study the examples below. They have similar
meanings, but they emphasize different parts of the sentence.
Examples:
1. I was studying when she called.
2. While
I was studying, she called.
REMEMBER Non-Continuous Verbs / Mixed
Verbs
It
is important to remember that Non-Continuous Verbs cannot be used in any
continuous tenses. Also, certain non-continuous meanings for Mixed Verbs cannot
be used in continuous tenses. Instead of using Past Continuous with these
verbs, you must use Simple Past.
Examples:
1. Jane was being at my house when you arrived.
Not Correct
2. Jane was at my house when you arrived. Correct
ADVERB PLACEMENT
The
examples below show the placement for grammar adverbs such as: always, only,
never, ever, still, just, etc.
Examples:
1. You
were just studying when she called.
2. Were
you just studying when she called?
ACTIVE / PASSIVE
Examples:
1. The
salesman was helping the customer
when the thief came into the store. Active
2. The
customer was being helped by the salesman when the thief came into the store. Passive
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