Formation
| Subject | Auxiliary | Verb + -ing | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| I / He / She / It | was | reading | I was reading when she called. |
| You / We / They | were | playing | They were playing football. |
Negative: was/were + not + verb-ing
He was not listening.
Question: Was/Were + subject + verb-ing?
Were you sleeping?
Main Uses
| Use | Example |
|---|---|
| Action in progress at a specific past time | At 8 pm I was having dinner. |
| Background action interrupted by another | She was walking home when it started to rain. |
| Two parallel actions in the past | He was cooking while she was setting the table. |
| Polite request (softer than past simple) | I was wondering if you could help. |
Past Continuous vs. Past Simple
| Past continuous | Past simple |
|---|---|
| I was watching TV… | …when my phone rang. |
| (longer background action) | (short interrupting action) |
Use when + past simple for the interrupting action.
Use while + past continuous for the ongoing action.
Spelling Rules for -ing
| Base verb | Rule | -ing form |
|---|---|---|
| play | add -ing | playing |
| dance | drop -e, add -ing | dancing |
| sit | double final consonant, add -ing | sitting |
| run | double final consonant, add -ing | running |
Real world: police report / witness statement
"At approximately 9 pm, the witness was walking past the bank when she heard an alarm. Two men were running away from the entrance. A car was waiting at the corner with its engine on."
Real world: story / novel extract
The sun was setting over the mountains. The children were playing in the garden while their parents were having dinner on the terrace.
Practice Problems
Form the past continuous: He (study) when I called him.
Show answer
Make a question: They were sleeping at midnight.
Show answer
Which is the background action? 'She was reading when the phone rang.'