Rules and usage
The past continuous, also called the past progressive, describes an action that was happening at a specific moment in the past or during a period in the past. It focuses on the action in progress, not its completion.
When We Use the Past Continuous
- To describe an action that was in progress at a specific time in the past: I was studying at 9 PM last night.
- To describe a background action that was happening when another action happened: While I was cooking dinner, my friend arrived.
- To set the scene or provide context in storytelling: The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and everything seemed perfect.
- To describe two or more actions that were happening at the same time in the past: While she was reading, he was watching television.
✅ Positive sentence examples
| English | English |
|---|
| I was reading a book when you called. | |
| They were playing football in the park. | |
⛔ Negative sentence examples
| English | English |
|---|
| I was not listening to the teacher during the class. | |
| They were not working when the boss arrived. | |
❓ Question sentence examples
| English | English |
|---|
| Was I speaking too fast for you? | |
| Were they building a house last summer? | |