Past Continuous

Past Continuous

We use the past continuous for actions that were happening at a specific moment in the past or were in progress at that time. With past continuous, we often use specific time expressions (e. g. at 5 o'clock, at that moment, when...). Have a look at the examples:

• I was sleeping at 10 o'clock.
• She was reading a book at 8.
• They were danceing at 11.

As you can see, we form the past continuous sentence following this pattent:
→ Subject + was/were + verb + -ing

Negative sentences

Structure:
→ Subject + wasn't/weren't + verb + -ing

• I wasn't sleeping at 10.
• You weren't waiting for him.
• They weren't danceing.

Questions

To make a question, put was/were before the subject:
→ Was/Were + subject + verb + -ing?

• Was he playing football at 2?
• Were they skiing at 5?
• What were you doing at 9?
• Why was she crying?

Short answers

In short answers, use:
→ Subject + was/were (or wasn't/weren't)
We do not repeat the verb with -ing.

• Were you studying at 7? – Yes, I was.
• Was he working at 9? – Yes, he was.
• Were they cooking at 7? – No, they weren't.

Quick reference

• Use: actions in progress at a specific time in the past
  She was reading at 8.
• Form: was/were + verb-ing
  They were playing.
• Negative: wasn't/weren't + verb-ing
  He wasn't working.
• Question: Was/Were + subject + verb-ing?
  Were you sleeping?