PAST CONTINUOUS

Past Continuous

AFFIRMATIVE FORM

Form: SUBJECT + WAS/WERE + VERB + ING

★

I was working in the garden when you called me yesterday..

★

You were singing at 3 o'clock yesterday afternoon.

★

He was running as the dog started barking.

★

She was laughing while he continued telling funny jokes.

★

It was sleeping when the alarm went off.

★

We were enjoying our summer break in Turkey last month.

★

You were playing basketball when the lights went off.

★

They were reading in class when a cat jumped on their desk.

NEGATIVE FORM

Form: SUBJECT + WASN'T/WEREN'T+ VERB + ING

★

I wasn't (was not) working when mom called me.

★

You weren't (were not) singing in the shower yesterday morning.

★

He wasn't (was not) running when the storm started.

★

She wasn't (was not) laughing at his joke.

★

It wasn't (was not) sleeping on the front porch.

★

We weren't (were not) enjoying ourselves at the party.

★

You weren't (were not) playing cards during the English class.

★

They weren't (were not) reading novels during the Math class.

INTERROGATIVE FORM

YOUR TURN NOW

What was he doing yesterday at 7 a.m.?

What were you doing
yesterday at 7 a.m.?

What was he doing yesterday at 9 p.m.?

What were you doing
yesterday at 9 p.m.?

Fill in the Blank

The girls ........................ (play) cards.

Fill in the Blank

Greg .................... (look) for his wallet.

Fill in the Blank

Mr Miller ............... (not wash) his car.

Fill in the Blank

Susan .............. (do) her homework.

Fill in the Blank

They ................. (not play) football yesterday afternoon.

Fill in the Blank

I .................. (wait) for her in the park.

Fill in the Blank

Carol and I ............. (have) dinner when he arrived.

Fill in the Blank

We ..........(play) the guitar when she entered.

Fill in the Blank

Tom ............ (not swim) in the pool.

Fill in the Blank

The boys .......... (cycle) home from school.

Fill in the Blank

She .......... (work) in her office.

Fill in the Blank

I ........ (not study) the new words.

Fill in the Blank

Ann ........ (lie) on the beach.

Fill in the Blank

We .......... (sit) on the bench for a long time.

Fill in the Blank

They ......... cards. (play)

USES OF THE PAST CONTINUOUS

The Past Continuous tense is used to express:

★two or more simultaneous past actions

e.g. While I was sunbathing, Paul was swimming.

★

an action in progress at a stated time in the past

e.g. He was playing tennis at 4:30 pm yesterday.

USES OF THE PAST CONTINUOUS (2)

Past Continuous tense is also used to express:

★

past action in progress interrupted by another past action

‼

Remember ‼

The longer action is in the Past Continuous, the shorter action is in the
Past Simple.

e.g. While Julie was walking around the supermarket she bumped into a
soda can display.

★

background description to events in a story

e.g. The sun was shining brightly on that beautiful summer morning. Linda
was sipping her cup of coffee on the balcony admiring the scenery.

Fill in the Blank

_{Fill in the blank with the past continuous tense of the word in the brackets.}

It rained when we __________ (play) football.

Multiple Choice

While Tom (read) , Amely (watch) a documentary on TV.

• was reading / was watching

• read / watched

• was reading / were watching

• read / was watching

Multiple Choice

I ______________ Science last night

• study

• was studying

• were studying

• studies

Fill in the Blank

They __________ (fight) when the teacher came in.

Multiple Choice

______ you _________ the movie when I called you?

• Are, watching

• Was, watching

• Were, watching

• Is, watching

Multiple Choice

It (rain)...........all the day.

• was raining

• were raining

• was rain

• were rain

Multiple Choice

John arrived while I _____________.

• slept

• was sleeping

• sleep

• were slept

Fill in the Blank

Sarah __________ (run) when I saw her.

Multiple Choice

My father came in as my mother ____________

• cooks

• cooking

• is cooking

• was cooking

Multiple Choice

You (sleep)........more than ten hours.

• were sleep

• was sleeping

• were sleeping

• was sleep

Fill in the Blank

John and Joe __________ (hide) in the bushes when we found them.

Multiple Choice

Belinda ___________ her house when we came home.

• were tidying

• tidied

• was tidying

• tidies

Multiple Choice

The phone rang while I (have) ........breakfast.

• was having

• were having

• was have

• were have

Multiple Choice

Jenny and Jessica __________ in the pool last Wednesday.

• swim

• swam

• was swimming

• were swimming

Fill in the Blank

Grace __________ (sing) when Mrs Tish came in.

Multiple Choice

I didn't think Grace ___________, as she was out for a whole day.

• was studying

• is studying

• studies

• study

Multiple Choice

The students ____ _____ very loudly when the teacher came.

• are talk

• are talking

• was talk

• were talking

Multiple Choice

I ___________ my car for a whole day.

• drives

• was driving

• drive

• have driven

Fill in the Blank

The cat __________ (chase) the birds in the garden this morning.

Multiple Choice

Lindsay and her three friends _____________ hide and seek when the gardener finished his task.

• played

• is playing

• were playing

• plays

Multiple Choice

Sara ____ ____ at college when she had a baby.

• is study

• is studying

• was studying

• was study

Multiple Choice

I ____________ my blouse as my sister came back from work.

• wore

• were wearing

• was wearing

• is wearing

Fill in the Blank

He __________ (do) his homework when his mother called him.

Multiple Choice

What ____ you ____ when the accident happened?

• are, do

• are, doing

• was, do

• were, doing

Multiple Choice

I __________ when you called me.

• was shopping

• am shopping

• is shopping

• shop

Multiple Choice

Tania _______ her favorite dish while her daughter was studying her English.

• cooked

• is cooking

• was cooking

• cooks

Fill in the Blank

We __________ (watch) television when the lights went out.

Multiple Choice

The students ____ taking notes while the teacher ____ talking.

• were, was

• was, was

• was, were

• were, were

Multiple Choice

Whlie Jane ___________ her story book, Jackie was writing her novel.

• are reading

• is reading

• read

• was reading

Multiple Choice

Why ____ you listening when the manager told you what to do?

• was

• wasn't

• weren't

• aren't

Multiple Choice

My brother fell asleep while he ___ ____.

• was drive

• were drove

• was driving

• were driving

Multiple Choice

Nobody ___ ___ when the thief stole the laptop.

• was watching

• were watching

• was watched

• were watched

Multiple Choice

Were you ____ dinner when I called you?

• eat

• eaten

• ate

• eating

Multiple Choice

The people on the plane ____ ____ when it almost crashed.

• was sleep

• was sleeping

• were sleep

• were sleeping

Multiple Choice

The baby was _____ while the mother was _____ a video.

• laugh, record

• laughing, recording

• laughed, recorded

• laughing, recorded

Multiple Choice

What was she doing?

• She was running.

• She ran.

• She running.

• She was runing.

Multiple Choice

What were they doing?

• They were playing board games.

• They were studying.

• They were talking.

• They were plaing board games.

Multiple Choice

It (snow) heavily when he (wake) up.

• was snowing/ woke

• snowed/ woke

• snowed/ woked

• snowed/ was waking