Past Progressive Verbs

Past Progressive Tense

• Definition: The past progressive tense is used to describe ongoing actions or events that were happening in the past.
• Formation: Subject + was/were + verb-ing
• Example: She was studying when the phone rang.
• Use: Use the past progressive tense to provide background information or to describe two ongoing actions happening simultaneously in the past.

Multiple Choice

What tense is used to describe ongoing actions or events that were happening in the past?

• Present progressive tense

• Past simple tense

• Past progressive tense

• Future perfect tense

Past Progressive Tense

Past Progressive Tense is used to describe ongoing actions or events that were happening in the past. It is formed by using the past tense of the verb 'to be' (was/were) and the present participle (-ing form) of the main verb. For example, 'She was studying when the phone rang.'

Past Progressive Tense Forms

​Negative

Subject + was/were + present participle.

I was writing an email when the phone rang.

​Affirmative

​Interrogative

Subject + was/were + not + present participle.

I wasn't writing an email when the phone rang.

Was/were + subject + present participle +?

Was I writing an email when the phone rang?