Past Continuous Tense: Definition, Examples, Formula & Rules

Past Continuous Tense

The Past Continuous Tense expresses the following happening circumstance or ongoing action, which is completed before time. It describes any action which is happening in the past.

The word continuous is also called progressive, the past progressive tense. This means the action is started but not finished.

We use simple past, and past continuous tense together, which denotes that the action is happening in the middle of doing something else, which does not depend on speaking as the simple past tense is used to say that one thing has happened after another one.

Formula of Past Continuous Tense

Subject + was/were + Verb (ing) + object

Here, the helping verbs (was/were) are in the past form.

Verb V+ing is in the present participle form to show the continuation of the action.

Also, was can be used for second-person subjects like he, she, it. Similarly, were can be used for the first and the third person like I, you, we, they, respectively.

The subject “I” is applicable for both was/were, but was is used when we are talking about a real situation or something true, and were is used when we are talking about unreal situations.

Example,

• You were cleaning the hall yesterday after the party.

Sentence Structure & Rules

There are three possibilities of writing any sentence or a statement in past continuous tense form,

1. Positive statements 
   [Subject + was/were + verb (ing) + object] 

2. Negative statements 
   [Subject + was/were + not + verb (ing) + object]

3. Question statements 
   [was/were + subject + verb (ing) + object + ?]

Examples of Past Continuous

1. He was sitting on the bench when I met him. (positive)
2. He was not sitting on the bench when I met him. (negative)
3. Was he sitting on the bench when I met him? (question)

4. They were coming towards the car. (positive)
5. They weren’t coming towards the car. (negative)
6. Were they coming towards the car? (question)

7. He was waiting outside the home for the  Pizza delivery boy. (positive)
8. He wasn’t waiting outside the home for the Pizza Delivery boy. (negative)
9. Was he waiting outside the home for the Pizza delivery boy? (question)

10. You were doing something at that time. (positive)
11. You weren’t doing anything at that time. (negative)
12. What were you doing at that time? (question)

13. I was sitting in that restaurant last night. (positive)
14. I wasn’t sitting in that restaurant last night. (negative)
15. Was I sitting in that restaurant last night? (question) 

examples of past continuous tense

Exercise:

Complete the following sentence using the appropriate verbs to make it a past continuous sentence.

1. They ____________ volleyball. (play)
2. She ____________ too many chocolates at that time. (eat)
3. Did she ask me, where ____ I ________ to the theatre? (go)
4. That vault ______________ from any key at that moment. (not, open)
5. He _______________ to hide behind the door.(try)
6. You ____________ to Patola for a business meeting. (go)
7. The person sitting by your side ________________ to anyone. (read)
8. _____ you ________ outside the window? (look)
9. The kidnappers ___________________ the minister’s daughter. (Kidnap)
10. _____ everyone __________ from the financial crisis during that lockdown period? (suffer)
11. They _____________ anything all the time. (do)
12. I ______________ myself in the seat of the plane when the pilot announced something important. (belt)
13. ______ she ____________ awkwardly in the hospital? (behave)
14. ______ you ____________ the last day? (plan)
15. The prisoners _______________ to escape from prison. (try)

exercise of past continuous tense

Answers:

1. They were playing volleyball.
2. She was eating too many chocolates at that time.
3. Did she ask me, where was I going to the theatre?
4. That vault was not opening from any key at that moment.
5. He was trying to hide behind the door.
6. You were going to Patola for a business meeting.
7. What were you reading in the library?
8. were you looking outside the window?
9. The kidnappers were kidnapping the minister’s daughter.
10. was everyone suffering from the financial crisis during that lockdown period?
11. They were doing anything all the time.
12. I was belting myself in the seat of the plane when the pilot announced something important.
13. was she behave awkwardly in the hospital?
14. were you planning the last day?
15. The prisoners were trying to escape from prison.

More Tenses:
1. Past Perfect Tense
2. Past Perfect Continuous Tense