Past Continuous Tense
What is the past continuous tense?
The past continuous, also known as the past progressive, is used to indicate that an action was ongoing at a particular point in the past. It is formed by combining the past form of the auxiliary verb “be” (was or were) with the present participle of the main verb, indicating that the action was in progress.
Structure
To form the past continuous, we order the sentence like this: subject + was/were + present participle of main verb.
For example:
- “I was working.”
- “She was reading a book.”
Both of these sentences are grammatically correct, but they lack detail. Typically, the past continuous tense is paired with additional information to provide a more detailed account of the context surrounding an ongoing action or event.
Functions of the past continuous
The past continuous tense serves multiple functions in speech and writing. Let’s examine some examples of these functions.
Before and after another action or event happened
- “We were busy working on our assignment when our parents came home.”
- “I was watching the lovely sunset as a flock of birds soared by.”
Interrupted by another action or event
- “He was having the most wonderful time on the beach when the weather suddenly turned awful.”
- “As they were leaving, the phone rang.”
Before and after a certain time
- “Two years ago, I was working at a bar in Oakland.”
- “She was still up writing her thesis at 2 o’clock in the morning.”
For a length of time (whether specific or undefined)
- “My head was throbbing.” (undefined length of time)
- “You were eating that sandwich for an hour!” (specific length of time)
Repeatedly and frequently
- “My parents were fighting all the time when I decided to leave.
- “I was often worrying we wouldn’t be able to afford the wedding in the months leading up to it.”
A source of irritation
We can also indicate that things that happened repeatedly were a source of irritation by using the adverbs of frequency always or constantly, as in:
- “My ex-husband was always leaving dirty dishes in the sink.”
- “The old boss was constantly berating employees over silly issues.”
To show development, growth, or other change(s) over time
- “Things were changing; there was no denying that.”
- “I thought her condition was improving, but I guess not.”
- “His memory was fading as he got older.”
Narrating a story or describing an atmosphere
- “As they walked into the sunshine, the birds were singing and the breeze was softly blowing.”
- “I was working in a Oakland bar when all of this took place.”
Sentence types
The past continuous can also be used in negative, interrogative, and negative-interrogative sentences, similar to other tenses, but with slight variations in their structure.
Negative sentences
Negative sentences in the past continuous are formed by inserting “not” between the auxiliary verb (was/were) and the present participle of the main verb, which is often contracted to “wasn’t/weren’t”.
For example:
- “I was not feeling well.”
- “The kids weren’t sleeping when we got home.”
- “She wasn’t working for two years after the baby was born.”
Interrogative sentences (questions)
To create a question in the past continuous tense, the subject is placed before the auxiliary verb (was/were) to form an inversion.
For example:
- Positive: “I was sleeping when you called.”
- Interrogative: “Were you sleeping when I called?”
- Positive: “They were watching a movie last night.”
- Interrogative: “Were you watching a movie last night?”
- Positive: “She was working on her thesis at the time.”
- Interrogative: “Was she working on her thesis at the time?”
Negative interrogative sentences
Interrogative sentences that imply a “no” answer are formed by placing “not” after the subject, often contracted to “wasn’t/weren’t”. These are called negative interrogative sentences.
- “Was she not looking for a new place to live?”
- “Weren’t you watching a movie last night?”
- “Wasn’t he keeping track of the inventory?”