Unit 3 Past continuous tense

Grammar e-Dictionary
Channel

3.1 The past continuous tense is formed by was/were + -ing form of the verb.
We use the past continuous tense to talk about:

• an action that was in progress at a certain time in the past

Where were you

at 2.30 am on
27 March?

I was sleeping at home

in the middle of the night.
Please believe me!

I was sleeping at home in

the middle of the night.

now

NOTE
We can also use the past continuous tense to talk about an action that went on for an extended
period of time.
Cyrus was working the whole morning. He felt exhausted and took a nap in the afternoon.
I was taking an exam the whole afternoon, so I was unable to answer your call.

•  action that was in progress (a longer action) when something else happened
an
(a shorter action)
NOTE
I was flying my We use the simple
kite when I saw past tense for the
the UFO*. shorter action.
* UFO: unidentified
flying object

I was flying my kite.

I saw a UFO. now

27
 3.2 We often use when and while with the past continuous tense and the simple past tense
to talk about two actions that happened at the same time.

• We use when to talk about a shorter action or an event that happened at a specific
moment, which is described using the simple past tense.
(simple past) (past continuous)
When Nancy saw Peter, he was running in the park.
(past continuous) (simple past)
Simon was watching a film when Peter called him.

• W
 e also use when to talk about something that happened at the same time as
another action or event. We usually use the simple past tense to talk about both
actions.
(simple past) (simple past)
When his phone alarm rang, Simon woke up.
(simple past) (simple past)
The athletes started running when they heard the starting pistol go off.

• We often use while to talk about a longer action or an event that happened over a
period of time, which is described using the past continuous tense. We can also use
when in this case.
(past continuous) (simple past)
While/When Janice was reading, her dog barked suddenly.
(simple past) (past continuous)
The doorbell rang while/when Ella was playing video games.

• 
We also use while to talk about two longer events that were happening at the same
time.
(past continuous) (past continuous)
While Betty was taking pictures, her parents were talking to the tour guide.
(past continuous)
My mother was having an online meeting with her colleagues while my father

(past continuous)
was preparing dinner.

NOTE
We put a comma after a when-clause or a while-clause if we use when/while at the beginning
of a sentence.

Writing focus
We often use the past continuous and the simple past tense together in the same sentence,
where the simple past is used to describe a shorter action that interrupts a longer (continuous)
action. We can use them to describe past events in:
• blog/diary entries
• stories
• emails/letters of complaint

28
All answers Past continuous tense Unit 3

3.3 We do not use the past continuous tense for two past actions which happened one
after the other. We use the simple past tense instead.

Compare: When he arrived, we set off for Macau.

(We left for Macau after he arrived.)

When he arrived, we were setting off for Macau.

(We were in the middle of leaving when he arrived.)

3.4 We form negatives and questions in the past continuous like this:

I was not having/wasn’t having dinner when she called.

He was not doing/wasn’t doing his homework when I went to his room.
They were not playing/weren’t playing basketball when it rained this afternoon.

Was Mum cooking dinner when Dad called?

Were you playing basketball when it rained this afternoon?

Grammar Practice
A Complete the sentences using the correct forms of the words given in brackets.

1 The dogs were making (make) a mess in the house when they heard

(hear) their owner return.

2 I was training (train) with the basketball team at 3 pm yesterday, so I was

unable to reply to your text until later.

Was the elephant drove/

3 sleeping (the elephant/sleep) when you were driving (drive) past?

4 The visitors were watching (watch) the orangutans while the zookeepers
were feeding (feed) them.

5 What did you do (you/do) when you saw the accident? Did you dial

(you/dial) 999?

29
 All answers

6 The woman was exploring (explore) the spooky graveyard while her family
was looking/
were looking (look) inside the church.

7 The school principal was not giving (not/give) a speech when the fire alarm rang
rang (ring). She was presenting (present) prizes to outstanding

students in the school hall.

8 ‘Did you call me just now?’ ‘I didn’t. I was running (run) an event this

afternoon and it has just finished.’

9 Last week, when my mum was dancing (dance), she fell

(fall) and hurt (hurt) her foot.

10  Was the pan boiling (the pan/boil) when you went (go) to check

your phone?

11 Mary was knitting (knit) a sweater yesterday afternoon. She plans to give the

sweater to her brother.

12 While the thief was opening (open) the safe, his accomplice was keeping

(keep) watch outside.

13 Mrs Wong was reading (read) the newspaper when she heard

(hear) the child next door burst into tears.

14 The gazelles were drinking (drink) at the watering hole while the lions
were watching (watch) from the bushes.

were working/ was

15 Ted and I worked (work) on our school project this morning. I designing

(design) the slides while Ted was writing (write) the speech.

30
All answers Past continuous tense Unit 3

B The table below shows what Julia, Marcus and Lucy did yesterday. Complete the sentences using the
information in the table.

9.00–10.00 11.00–12.00 12.00 13.30–15.00 16.00 17.00–18.00 18.00–19.30

Partly cloudy Sunny Sunny Light rain Light rain Clear and dry Heavy rain

Leave
Run in the Visit Catch bus
Julia grandparents’ Nap
park grandparents home
house
Lunch
at a
Start
restaurant Start
Walk the volunteering
Marcus guitar
dog at a food
lesson
bank
Coffee at a Watch a film
coffee shop at the cinema
Finish
Start working Work at
working
Lucy Yoga at the pet the pet
at the pet
shop shop
shop

1 While Marcus was walking his dog, Lucy was doing yoga and Julia was running

in the park .

2 Julia was visiting her grandparents at 11.30.

3 Marcus and Lucy were having/drinking coffee at a coffee shop from 11.00 to 12.00.

4 Marcus and Julia were having lunch at a restaurant at 14.00. It was raining

lightly.

5 Lucy was working at the/a pet shop the whole afternoon.

6 Marcus started volunteering/to volunteer at a food bank when Julia left her grandparents’

house.

7 When Julia caught the bus home, Marcus started the/his guitar lesson .

was watching a film

8 It rained heavily in the evening. During the heavy rain, Lucy at the cinema
was napping/
and Julia was having a nap .

31
 All answers

C 
The following are the beginnings of some of the stories that appeared in a recent issue of a school
magazine. Complete them with the correct forms of the given verbs.

1 It (a) was (be) 9.20 am. I (b) was standing

(stand) in line to check in for a flight to Hong Kong. While I

(c) was waiting (wait), someone from the back of the queue

suddenly (d) screamed (scream), ‘I’ve lost my passport!’

One Sunday morning, Ian (a) was walking (walk) through the
2
noticed
city when he (b) (notice) something highly unusual:

a monkey (c) was climbing (climb) one of the buildings. He

also (d) spotted (spot) a giraffe at the end of the street,

was running/
while a pack of wolves (e) were running (run) down the middle

of the road. ‘What is going on?’ he (f) thought (think).

Dr Brown (a) was getting (get) ready to leave his clinic when
3
rang picked
his telephone (b) (ring). He (c)
was
(pick) up the phone. It (d) (be) a man in a village

20 km away. The man’s son was very sick and the boy urgently
(e) needed (need) help.

Kevin lives in Sydney. One day he (a) called (call) his

4
was going
mother to tell her how his job (b) (go). They
were talking went
(c)
(talk) when the line suddenly (d)

(go) dead.

It (a) was (be) an ordinary evening. Mr and Mrs Smith

5
were watching
(b)
(watch) the news on television. Their son
(c) was playing (play) with his toys. Suddenly, the announcer
(d) interrupted (interrupt) the ongoing news report and said,
Extra Practice
‘Here is a special announcement …’

32
All answers Past continuous tense Unit 3

Language Practice
D Story
Complete the following excerpt from a story using the correct forms of the given words.

Jimmy Smith and his whole family (1) were visiting (visit) Hong Kong.
stayed/
They (2) were staying (stay) at a hotel near Ocean Park. After spending
a whole day at the theme park, the children (3) were (be) tired
and they (4) went (go) to bed early. While the children
(5) were sleeping (sleep) and his wife (6) was taking (take) a
shower, Jimmy felt very hungry and (7) decided (decide) to go
downstairs for a snack and a drink at the restaurant.

entered/
was entering saw
As he (8) (enter) the lift, he (9) (see)
did not pay
that a man was already in there, but Jimmy (10) (not/pay)
much attention to him. The lift (11) was going (go) down when that
started
man (12) (start) to speak: ‘Excuse me, are you Jimmy
Smith?’ Jimmy (13) was (be) a bit startled, but replied, ‘Yes,
I am, and you are …?’ ‘I’m Ted Hunter! We (14) went (go) to
university together, studying in the same class for two semesters,’ Ted said.

were chatting
‘Oh right, Ted! How’s it going?’ Jimmy asked. While they (15)
took
(chat), Jimmy (16) (take) a good look at Ted and thought he
(17) looked (look) almost exactly like the man he used to know,
only now he (18) had (have) grey hair and some wrinkles
reached
around his eyes. When the lift (19) (reach) the ground
suggested
f loor, Ted (20) (suggest) going to the restaurant together.

found
‘Sure, why not?’ Jimmy said. They soon (21) (find) a table
were eating
in the main restaurant of the hotel. While they (22) (eat),
a waitress gave them a free drink. ‘It’s a new item on our drinks menu. Please
give it a try!’ she said. They (23) found (find) it very tasty, so they
both ordered one more after finishing their free glass.

33
 All answers

arrived
Their second drink (24) (arrive) straightaway. As they
carried took
(25)
(carry) on their conversation, they both (26)
(take) a few more sips. A few minutes later, Ted (27) started (start) to
choke. He could not breathe and (28) fainted (faint) soon after.
did not respond/
Jimmy tried to wake him, but he (29) didn’t respond (not/respond). Just then
a mysterious voice (30) spoke (speak) from behind him, saying,
‘Don’t worry, Jimmy. This is all part of the plan.’

E Letter
Complete this letter. Use the correct forms of the verbs in brackets.

Dear Annie

I (1) got (get) your letter last week. I (2) am (be) sorry I couldn’t
answer it immediately because I (3) was preparing (prepare) for my exams at the time. I
(4) am (be) glad to hear that you (5) are doing (do) well at school.
(6) Is your sister staying (your sister/stay) with you? I (7) am (be) sure you
(8) are having (have) a good time together.

I have an incredible story to tell you. Yesterday an 80-year-old woman who (9) lives

(live) two floors above us narrowly (10) escaped (escape) injury following a gas
was happened
explosion. She (11) (be) alone when the accident (12)
(happen). She (13) woke/had woken (wake) up from her nap and (14) decided

(decide) to make some tea. While she (15) was going (go) to the kitchen, she
smelled/smelt was leaking
(16)
(smell) gas. To see if gas (17) (leak) from her stove, she
made
(18)
(make) the dangerous mistake of striking a match, and that triggered the
explosion!

heard rushed
When neighbours (19) (hear) the explosion, they (20) (rush)
to her flat to see what (21) was going on (go on). Two of them (22) broke (break)
down the door and (23) dragged (drag) the woman out of her burning apartment.
Amazingly, she was unhurt – just confused!
happened/
was happening learnt/learned
I was out shopping when this (24)
(happen). I (25) (learn)
the details of the accident from my neighbours later.

I have got to go now. Please write soon.

Love

Kate
34
All answers Past continuous tense Unit 3

F Blog entry
Decide whether the underlined words/phrases in the blog entry are in the right form. Put a tick ()
in the space provided if the underlined word/phrase is correct. If it is not correct, write your
correction in the space. Two have been done for you as examples.

It was a sunny afternoon. John (1) listened to music on his (1)

was listening

phone when someone (2) was tapping him on the shoulder from (2) tapped

behind. He (3) turned around. It was a man that he did not know. (3)


‘Hello,’ the man said, ‘I (4) am wanting to say thank you for what (4) want/wanted

you (5) have done the other day.’ ‘I’m sorry,’ John said, surprised. (5)
did

‘I don’t think I (6) knew you.’ ‘Oh, you don’t know me,’ the man (6) know

answered, ‘but you (7) have saved my dog last week.’ (7)
saved

Then John (8) was remembering. ‘Oh, so you are the owner (8) remembered

of that little poodle?’ John asked. The man nodded. ‘I (9) am (9)
recall

recalling it now,’ John said. ‘On Thursday a dog suddenly

(10)
ran out while I (11) walked along the street. I (12) was catching (10)


it just before it ran in front of a car. Later a girl took the dog (11) was walking

and put its lead back on.’ (12) caught

‘That was my daughter,’ the man smiled. ‘She (13) has just (13)


recognized you.’ ‘Where is she?’ John asked. ‘She (14) stands (14) is standing

in front of the florist’s with her mother,’ the man said as he

(15) (15)
pointed to a girl on the other side of the street. She 

(16)
is holding a woman’s hand. ‘We (17) are going to have some (16)
was holding/held

tea,’ the man said. ‘Would you like to join us? It (18) will be our (17)


(18)
treat.’ ‘I’d love to join you but I’m afraid I have an appointment. 

Thanks very much for the offer, though,’ John said.

35
 Using the Language W riting

Recounting past experiences (II)

Language
Pointer

We can use the past continuous tense to talk about the process of past events, actions or
experiences in, for example, diary and blog entries, stories or reports.

Examples

 Ivy is writing a diary entry about finding a stray cat and bringing it home. Read the following excerpt
taken from her diary and note how she uses the past continuous tense to recount her experience.

I was strolling down the alley at the back of the restaurants on the way home
from school with my cousin. A paper bag was rustling at the side of the alley,
and we both thought it was the wind at first. We were surprised to find a little
kitten in it. The kitten was shivering as we held it in our hands. It was hungrily
searching for food, so we decided to take it home.

We can use the indefinite article a/an (underlined) before countable nouns when
introducing a character or an object in a story (see Unit 15 for more).

 Max is writing an incident report about an accident that happened between him and a teammate.
Read the excerpt from the report and note how he uses the past continuous tense to recount the
event.

Max Lee and Joey Wong were involved in an accident today while they were
playing basketball during their PE lesson. The students were jumping to catch
the ball when they bumped heads. This fortunately only resulted in minor
injuries. Neither student had injured himself at school before, and this event
was definitely an accident on both sides. While they were resting on the bench,
they iced their heads and their basketball coach checked their injuries and
notified their parents.

We can use the past perfect tense (underlined) to talk about past experiences
that happened before another point in the past (see Unit 4 for more).
36
Notes All answers Past continuous tense Unit 3

Your turn
 Jasper is writing an online post about a crime he witnessed earlier today. Complete the sentences
from his post with the correct forms of the words given in brackets using the simple past tense and
the past continuous tense.

was queueing
• I
 (1)
(queue) for the cashier at an electronics store when I
(2) saw (see) the crime take place.

• A man (3)
 strolled (stroll) casually into the shop, but then as quick as a
was sprinting/
flash, he (4) sprinted (sprint) towards the doors.
was carrying
• Under one arm he (5)

(carry) a new phone in its box, while with
pushed/
the other he (6) was pushing (push) other shoppers out of the way.

• While two security guards (7)

 were chasing (chase) after him, the store
called/
manager (8) was calling (call) the police.

 Grace is writing a news report for the school newspaper about a book swap event. Complete the
following paragraph from her report with the correct forms of the words given in brackets using the
simple past tense and the past continuous tense.

came
Jennifer Yuen from 3B (9)
(come) up with the idea of a book swap
when she and her friends (10) were swapping (swap) books amongst themselves. Her
were
English teacher Ms Fung (11) noticed (notice) that they (12) exchanging

(exchange) books during breaks, and (13) suggested (suggest) that they should offer
browsed/
to share books with more people. During the event, as the students (14) were browsing

(browse) the books they had collected, Jennifer and her team (15) took

(take) turns going onstage to read good lines from them. They also (16) streamed

(stream) the whole performance online.

 Write five sentences to recount past experiences related to one or more of the following topics using
the past continuous tense: (1) an accident that you were involved in; (2) finding a stray cat/dog; and
(3) witnessing an incident at school.

(1) I was sitting in a taxi on the way to the airport when suddenly the car behind us crashed into us.
While my driver was arguing loudly with the other driver about whose fault it was, I jumped into another taxi
(2) and hurried on to the airport.

(3) My mum and I were walking home one day when we saw a cat in a park.

(4) I was studying in an after-school homework club one day when I witnessed a crime.

(5) While a student was doing his homework, the student sitting next to him pocketed his phone.
37