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Past Continuous

The document discusses the past continuous tense, which is used to describe actions that began in the past and continued for a short period of time after. It provides the structure of the past continuous as "was/were + verb+ing" and examples such as "At three o'clock yesterday, I was working in the garden." It then discusses how the past continuous can be used to describe parallel actions, actions at a particular point in time, interrupted actions, and repetition or irritation. Finally, it provides time expressions used with the past continuous and an exercise to practice filling in blanks with the past continuous form of verbs.

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Suzanne Hitto
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78 views13 pages

Past Continuous

The document discusses the past continuous tense, which is used to describe actions that began in the past and continued for a short period of time after. It provides the structure of the past continuous as "was/were + verb+ing" and examples such as "At three o'clock yesterday, I was working in the garden." It then discusses how the past continuous can be used to describe parallel actions, actions at a particular point in time, interrupted actions, and repetition or irritation. Finally, it provides time expressions used with the past continuous and an exercise to practice filling in blanks with the past continuous form of verbs.

Uploaded by

Suzanne Hitto
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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PAST CONTINUOUS

PAST CONTINUOUS TENSE STRUCTURE

The Past Continuous is used to describe actions that began in the past
and often continued for a short period of time after the action started.
• The structure of the Past Continuous Tense is:
• Was/were + V-ing (Present Participle)

Example:
• At three o’clock yesterday, I was working in the garden.
Examples of the Past Continuous Tense

• My kids were playing basketball together for hours yesterday.


• My daughter was planning to join the school band but chose the choir instead.
• I was talking to my neighbor when she told me about the fire that started across the street.
• Our school was holding a pep rally when the fire alarm went off.
• I was not giving to charity last year, but then I received a raise and started contributing to the local animal shelter.
• While I was getting ready for bed, I turned on the news to see what had happened during the day.
• My team was holding an offsite lunch n learn but discontinued it when people stopped showing up.
• My brother was dropping me off at school every morning so I didn’t have to wait in the cold for the bus.
• I was hanging more and more elaborate Christmas lights every year until I realized I couldn’t do anything bigger this year so
I stopped.
• My friend was sleeping over every Friday for three months during the Summer but then we had to stop when school started.
HOW TO USE THE PAST CONTINUOUS TENSE
• The past continuous is used:
To describe parallel actions
• The past progressive is often used to denote an action that was
interrupted by an event, or for two actions taking place
in parallel.
• Examples:
• While I was washing the dishes, I heard a loud noise.
• While you were washing the dishes, Sue was walking the dog.
How to Use the Past Continuous Tense

To describe what someone was doing at a particular


point in time
• Example:
• I was working in the garden all day yesterday.
HOW TO USE THE PAST CONTINUOUS TENSE
To express interrupted action in the past
• Often the past progressive is mixed with the past simple
to show what was happening when something
happened.
• Examples:
• I was driving to work when I crashed my car.
• I watched a movie while I was flying to Dubai.
HOW TO USE THE PAST CONTINUOUS TENSE
To describe repetition and irritation
• Example:
• He was always complaining in class.
TIME EXPRESSIONS USED WITH THE PAST CONTINUOUS
TENSE

• When
• While
• Always
• Constantly
• At that time
• In those days
• All day
• All evening
• For hours…
Exercise 1 – Fill in the blanks
Fill in the blanks with the past continuous form of the verbs given in brackets.

1. The children ____ hide and seek in the park. (play)


2. They ____ to the movies. (go)
3. I ___ the book you gave me on my birthday. (read)
4. Winnie _____ her new dress. (stitch)
5. The dogs ____ all night. (bark)
6. Ron ___ his room when he heard the noise. (clean)
7. It ___ darker with each passing moment. (get)
8. The gardener ____ the lawn. (water)
9. The army ___ to Ladakh when the enemy attacked them. (go)
10. My sister ____ a Royal Enfield yesterday. (ride)
11. The students ____ on their assignments. (work)
12. That boy ____ in class. (dance)
13. The kid ____ television all evening. (watch)
14. The girl ____ to rock music. (listen)
15. The birds ____ in the sky. (fly)
Answers for Exercise 1

1.The children were playing hide and seek in the park. (play)
2.They were going to the movies. (go)
3.I was reading the book you gave me on my birthday. (read)
4.Winnie was stitching her new dress. (stitch)
5.The dogs were barking all night. (bark)
6.Ron was cleaning his room when he heard the noise. (clean)
7.It was getting darker with each passing moment. (get)
8.The gardener was watering the lawn. (water)
9.The army was going to Ladakh when the enemy attacked them. (go)
10.My sister was riding a Royal Enfield yesterday. (ride)
11.The students were working on their assignments. (work)
12.That boy was dancing in class. (dance)
13.The kid was watching television all evening. (watch)
14.The girl was listening to rock music. (listen)
15.The birds were flying in the sky. (fly)
What is the past continuous tense used for?

The past continuous tense is used to express/denote


an action/event going on/in progress at some point in
the past. The time of action/event may or may not be
given.

For example:
When I went to Ira’s house, she was sleeping.
Click on the linf to practice:

https://test-english.com/grammar-points/a2/past-continuous-past-simple/

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