TENSE TIME

PAST CONTINUOUS
TENSE
Form
was/ were + ing-form

For example:
• I was having lunch.
• I wasn’t having lunch.
• Were you having lunch?
• Where were you having lunch?
Use 1
We use the past continuous to express the idea that at a time in the past we were
still in the middle of something.

For example:
• At 3 a.m. I was lying in bed wide awake.
• The pub was full of people who were all watching football on a big screen.
• We stood there horrified. Water was pouring through a hole in the ceiling.
Sarah did a lot of things yesterday morning.
1. At 8.45 ______________________
2. At 10.45 _____________________
3. At 8 o’clock __________________
4. At 12.10 _____________________
5. At 7.15 ______________________
6. At 9.30 ______________________
Mr. and Mrs. Gold invited some friends to their house for the weekend. A thief stole
Mrs. Gold’s jewelry at midnight on Saturday. What were the guests doing at
midnight?
Use 2
An action in the past continuous can happen around a time or around another
action.
It was raining when I left.
The past continuous is the longer action (the rain falling), and the past simple is the
shorter, complete action (my leaving). The shorter action ‘interrupts’ the longer one.
I was washing my hair when you rang.
While we were waiting, a man came in.
But when one complete action followed another, we use the past simple for both.
The bell rang, and Tim went to the door.
Paul started to eat dinner at 7:00. At 7:05, Mary came.
Paul __________ when Mary __________ at 7:05.
Bobby was at home yesterday evening. His favorite program was on television last
night. It started at 8:00. It ended at 9:00. At 8:30, his friend Kristin called.
When Kristin __________ at 8:30, Bobby __________ TV.
Rosa played her guitar for an hour yesterday morning. She started to play her guitar
at 9:30. She stopped at 10:30. Mike arrived at her apartment at 10:00.
At 10:00, Rosa __________ her guitar.
 Ask the other students what they were
doing ….
1. at 1 a.m. this morning.
2. at 7 a.m. this morning.
3. at 9 a.m. this morning.
4. at 2 p.m. this afternoon.
5. when the teacher called for the EE Tense Time tonight.
6. at 8.15 p.m. tonight.
HAPPY PRACTICING!