Past

Continuous
Andrea Villarreal
4-821-390
Functions of the past
continuous
The past continuous describes
actions or events located in a time
prior to the present, whose beginning
is in the past and which has not yet
finished at the time of speaking. In
other words, it expresses an
incomplete or unfinished action from
the past. it is formed with the auxiliary
verb “to be” and the verb+ing.
2 Past continuous 12 de junio de 2023
When is the past
continuous used?
❑ The past continuous is used for an action in progress in the past
and that was interrupted. The action that caused the interruption is
in the past simple. “When” and “while” signal the use of the past
simple and past continuous. In general, we use the past simple
directly after “when” and the past continuous after “while”.
❑ Examples:
❑ Jose called while I was watching the news.
❑ He was walking to work when he fell.
❑ Was it raining when you left?

3 Past continuous 12 de junio de 2023

When is the past
continuous used?
❑ The past continuous is used to talk
about actions in a specific time in
the past.
❑ Examples:
❑ Paula wasn’t living in Spain in
2005.
❑ We were still working at 10 o’clock
last night.

4 Past continuous 12 de junio de 2023

When is the past
continuous used?
❑ The past continuous is used for two
actions that were occurring
simultaneously in the past.
❑ Examples:
❑ My son was reading while I was
cooking.
❑ They were talking very loudly while
we were trying to watch the movie.

5 Past continuous 12 de junio de 2023

Structure of the past
continuous
Structure Example

Affirmative Sentences Subject + auxiliary verb (to be) + I was talking.

verb+ing. He was eating.
They were learning.

Negative Sentences Subject + auxiliary verb (to be) + I was not [wasn’t] talking.
“not” + verb+ing. He was not [wasn’t] eating.
They were not [weren’t] learning.

Interrogative Sentences Auxiliary verb (to be) + subject + Were you talking?
verb+ing? Was he eating?
Were they learning?

6 Past continuous 12 de junio de 2023

Continuous Verb
Tenses
Sense verbs Feel, hear, see, smell, taste
Emotive Verbs Believe, dislike, doubt, imagine, hate, know, like,
love, prefer, realize, recognize, remember,
suppose, think, understand, want, wish...

Stative or Abstract Verbs Be, cost, seem, need, care, contain, exist…

Possessive Verbs Belong, have, possess, own…

Communication verbs Agree, astonish, deny, disagree, impress, mean,
please, promise, satisfy, surprise…

7 Past continuous 12 de junio de 2023