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Past Continuous Tense
Past Continuous Tense
The past tense is a verb tense used for a past activity or a past state of being.
There are two types of past tenses that you need to be focused on:
(a) Simple past tense
(b) Past continuous tense
(b) Express a past habit - use adverbs like 'always', 'often', etc.
Examples:
(a) Mr. and Mrs. Chong were happy to receive a brand new car.
'Do' verbs
It is used to show an action.
Examples:
Regular Verbs
Regular verbs take on the suffix '-ed' or '-d' in the past form
Irregular Verbs
Some irregular words change completely while some do not change at all
Verbs for questions in the simple past tense are in the simple past or infinitive form.
Example:
Who brought the yellow box to the counter? (simple past)
If the question contains 'did', the subsequent verb would be in the infinitive form.
Example:
When did you arrive? (infinitive form)
Vincent Van Gogh is a much-celebrated artist today. He was unknown in his time. He was poor and lived in a cramped room. All he
possessed was his easel, paint, brushes, a little money, and talent. He used different kinds of lines in his artwork and painted landscapes,
still life, and portraits. He always signed his paintings. However, he hardly sold any of his works. Vincent lived a sad life. He slowly became
insane. He even cut off his ear. Finally, he shot himself in the chest when he was 37 years old. Today, his works, 'Sunflowers' and 'Starry, starry
night' are known as masterpieces. They cost a fortune and often become the focus of attention at exhibitions and auctions.
The past continuous tense refers to a continuing action or state that was happening at some point in the past.
It is used to:
(a) Show an action that was in progress at a specific time in the past.
(b) Two or more actions in progress at the same time in the past.
It is used to:
(a) Show what had been done by a certain time in the past.
Examples:
(a) She had mastered cooking within three months.
(b) We had reached the summit before you began your trek.
It is used to:
(a) Show actions that started in the past and were still in progress when another happened.
(b) Show actions that were in progress in the past and had an effect on a later action.
Examples:
(a) We had been waiting for you since seven this morning.
(b) We had been walking round in circles just before the villagers found us.