Past Continuous Tense

What is the past continuous tense?

The past continuous tense shows a continuous action that began in the past. It is the past
tense version of the present continuous, which also describes ongoing actions. The present
and past continuous are very similar, but the past continuous uses was and were, the past
tense of to be.
The structure is as follows:
 Affirmative:
 I/he/she/it was + present participle (base form + -ing)
 We/you/they were + present participle
Examples:
 I was studying when the phone rang.
 They were playing soccer at the park yesterday.
 Negative:
 I/he/she/it was not (wasn't) + present participle
 We/you/they were not (weren't) + present participle
Examples:
 She wasn't watching TV when I called her.
 We weren't working on the project last night.
 Interrogative:
 Was I/he/she/it + present participle?
 Were we/you/they + present participle?
Examples:
 Were you sleeping when I knocked on the door?
 Was she cooking dinner when you arrived?
The past continuous tense is often used to set the scene or provide background information
in a narrative. It emphasizes the duration of an action or event in the past, especially when
another action interrupts it. It's also used to describe two ongoing actions happening
simultaneously in the past.
Examples:
 While I was studying, my friends were playing outside.
 They were having dinner when the phone rang.
 It was raining heavily when we were driving home.
In summary, the past continuous tense is employed when you want to express actions that
were happening over a period of time in the past or actions that were interrupted by another
event.

Fill in the blanks with the past continuous tense: was/were + present participle (base
form + -ing).
1. I ________________ (read) a book when the power went out.
2. While Sarah ________________ (cook) dinner, the phone rang.
3. They ________________ (play) video games all evening.
4. We ________________ (watch) TV when the earthquake happened.
5. What ________________ you ________________ (do) when I called you?
6. The kids ________________ (swim) in the pool when it started raining.
7. While he ________________ (work) on his computer, the cat knocked over his
coffee.
8. I ________________ (wait) for the bus when it suddenly arrived.
9. While they ________________ (have) a meeting, someone knocked on the door.
10. She ________________ (walk) in the park when she saw a beautiful sunset.
 11. The teacher ________________ (explain) a new concept when the fire alarm went
off.
12. We ________________ (travel) to Paris last summer.
13. While you ________________ (take) a shower, I prepared breakfast.
14. They ________________ (dance) at the party until midnight.
15. What ________________ you ________________ (read) when I entered the room?
16. While the students ________________ (study), the storm started outside.
17. He ________________ (fix) his car when it suddenly broke down.
18. The baby ________________ (sleep) when the phone rang.
19. While they ________________ (hike) in the mountains, they saw a wild bear.
20. I ________________ (listen) to music while I ________________ (clean) the house.

Fill in the blanks with the past continuous tense and the interrupting action in
parentheses.
1. While she ________________ (read) a book, the phone ________________ (ring).
2. They ________________ (cook) dinner when the smoke alarm ________________
(go off).
3. I ________________ (watch) TV when the electricity ________________ (suddenly
go out).
4. The kids ________________ (play) outside when it ________________ (start)
raining.
5. While he ________________ (fix) the car, it ________________ (begin) to snow.
6. We ________________ (have) a picnic when a squirrel ________________ (steal)
our sandwiches.
7. While I ________________ (work) on my computer, the cat ________________
(jump) on the keyboard.
8. They ________________ (dance) at the party when the music ________________
(stop).
9. She ________________ (talk) on the phone when someone ________________
(knock) on the door.
10. I ________________ (take) a nap when the alarm clock ________________ (ring).