What was/were … doing at that time?

The Past
Continuous
Tense
 What is the function of the
past continuous?
 Describe a continuous action that happened
in the past. I was reading a book

 Describe a continuous action that was

interrupted by another action.
I was washing my hair when the phone rang.
 Describe two continuous and simultaneous
actions in the past.

While I was calling my friend, my brother was talking to my mother.

 Sam hurt himself yesterday.
But when exactly?

when jumping over

the vaulting horse

Sam hurt himself when he was jumping over the vaulting horse.

shorter action longer action

 Sometimes we use the past continuous tense
to talk about two or more actions
which were taking place at the same time
in the past.

Example

I was playing TV games while mother was cooking.

We were studying while the baby was crying.

 Punctuation
with When and While

When and while at the front of a sentence, use a

comma:
When you called, I was watching TV.
While he was washing the clothes, I was doing the
dishes.

 When and while in the middle of a sentence, no

comma
I was watching TV when you called.
I was doing the dishes while he was washing the
clothes.
 Final Tips …
 Use while for two actions in progress at the
same time in the past:

She was talking while he was driving.

 Use when when telling about sequence of

events (one action that was in progress that
was interrupted by another event in the past):

I was just leaving when you called.

(first action in progress) (interrupting event)
 Past Continuous
 Past actions that were in progress at a particular time in the past; actions
that were not yet finished at a past time

Pablo’s Schedule
8 – 9: had breakfast
9 – 10: finished his
homework
10 – 11: read the
newspaper
11 – 12: ate lunch
12 – 2: watched soccer
match on TV
2 – 5: took a nap
 It’s 3:00pm last Sunday. What were they doing?

Example

randfather was reading the newspaper while grandmother was

Cindy was listening to the Hi-fi knitting.
while Nicky was drawing a
Father was sleepingwhile motherpicture.
was drinking some
water.
1. While Amy was reading
was sleeping on
yesterday, Suzy____________
the sofa.
rang
2. The telephone ___________
was sleeping on the
when Suzy _____________
sofa.
While Eddie was sleeping yesterday,
was playing
3. Daniel ____________the computer
game.
was standing
4. Kitty ___________ beside Daniel.

was looking at some photos

5. Peter ___________
gave him a pencil.
when Millie _______
A little practice
1. I (make) ____________________ a deposit at my bank when a man in a
mask (pull) ____________________ out a gun and started to rob the bank.
2. I (drive) ____________________ to work when I (see)
____________________ my neighbor’s door open and someone in the
house.
3. They (walk)______ on the sidewalk when a car (hit) ________________
the person closest to the road.
4. She (talk) ____________________ to a friend at the mall when a man
(come) ____________________ up behind her and (grab)
____________________ her purse.
5. I (watch) ____________________ TV when I (hear) shouting and
gunshots next door.
6. I (work) ____________________ in the garden and my son (find)
____________________ some matches and (start)
____________________ a fire in the living room.