Specific Time as an Interruption

Interrupted Action in the Past

Parallel Actions
Past tense continuous describes
an action or event in a time
before now, which began in the
past and was still going on at
the time of speaking
 Form of Past Continuous Tense
Affirmative form

“BE” main verb (ing)

Subject  complement.
past

I was listening to music.

You, We, They were playing tennis.

He, She, It was cooking dinner.

Negative form

main verb
Subject “BE” NOT (ing)  complement.

was not
I listening to music.
wasn't
were not
You, We, They dancing happily.
weren't
was not
He, She, It reading The books.
wasn't
 Form of Past Continuous Tense:
interrogative form:Yes-No Question

“BE” Subject main verb (+ing)  complement ?

was I Doing the homework Yesterday at four?

Were you, we, they watching TV. last night ?

Was he, she, it Writing a letter Yesterday at 6?

 Form of Past Continuous Tense:
Wh-Question

Question main verb

“BE” Subject complement ?
word (ing)

Who was I talking to when the phone rang?

Señores papis last

Where were you, we, they watching
night?

what was he, she, it doing at 11 o’clock last night?

 Use of Past Continuous Tense
1. We use the past continuous to say that an action was in progress
at a specific time in the past. The action had already started at this
time, but had not finished.

At 5pm yesterday, it was raining.

Examples:
Last night at 7 PM, I was eating dinner.
At noon, we were having an argument.
Yesterday at this time, she was sitting at her desk at work.
2. We use the past continuous together with the past simple.

The past continuous refers to a "longer“ action that was in

progress to indicate that a longer action in the past was
interrupted; The past simple refers to a “shorter” action that
interrupted the longer action or happened in the middle of it.

His daughter was sleeping

when he called her at 8pm.
 ‘when’ + short action (past simple tense)
‘while’ + long action (past continuous tense)

I was watching TV when Jim knocked the door.

  I was watching TV when Jim knocked the door.

When Jim knocked the door , I was watching TV

  Jim knocked the door while I was watching TV

While I was watching TV , Jim knocked the door

 While is normally followed by the past continuous

When is normally followed by the past simple

EX:

I was having a shower when the phone rang

While I was driving to work, I had an accident

What were you doing when I called you last night?

 The actions happening at the same time

Last night, while my father was watching TV,

my sister was listening to the radio and I was doing
my homework in my bedroom.
https://es.liveworksheets.com/worksheets/en/English_as_a_Second_Language_(ESL)/
Past_simple_and_past_continuous/Past_Simple_and_Continuous_-_When_-_While_v
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https://es.liveworksheets.com/worksheets/en/
English_as_a_Second_Language_(ESL)/Past_simple_and_past_continuous/
Simple_past_-_past_continuous_ex1340933be

https://es.liveworksheets.com/worksheets/en/
English_as_a_Second_Language_(ESL)/Past_simple_and_past_continuous/
Past_Simple_or_Past_Continuous_ca2640dp

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English_as_a_Second_Language_(ESL)/Past_continuous/Past_continuous_du7862cq