Past

progressive
(continuous)
P O R : A D R I A N A M A R I A G A L A R Z A PA R G A
M8D1
LIC. EN DERECHO
JOSÉ ABRAHAM ZUÑIGA ARGUIJO
What is past continuous?

The past continuous is a verb tense that we

use to express actions that began to occur in
the past and have not yet finished occurring
when the speaker is narrating the events.

It is common to use this verb tense to tell

stories that took place in the past.
 Examples

• We were having a wonderful day at the

beach (We were having a wonderful day at
the beach)
• They were participating in a beauty
pageant (They were participating in a
beauty pageant).
When is past continuous
used?
 Expressing a change

The past continuous is useful to indicate a change

of opinion or a change in circumstances.

Examples:

I was having dinner with my parents, but they

canceled the reservation.
It was raining this morning, but now the sun has
come out.
Talking about interrupted actions

We also use the past progressive to indicate actions

that were interrupted and left unfinished.

Examples:

She was getting ready when they called

My friend was dancing when she fell.
Asking for a favor in a formal manner

A special use of the past continuous is to ask for

favors in a formal and respectful manner.

Examples:

I was wondering if you could come over.

We were wondering if we could have the party at
your place.
Structure of the past
continuous
Sentences in past continuous are constructed by
using the appropriate form of the verb to be in the
past (was/were), followed by the verb indicating
the action in the gerund (+ing).
 Past continuous in the affirmative

For the affirmative form, sentences are constructed by adding the

appropriate form of the auxiliary verb to be in the past (was/were)
accompanied by the main verb in the gerund. The structure of a
sentence in the past continuous is as follows:

Subject + to be (was/were) + verb in gerund + complement.

Examples:

I was dancing all night long

He was having dinner with his boss.
 Past progressive in negative

To construct sentences in negative past continuous mode, the negation is

made on the auxiliary verb to be (was not/were not, or in abbreviated
form wasn't/weren't). The structure is detailed below:

Subject + not to be (wasn't/were not) + verb in gerund + complement.

Examples:

We weren't playing with your ball.

The student wasn't paying attention.
 Past progressive in interrogative

To form interrogative sentences in past continuous we change the order of

the sentence, putting before the subject the auxiliary verb to be.

This is true for both affirmative and negative interrogative sentences.

The structure is as follows:

(was/were / (wasn't/weren't) + subject + verb in gerund + complement + ?

Examples:

Was Anna playing at the park earlier?

Weren't you listening to the teacher?
Sentences in the past continuous

• We were playing baseball with our neighbors.

• I was trying to reach my goals quickly

• Martha wasn't talking to her husband.

• Kevin wasn't listening to my advice.

• Were the kids napping in the dorm?

• Were colleges already accepting applications?
Ejercicio del past continuous en afirmativo

Utiliza el pasado continuo para completar los siguientes enunciados:

We__________ (dance) together last night.The sun ___________ (shine)

very bright that morning.Maria __________ (climb) the stairs when she
slipped.I ___________ (wonder) if you could look after my dog tonight.
The reporter ____________ (ask) questions about the company.

Respuestas:

were dancing. was shining. was climbing. was wondering. was asking.
Ejercicio del pasado continuo en negativo

Utiliza el verbo indicado para construir oraciones negativas usando pasado

progresivo:

The burglar __________ (follow) her when she got off the bus.I __________
(dream) about you last night.The teachers ___________ (talk) about you at
the meeting.You __________ (listen) to the indications.
Pablo __________ (paint) the house like he told me.

Respuestas:

wasn’t following. wasn’t dreaming. weren’t talking.

weren’t listening. wasn’t painting.
Ejercicio del pasado progresivo en interrogativo

Con los fragmentos que se indican a continuación, construye oraciones

interrogativas usando past progressive:

You/sing/in the shower

Lola/not waiting/at the bus stop
My cats/chase/the poor bird
The nurses/not working/the night shift
Malia and Paul/get married/yesterday

Respuestas:

Were you singing in the shower?

Wasn’t Lola waiting at the bus stop?
Were my cats chasing the poor bird?
Weren’t the nurses working the night shift?
Were Malia and Paul getting married yesterday?
 Link
https://www.abaenglish.com/es/
gramatica-ingles/tiempos-verbales-
ingles/past-continuous/
Thank you