Past Continuous

The Past Continuous Tense is used to talk about actions that were happening at a specific time in the past. It’s often used to describe what was going on when something else happened.

Past Continuous - Exercises and Quiz

These exercises focus on using Past Continuous for actions happening in the past.

When Do We Use the Past Continuous?

For actions that were happening at a specific time in the past:

Example: At 8 PM last night, I was watching TV.

For actions that were interrupted by another action:

Example: I was reading a book when the phone rang.

For two or more actions happening at the same time in the past:

Example: While she was cooking, they were playing outside.

How to Form the Past Continuous

The Past Continuous is formed with:

The past tense of to be (was/were) +
The base verb + -ing.

Subject	Past Form of "To Be"	Base Verb + -ing	Example Sentence
I / He / She / It	was	watching	I was watching TV.
You / We / They	were	playing	They were playing soccer.

Spelling Rules for Verbs Ending in -ing

For most verbs, just add -ing:

read → reading

For verbs ending in -e, drop the -e and add -ing:

make → making

For short verbs with a consonant + vowel + consonant, double the last consonant and add -ing:

run → running

Negative Sentences in the Past Continuous

To make a negative sentence, add not after was or were.

Subject	Positive Sentence	Negative Sentence
I	I was playing soccer.	I was not playing soccer.
She	She was reading a book.	She wasn’t reading a book.
We	We were cooking dinner.	We weren’t cooking dinner.

Short Forms (Contractions):

Was not = wasn’t
Were not = weren’t

Examples:

He wasn’t working yesterday.
They weren’t studying for the test.

Questions in the Past Continuous

To ask a question in the past continuous, switch was/were and the subject.

Positive Sentence	Question Form
I was sleeping at 10 PM.	Was I sleeping at 10 PM?
They were playing soccer.	Were they playing soccer?
She was studying English.	Was she studying English?

Short Answers:

Yes, I was / No, I wasn’t.
Yes, they were / No, they weren’t.

When to Use the Past Continuous: Examples

Action happening at a specific time in the past:

At 6 PM, I was watching TV.

Action interrupted by another action:

I was reading when the phone rang.

Two actions happening at the same time:

She was cooking while I was studying.

Time Expressions Used with the Past Continuous

We often use the Past Continuous with these time expressions:

At [specific time]: At 7 PM, I was eating dinner.
While: While he was working, she was sleeping.
When: I was driving when it started to rain.

Common Errors and How to Fix Them

Forgetting "was/were":

Incorrect: I playing soccer.
Correct: I was playing soccer.

Using the wrong form of "to be":

Incorrect: They was eating.
Correct: They were eating.

Forgetting to add -ing to the main verb:

Incorrect: She was cook dinner.
Correct: She was cooking dinner.

Everyday Use of the Past Continuous

I was studying at 8 PM last night.
They were playing in the park when it started raining.
We were watching a movie when the lights went out.

Have a look at this lesson to understand the difference between Past Simple vs Past Continuous.

Practice Sentences

Present Continuous	Past Continuous
I am playing soccer.	I was playing soccer.
She is reading a book.	She was reading a book.
We are cooking dinner.	We were cooking dinner.
They are watching TV.	They were watching TV.

FAQ

When do I use the Past Continuous?

Use the Past Continuous to talk about actions that were happening at a specific time in the past or actions that were interrupted by something else. For example: "I was sleeping when the phone rang."

How do I form the Past Continuous?

Use was/were + the verb + -ing. Example: "She was talking."

How do I make a negative sentence?

Add not after was/were. Example: "He was not playing." (short form: "He wasn’t playing.")

How do I ask a question in the Past Continuous?

Switch the subject and was/were. Example: "Were you playing soccer?"

Can I use the Past Continuous with "when" or "while"?

Yes! Use while to talk about two actions happening at the same time (e.g., "I was cooking while she was reading"). Use when to talk about an interruption (e.g., "I was sleeping when the alarm rang").