Past Continuous - long past tense.

The past continuous is a past tense used to indicate an activity that has taken place. It is formed by the form of the service verb be+ present participle. Past-prolonged denials - was not / wasn't, were not / weren't before communion.

The past continuous says that someone was in the process of doing something at a particular time. This action/situation had already begun by that moment, but had not yet ended.

It was raining all night – Allnightlilo

was/were + -ing

was sb doing sth	sb was doing sth	sb wasn't doing sth

Past-continuous writing

To attach an ending –ing

• verbs with consonant + — e discard the last vowel (except being)

starve – starving

carve - carving

• verbs with a stressed vowel + consonant double the last consonant

rub –rubbing

stop –stopping

• verbs in — ie change it to – y-

lie –lying

die -dying

• vowel verbs + — l double the last consonant (in British English)

travel – travelling

cancel - cancelling

Past-long meanings

• past actions (with temporary indication)

At 7 o’clock yesterday evening they were having dinner – YesterdayV7 pmTheyhad dinner

In May of last year she was studying hard for her final exams – BpastMayshestubbornlywas preparingTograduationexams

At 6 o’clock this morning I was walking along the beach – B6 a.mIwalkedBybeach

What were you doing at 10 o’clock last night? - WhatYoudidV10 pm?

• temporary situations (around another past interruption)

He was walking down the street when he ran into an old friend – HewalkedBystreet, Whencame acrossonhislong agofriend

They were watching a film when we arrived – WhenWecame, Theywatchedmovie

She was studying law when the war started – Onmomentstartedwarsshestudiedjurisprudence

I waved to her but she wasn’t looking – Iwavedto her, ButsheevenNotwatched

Ithoughtyouwerenevercoming - I thought you wouldn’t come

• simultaneous processes

Shewastalkingonhermobilephonewhileshewasdrivingtowork – She was talking on her cell phone while she was driving to work

While I was driving along this morning, I was thinking about what you’d said – ByeIwasin the morningbehinddriving, Ithoughtaboveyourswords

He was cooking the dinner while she was talking to him – ByesheWiththemtalked, Hecookeddinner

• scenic plots (introductions/backgrounds of stories)

One beautiful autumn afternoon, Ben was strolling down a quiet country lane. The birds were singing and the leaves were rustling in the breeze – Alonewonderfulautumnduring the dayBenwalked

along a quiet lane. The birds sang and the leaves rustled in the breeze

The wind was blowing and the rain was beating down. John Snell was standing at the bus stop shivering. He was trying to imagine being at home sitting by a warm fire – Dulwind, Andpoundedrain. John Snell stood trembling at the bus stop. He tried to imagine how he was sitting at home by a warm fire.

Temporary instruction

while, when, as

I was walking home when I met Dave – Ialreadywalkedhome, WhenmetDave

Ann was watching TV when the phone rank – AnnwatchedTV, Whenrangtelephone

Tom burnt his hand when he was cooking the dinner – Tomburnedhand, cookingdinner

• adverbial phrases

all morning/evening/day/yesterday/night/week

I was watching TV all evening – IwatchedTVallevening

Were you working all weekend? - YouworkedAllweekend?

This time last yearI was living in Brazil – RivneyearbackIlivedVBrazil

English Joke

The little girl in the zoological park tossed bits of a bun to the stork, which gobbled them greedily, and bobbed its head towards her for more.

“What kind of a bird is it, mamma?” the child asked.

The mother read the placard, and answered that it was a stork.

"O-o-o-h!" the little girl cried, as her eyes rounded. “Of course, it recognized me!”

Surely you are already familiar with the Present Continuous tense, which helps us describe a long-term action (process) occurring at the moment. But what if you need to talk about a process that lasted in the past?

In Russian, various prefixes come to our aid, helping to distinguish verbs that answer the questions “what did you do?” and “what did you do?” In English, in such cases, a tense called Past Continuous Tense comes to our aid.

What is Past Continuous

Past Continuous(also called Past Progressive) is the past continuous tense. In other words, it is a time that indicates a process that lasted at a certain moment or period in the past.

For understanding: For example, if yesterday you ran into the store for five minutes to buy the essentials, then you would simply say: “I went to the store.” If you are involved in a long and tedious shopping process in order to find a gift for your beloved granny, then the wording “I walked around the shopping center for 4 hours, during which time spring gave way to summer, a year next year, I have grown old” will come to your aid , the children grew up, and humanity conquered Mars, but I still haven’t found anything, perhaps I’ll make a postcard with my own hands.”

This example clearly demonstrates the difference between Past Simple and Past Continuous.

How is the Past Continuous formed?

The formation scheme for Past Continuous is simple, logical and similar to the formation of Present Continuous. This subject+ auxiliary verb was/were + semantic verb with the ending "- ing" For clarity, let's take a closer look at how statements, denials and questions are formed in this tense.

Spoiler: the formation of negatives and questions is no different in structure from other English tenses.

Don't forget that in colloquial speech negatives are usually shortened, so was not and were not take the forms weren't and weren't respectively.

Past Continuous marker words

The following marker words will help you determine that the Past Continuous should be used in a given sentence:

• at 7 a.m.- at 7 am (instead of 7 a.m. you can substitute any other time, what is important is the indication of a specific period of time);
• all day/night(long) - all day/all night (all day long);
• all the time- all the time;
• at that moment- at that moment;
• while- while;
• when- When.

Past Continuous marker words

Marker	Example	Translation
at 5 o'clock	Yesterday at 5 o’clock I was having a date with my boss’ wife.	Yesterday at 5 o'clock I was on a date with my boss's wife.
all night long	I was partying all night long, dudes. It was savage!	I partied the night away, dudes. It was amazing!
all the time	Rick was crafting something in his lab all the time, but nobody knew what it was.	Rick was making something in his laboratory all the time, but no one knew what it was.
at that moment	I was teaching my pigeon to fly at that moment the day before yesterday.	I taught my pigeon to fly at the same time the day before yesterday.
while	Clyde was drinking whiskey at the bar, while Bonnie was stealing a car.	Clyde was drinking whiskey at the bar while Bonnie was stealing a car.
when	I was trying to sell my little brother in the Internet when my parents came back.	I tried to sell my little brother online when my parents returned.

Cases of using the Past Continuous

So, actually, what was all this started for: in what cases exactly do we use the Past Continuous?

• The simplest and most common is to describe actions, which lasted at a certain period or a specific point in time in the past.

Last night at 6 p.m.,I was eating dinner. - Yesterday at 6 pm I had dinner.
At midnight,we were still driving through the desert. - At midnight we were still driving through the desert.
Yesterday at this time,I was sitting at my desk at work. - Yesterday, at this same time, I was sitting at my desk.
She was walking her dog in the afternoon. - She was walking the dog during the day.

It is important to remember that if a period is indicated, it must be complete. Those. if we say that she walked the dog during the day, then this means that the day has already ended.

• One of the most typical cases of use is interrupted action in the past. This is where the union comes to our aid." when».

I was watching TV when she called. - I was watching TV when she called.
When the phone rank,she was writing a letter. - When the phone rang, she was writing a letter.
While we were having the picnic, it started to rain. - While we were on a picnic, it started to rain.
What were you doing when the earthquake started? - What were you doing when the earthquake started?
I was listening to my iPod, so I didn't hear the fire alarm. - I was listening to my iPod, so I didn't hear the fire alarm.
You were not listening to me when I told you to turn the oven off. - You didn't listen to me when I asked you to turn off the oven.
Sammy was waiting for us when we got off the plane. - Sammy was waiting for us when we got off the plane.
A: What were you doing when you broke your leg? - What were you doing when you broke your leg?
B: I was snowboarding. - I went snowboarding.

• Another typical case is long-term actions, which happened simultaneously in the past. In this case, the union helps us " while" and sometimes just " and».

I was studying while he was making dinner. - I studied while he was preparing dinner.
While Ellen was reading Tim was watching television - While Helen was reading, Tim was watching TV.
Were you listening while was he talking? - Did you listen while he spoke?
I wasn't paying attention while I was writing the letter, so I made several mistakes. - I wrote the letter inattentively, so I made several mistakes.
What were you doing while you were waiting? - What did you do while you were waiting?
Thomas wasn't working, and I wasn't working either. - Thomas didn’t work, and I didn’t work either.
They were eating dinner, discussing their plans and having a good time. - They had dinner, discussed plans and just had a good time.

• A slightly rarer and more specific case is the use of the Past Continuous to describe the atmosphere and settings in stories and stories.

When I walked into the office, several people were busy typing, some were talking on the phones, the boss was giving orders, and customers were waiting to be served. One customer was yelling at a secretary and waving his hands. Others were complaining to each other about the bad service. - When I entered the office, several people were busily typing something, someone was talking on the phone, the boss was giving instructions, and customers were waiting to be served. One client shouted at the secretary and waved his arms. Others complained to each other about the poor service.

• And finally - a case for the advanced: we use the Past Continuous to describe repetitive actions or habits, that have annoyed us in the past. Similar to using " used to", but with a negative connotation. Here the words “ always" And " constantly».

She was always coming to class late. - She was always late for classes.
He was constantly talking. It annoyed everyone. - He chatted constantly. This irritated everyone.
I didn't like them because they were always complaining. - I didn’t like them because they constantly complained.

Nota Bene: do not forget that the so-called " state verbs"(state verbs) we are in the times of the Continuous group we don't use.

Education Past Continuous Passive

Like most other tenses, the Past Continuous can be used in passive pledge .

Statement: subject + was/were + being + V3

The customer was being helped by the salesman when the thief came into the store. - The seller was helping the buyer when the thief entered the store.

Negation: subject + was/were + not + being + V3

The TV was not being watched when electricity went off. - No one was watching TV when the electricity was turned off.

Question: was/were + subject + being + V3?

Was he being listened by anyone when Linda arrived? - Was anyone listening to him at all when Linda arrived?

Differences from Past Simple

We hope that having read up to this point, you have already understood how Past Continuous differs from Past Simple, but just in case, let’s clarify.

Past Simple is a short, completed action in the past, while Past Continuous is a process, a long-term action that occurred over some time in the past.

That's basically all you need to know to distinguish between these times. Easy peasy.

He came home at 7 p.m. - He back home at 7 pm.
He was coming home at 7 p.m. - He was returning home at 7 pm.
She said said when I saw her.
She was saying something when I saw her. - She's doing something spoke when I saw her.

Working with the Past Continuous is simple and pleasant (compared to the Present Perfect, for example), and in order to thoroughly understand it and master everything down to the smallest detail, we recommend you exercises on our online simulator.

Conclusion

So, today we have carefully and in detail analyzed the Past Continuous Tense. We hope you found this article helpful and you will handle this time as smartly as any native and be able to tell everyone long stories about your fun time this past weekend.

We invite you to familiarize yourself with other tenses of the English language

The Past Progressive Tense, its second name The Past Continuous, denotes long-term or unfinished actions in the past. We can use this tense to describe what was happening at a certain point in time in the past.
In Russian we pronounce [past continuus/progressive] - English transcription. In this article, we will introduce and study when the Past Continuous is used, as well as rules and examples of the Past Continuous.

Read the introductory text and try to retell it. Pay attention to the highlighted words.

When I arrived at the station, my boyfriend Luke was waiting for me. He was wearing a nice black suit, and he was holding red roses in his left hand. When I got off the train, he ran up to me and kissed me passionately. It was raining and thundering. I told Luke to go to a café so that we could talk, but he insisted on going to another place. While he was driving,I was listening to the radio. The weather was awful but at the same time beautiful. Luke was smiling, but he looked worried. We stopped on the top of a hill with fantastic views. He came up to me; he kneeled in front of me and took a ring out of his pocket. “Jessica, will you…” he said. “Listen, Luke I want to split up with you,” I interrupted him.

Rules of Education in Past Continuous Tense

Now we will look at how the Past Continuous is formed in English.

The past continuous tense is formed with the help of an auxiliary verb and a present participle -ing form of a semantic verb.

Past Continuous formation formula:

— For pronouns I/he/she/it was + ing form
— For pronouns you/we/they were + ing form

Example:

— My boyfriend Luke was waiting for me – My boyfriend Luke was waiting for me.
— We were listening to the radio - We listened to the radio.

Cases of using the Past Continuous

Past Continuous is a very common tense in English, you should understand it and know it well. Below are rules and example sentences in the Past Continuous that will help you quickly understand the difficulties of using the Past Continuous.

1. Past Progressive is usually used

When we talk about actions or states that lasted at a certain point in the past. This tense emphasizes that the action continued during a certain period in the past:

Example:

—Peter was reading a book at 5 pm yesterday Peter was reading a book yesterday at 5 pm. (Specific action – 5 o’clock yesterday).
— I was sleeping at 3 o’clock yesterday afternoon – I was sleeping at 3 o’clock yesterday afternoon.
— We were still discussing the plan at midnight“At midnight we were still discussing the plan.

2. The Past Continuous is often used together with

That is, one action interrupts another. Past Continuous is a long action, Past Simple is a short action.

Example:

— While I was washed the dishes bell rank– When I was washing the dishes, the bell rang. (Long action - washed the dishes; short action - the bell rang).
— I was cycling to work when I fell off the bike – I was riding my bike to work and fell off the bike. (The previous action in progress was interrupted by another action.)
— As I was washed the dog my husband called me – While I was washing the dog, my husband called me. (Washing is a long-term action, my husband called me and interrupted this action).

3. Two or more simultaneous actions in the past (two actions that happened at the same time)

Example:

—Paul was reading out the data while Sarah was writing it down – Paul read the data out loud and Sarah wrote it down.
— While Alan was smoking in his room, his friends were swimming in the pool - While Alan was smoking in his room, his friends were swimming in the pool.
—Alex was making lunch; Mary was laying the table – Alex was preparing dinner, Mary was setting the table.

4. Descriptions of events in history

We often use the Past Progressive at the beginning of a story to describe a situation.

Example:

— I was walking, the birds were singing and the kids were crying“I was walking, the birds were singing, and the children were crying.
—It was raining the wind was blowing. I was sitting next to the fireplace. Jim was playing the guitar, and the kids were dancing- It was raining. The wind was blowing. I was sitting by the fireplace. Jim played the guitar and the children danced.
—It was getting dark, and I was walking fast to the bar. Abruptly... - It was getting dark, and I quickly went to the bar. Suddenly…

5. From the lesson, we know that the adverbs constantly, always, forever are used to express irritation

In the same way, we can use the Past Continuous, only to express past repeated actions. Let's look at sentences in the past progressive with these adverbs.

Example:

— Luis was forever smoking in my room! “Louis was always smoking in my room!”
- No was constantly sleeping on duty! – He constantly slept on duty!
— She was always losing her wallet – She always lost her wallet.

6. With verbs that show change or growth

Example:

— New buildings were going up everywhere – New buildings were erected everywhere.
—My dog was growing up quickly – My dog ​​grew up quickly.
—His Chinese was improving– His Chinese was improving.

7. Past continuous tense is also used in conditional sentences

But this time is rare. Most often we see in stories or hear in dialogues.

Example:

— If Sam was playing, they would probably win – If Sam had played, they probably would have won.
— If she was trying to find a job, she could make a fortune - If she tried to find a job, she could make a fortune.

Although the Past Continuous tense is used here, Type 2 conditional sentences refer to the future or present tense.

8. Past forms are used when we talk about the present in several polite expressions

Example:

— Excuse me, I was wondering if this was the bus for Manchester – Sorry, I would like to know if this bus was to Manchester?

9. When is the past continuous used in indirect speech?

Simple, and most importantly understandable examples will easily answer this question.

Example:

— “I'm not looking forward to going back to university,” Clara said – Clara said: “I’m not going back to university.” (Direct speech).
— Clara said she was not looking forward to going back to university – Clara said that she is not going to return to university. (Indirect speech).

As can be seen from the first example, in direct speech the verb is in , and in indirect speech, we already see that the retold words are in the Past Continuous.
Based on the above, we can conclude that if a verb is in direct speech in the present continuous, then in indirect speech it will already be in the past cont.

We described in the article how all tenses change in indirect speech Direct and indirect speech.

Words - markers (time indicators) Past Continuous Tense

Auxiliary words will help you determine which tense is used in a sentence.

Each time has its own clue words. Of course, it happens that the same keyword is used with other tenses, so you need to remember not only the signal words, but also the rules of use for each of them.

While, at midday, at lunchtime, all morning, all day, when, at 5 o’clock, from 5 till 6 yesterday, the whole evening, as, during, this afternoon, at this time yesterday etc.

Examples of sentences in the past continuous with the words satellites:

— Mila was digging in the garden when she hurt her foot – Mila was digging in the garden and injured her foot.
— While I was painting the fence, Din was resting on the couch - While I was painting the fence, Dean was resting on the couch.
— I was baking cakes all day– I’ve been baking cakes all day.
— My half-brother was skiing from 10 till 7 yesterday– My stepbrother went skiing from 4 to 7 yesterday.
— Oliver was wrapping the gift at this time yesterday Oliver was packing a gift at this time yesterday.

Forms of sentences in the Past Continuous

It is always important to know how to construct sentences in English, since there is a strict sequence of words. If we violate the rules of sentence construction, then native speakers may not understand us. Therefore, we invite you to consider all three forms of the past continuous in the form of tables, which present rules and examples.

Affirmative sentences Past Continuous

The affirmative form of sentences is constructed according to the formula:

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In this article we will look at the past continuous tense in English. We call all past tenses in English Past Tenses, the difference of which lies only in their duration or quality: whether it will be a simple past - Past Simple, a long past - Past Continuous or a past perfect - Past Perfect. In this article we will stop and look at Past Continuous Tense.

Past Continuous is a tense used to describe a continuous action in the past. Basically it is a process that lasted at a certain point or period in the past. The moment of action must be clearly defined or understandable in the context of the sentence.

Formation of affirmative sentences in the Past Continuous Tense

When I came to London, it was raining.

It was raining when I arrived in London.

Martin was studying history from three till eight o’clock.

From three to eight o'clock Martin studied history.

Lisa was cooking the pancakes, when I entered the kitchen.

Lisa was preparing pancakes when I entered the kitchen.

Examples of negative sentences in the past continuous tense

He wasn't sleeping all the night.

He didn't sleep all night.

They weren't having a class at this time yesterday Yesterday we didn't have a lesson at this time.

Last year she wasn't eating fat food as she was on diet. Last year she didn't eat fatty food because she was on a diet.