Past Continuous

FORM

Positive: Subject + was/were + verb-ing (-ing form of verb)
Negative: Subject + was/were + not + verb-ing
Question: Was/Were + subject + verb-ing?


USAGE

Past continuous is used to show/talk about:

A) an action happening around a specific time in the past; for examples,

 •  This time last year I was staying at the beach.
 •  I was watching TV at the time you called me last night.
 •  It was raining at 8:30 am yesterday.

B) an interrupted action, i.e. an action was happening, and another past action interrupted; for examples,

 •  When she was cooking, her baby woke up and cried.
 •  I bumped into him while I was walking across the road.
 •  While I was doing homework, the phone rang.

C) a parallel of past actions, i.e. two or more actions happening at the same time in the past; for examples,

 •  While the teacher was explaining, some students were chatting.
 •  They were playing in the garden while I was working in my study.
 •  She was singing while the guests were eating.

D) a complaint or annoyance about someone’s past habit or a past situation, i.e. it is used with 'always' or  'constantly'; for examples,

 •  My dog was always barking while I was sleeping.
 •  My boss was always asking me to do extra work that was his own business.
 •  David was constantly chatting in working hour.