Past Continuous Tense - English Grammar

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The Past Continuous indicates that a longer action in the past was interrupted. The interruption is usually a shorter action in the Simple Past. Often, Past Continuous structures occur alongside Simple Past Structures, when longer actions (expressed by the Past Continuous) were interrupted by shorter actions (expressed by the Simple Past). Also, this English tense is used to describe what someone was doing at a specific point of time in the past.

Form

S + was/were + verb + ing

As explained in the English grammar video, the Past Continuous tense shows an action that happens in the past during a period of time. The action takes place continuously in the past.

• I was talking on the phone when somebody came to the door.
• You were talking
• He/She/It was talking
• We were talking
• You were talking
• They were talking

Often, the word while is used in sentences with the Past Continuous tense:

• I burned myself while I was making dinner.
• He lost his money while he was riding on the bus.
• She met him while she was working at the Mall of America.

further exercises:

• Past Perfect Tense 
• Simple Past Tense 
• Present Simple vs. Past Simple