Past Continuous (Past Progressive)
Go to Practice ExercisesThe Past Continuous tense describes actions or situations that were in progress at a particular moment in the past. It emphasises the ongoing nature of the action rather than its completion.
We form the Past Continuous with was/were + the -ing form of the verb. Use 'was' with I, he, she, and it, and 'were' with you, we, and they.
Formation
Positive Form
Form the Past Continuous with was/were + verb-ing.
| Full Form | Short Form |
|---|---|
| I was reading | I was reading |
| You were walking | You were walking |
| He was cooking | He was cooking |
| She was talking | She was talking |
| It was raining | It was raining |
| We were playing football | We were playing football |
| They were studying | They were studying |
Negative Form
Add 'not' after was/were to form negatives. Contractions are commonly used.
| Full Form | Short Form |
|---|---|
| I was not reading | I wasn't reading |
| You were not walking | You weren't walking |
| He was not cooking | He wasn't cooking |
| She was not talking | She wasn't talking |
| It was not raining | It wasn't raining |
| We were not playing football | We weren't playing football |
| They were not studying | They weren't studying |
Yes/No Questions
Move was/were before the subject to form questions.
Examples:
- Was I reading at 8 o'clock?
- Were you walking in the park?
- Was he cooking dinner?
- Was she talking on the phone?
- Was it raining this morning?
- Were we playing football yesterday?
- Were they studying together?
Wh- Questions
Begin with a question word, then use was/were + subject + verb-ing.
Examples:
- What was I reading?
- Where were you walking?
- What was he cooking?
- Who was she talking to?
- When was it raining?
- What were we playing?
- What were they studying?
Usage
Note: Stative verbs (such as know, like, believe, want) are not usually used in continuous forms. They describe states rather than actions.
Learn more about stative verbsPractice Exercises
Download a printable quiz for offline practice. Each PDF is generated individually from our question bank, ensuring a new set of questions for every attempt.
Downloadable PDF
Download a printable quiz for offline practice. Each PDF is generated individually from our question bank, ensuring a new set of questions for every attempt.