Past Continuous

Introduction


How to use it? 
What does this grammatical construction mean? 
How to construct a sentence?

Task

Study this example situation:

A   Yesterday Karen and Jim played tennis. They began at 10 o'clock and finished at 11.30.

So, at 10.30 they were playing tennis. 

They were playing = they were in the middle of playing. They had not finished playing.

Was/were -ing is the past continuous

I/he/she/it      was

we/you/they   were

playing

doing

working etc.

B   I was doing something = I was in the middle of doing something at a certain time. The action or situation had already startes before this time, but had not finished:

  • This time last year I was living in Brazil.
  • What were you doing at 10 o'clock last night?
  • I waved to Helen, but she wasn't looking.

C   Compare the past continuous (I was doing) and past simple (I did):

Past continuous (in the middle of an action)

  • I was walking home when I met Dave. (in the middle of an action)
  • Kate was watching television when we arrivied

Past simple (complete action)

  • I walked home after the party last night. (=all the way, completely)
  • Kate watched television a lot when she was ill last year.

D   We often use the past simple and the past continuous together to say that something happened in the middle of smth else:

  • Matt phoned while we were having dinner.
  • It was raining when I got up.
  • I saw you in the park yeasterday. You were sitting on the grass and reading a book. 
  • I hurt my back while I was working in the garden.

But we use the past simple to say that one thing happened after another:

  • I was walking along the road when I saw Dave. So I stopped, and we had a chat.

Process

Use your own ideas to complete the sentences. Use the past continious.

  1. Matt phoned while we were having dinner
  2. The doorbell rang while I 
  3. We saw an accident while we
  4. Ann fell asleep while she
  5. The television was on, but nobody

Evaluation

  • What did you like most about this training? 
  • How do you hope to change your practice as a result of this training?

Conclusion

Past continuous (I was doing)

The action in the middle of doing something at a certain time. The action or situation had already startes before this time, but had not finished:

Credits

  • Raymond Murphy. "English Grammar in Use" Second edition