uk
enPast Continuous Active
Past Continuous Active is formed by was (past to be form for singular subjects)/were (past to be form for plural subjects) +verb +ing (or participle I/present participle).
Stative (that do not express action) verbs are not used in Past Continuous.
They are: agree, appear, believe, belong, concern, consist, contain, depend, deserve, disagree, dislike, doubt, feel (=have an opinion), fit, hate, hear, imagine, impress, include, involve, know, like, love, matter, mean, measure (=find out how long, wide, great, etc.), mind, need, own, owe, prefer, promise, realise, recognise, remember, see, seem, sound, suppose, surprise, understand, want, weigh (=find out how heavy), wish.
Meanings
- actions in progress at a particular moment in the past;
- temporary situations and series of temporary actions in the past/background information in a story;
- changing and developing past situations;
- definite future arrangements or fixed plans in the past context;
- annoying or amusing habits (usually with always/permanently/constantly/never) in the past context;
- for reporting present continuous in the past.
Tense expressions
- all morning / evening / day / night, etc
- as
- at… o`clock yesterday
- from… till…
- the whole evening
- when
- while
- yesterday
| Meanings | Examples |
|
temporary prolonged situation simultaneous with another short action |
While he was exploring the wound with his fingers, he heard another shot. |
|
temporary prolonged situation simultaneous with another prolonged action |
When the husband was ironing his shirts the wife was laying the table. |
|
actions in progress at a particular moment in the past |
At this time last week I was driving to Paris. |
|
background information in a story |
My sister was wearing ear-phones when I called her, so she did not hear the call. |
|
reporting present continuous in the past. |
The policeman asked how fast she was driving when the accident happened. |
|
changing and developing past situations |
Driving was becoming more and more popular those days. |
|
definite future arrangements or fixed plans in the past context |
Everybody new that we were playing tennis the next Sunday. |
|
emotional expressing annoying or amusing habits |
I was angry as he was never saying sorry for whatever wrong he did. |
More examples
- Whilst he was petting the horses and trying to quiet them, dark clouds drifted rapidly across the sky.
- Then he looked at his watch again, and, straightway holding his reins firmly - for the horses were still pawing the ground restlessly and shaking their heads - he climbed to his box as though the time had come for proceeding on our journey.
- I was having a pleasant chat with them about our grandchildren when someone called me.
- While the terrorists were charging the bomb with an explosive substance, one of them went off.
- She was pulling her child along, paying no attention to his tantrums.
- Some of the younger workers were cooking up a plan for cheating the firm.
- So many people were running after the bus that people could hardly get off.
- He was stirring his tea saying nothing.
- While mother was folding the fabric and stitching the two layers together, her son was patiently waiting.
- The cook was whipping up a meal for us, when we arrived.
