Past continuous
Use the past continuous (was/were + -ing) for an action in progress at a moment in the past, often the background to a shorter past simple action that interrupts it.
How it works
- Form: was/were + -ing. I was working. They were sleeping.
- An action in progress at a past time: At 8 p.m. I was having dinner.
- Background + interruption: I was cooking when the power went off. The longer action is continuous, the short one is past simple.
- While often introduces the longer action, when the shorter one: While I was waiting, it started to rain.
- Two longer actions at the same time: She was reading while he was cooking.
- State verbs (know, want, believe, own) normally stay in the past simple: I knew the answer.
Examples
I was riding my motorbike home when it started to pour.
At ten last night, we were still working on the slides.
While my mum was cooking, my dad was watching the football.
The phone rang while I was taking a shower.
What were you doing when I called you?
Common mistakes
Wrong: I
was knowingthe answer, but I was too shy to say it.Right: I knew the answer, but I was too shy to say it.
Wrong: Yesterday I
was going to the market, was buying fish and was cookingdinner.Right: Yesterday I went to the market, bought fish and cooked dinner.
Wrong: I was
sleepwhen you called.Right: I was sleeping when you called.
Practice
1 of 14Fill the gap.
Level: EGP Verbs (past continuous): the form is A2; using it as background to a past simple event, with when and while, is a B1 point. Written for Gloss.