Tenses · Intermediate (B1)
Past continuous
Actions in progress at a moment in the past, and background to a story: I was walking home when it started to rain.
The rules
Form: was / were + verb-ing: I was sleeping. They weren’t listening. What were you doing?
Use: an action in progress at a past time (At 8 pm I was cooking), background description in stories (The sun was shining and birds were singing), and a longer action interrupted by a shorter one (past simple): I was having a shower when* the phone rang.*
While + past continuous for two actions in progress together: While I was cooking, my partner was cleaning.
Examples
- What were you doing at midnight?
- I was driving to work when I saw the accident.
- While she was studying, her phone kept ringing.
- It was raining, so we stayed inside.
Common mistakes
✗ When I walked home, it was starting to rain and I was getting wet.
✓ I was walking home when it started to rain.
Background = past continuous; the interruption = past simple.
✗ I was knowing her well.
✓ I knew her well.
State verbs aren’t continuous.
Practice
I ___ TV when you called.
Quiz
1.He ___ his arm while he was playing football.
2.Complete the sentence.
3.Put the words in the right order.
4.The past continuous is often used for background in stories.