The Past Continuous
We use the Past Continuous to talk about an action that was in progress at a specific time in the past.
Example:
"What were you doing last night at 9 o’clock?" "I was watching a movie on TV."
In this example, the speaker was in the middle of watching a movie at exactly 9 p.m. last night.
Forms of the Past Continuous
Below, you can see different forms of the Past Continuous tense for the main verb “work”:
Positive
I was working ... .
You were working ... .
He was working ... .
She was working ... .
It was working ... .
We were working ... .
You were working ... .
They were working ... .
Negative
I was not working ... . / I wasn't working ... .
You were not working ... . / You weren't working ... .
He was not working ... . / He wasn't working ... .
She was not working ... . / She wasn't working ... .
It was not working ... . / It wasn't working ... .
We were not working ... . / We weren't working ... .
You were not working ... . / You weren't working ... .
They were not working ... . / They weren't working ... .
Positive Questions
Was I working ... ?
Were you working ... ?
Was he working ... ?
Was she working ... ?
Was it working ... ?
Were we working ... ?
Were you working ... ?
Were they working ... ?
Negative Questions
Was I not working ...?
Were you not working ... ? / Weren't you working ... ?
Was he not working ... ? / Wasn't he working ... ?
Was she not working ... ? / Wasn't she working ... ?
Was it not working ... ? / Wasn't it working ... ?
Were we not working ... ? / Weren't we working ... ?
Were you not working ... ? / Weren't you working ... ?
Were they not working ... ? / Weren't they working ... ?
Short Answers
Yes, I was. / No, I wasn't.
Yes, you were. / No, you weren't.
Yes, he was. / No, he wasn't.
Yes, she was. / No, she wasn't.
Yes, it was. / No, it wasn't.
Yes, we were. / No, we weren't.
Yes, you were. / No, you weren't.
Yes, they were. / No, they weren't.
As you can see, we use the auxiliary verbs "was" and "were" to make negative sentences and questions in the Past Continuous tense.
Examples:
+She was sleeping.
-She wasn't sleeping.
+?Was she sleeping?
-?Wasn't she sleeping? / Was she not sleeping?
Yes, she was. / No, she wasn't.
+They were watching TV.
-They weren't watching TV.
+?Were they watching TV?
-?Weren't they watching TV? / Were they not watching TV?
Yes, they were. / No, they weren't.
Past Continuous and Simple Past Together
The Past Continuous is often used together with the Simple Past in the same sentence. In these situations the Past Continuous describes a longer action that was happening in the past. The Simple Past describes a shorter action that happened in the middle of the longer one.
Examples:
We were having lunch when he arrived.
I was taking a shower when the electricity went off.
Some verbs are called state verbs (or non-action verbs), such as know, need, want, like, love, hate, belong, believe etc. These verbs are not usually used in continuous tenses, including the Past Continuous.
Exercises
Fill in the blanks with the Simple Past or Past Continuous form of the verbs in brackets.
1My knee hurts a lot. I ____ (fall) while I ____ (run) to catch the bus.
My knee hurts a lot. I fell while I was running to catch the bus.
2We ____ (watch) TV when the lights ____ (go) out.
We were watching TV when the lights went out.
3They ____ (not hear) the phone because they ____ (talk) loudly.
They didn't hear the phone because they were talking loudly.
4He ____ (break) the glass while he ____ (wash) the dishes.
He broke the glass while he was washing the dishes.
5I ____ (read) a book when the doorbell ____ (ring).
I was reading a book when the doorbell rang.
6The students ____ (take) an exam when the fire alarm ____ (start).
The students were taking an exam when the fire alarm started.
7We ____ (not go) outside because it ____ (rain).
We didn't go outside because it was raining.
8She ____ (drop) her keys while she ____ (look) for her purse.
She dropped her keys while she was looking for her purse.