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1.10: Past Continuous Tense

  • Page ID
    108060
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    Past Continuous Tense

          The past continuous tense is used to describe two related actions or activities that happened in the past at the same time.  Its emphasis is on showing the relationship of the actions relative to the duration of time each takes.  The action of longer duration uses the past continuous tense; the action of shorter duration takes the simple past tense.  It simply says, "While this was happening, something else happened."  The second action interrupts the first action that is already happening.  Note:  The past continuous tense may be used for a single action in the past, but this usage is rare and it is employed only when the speaker wishes to emphasize the continuous action of the verb.  The past continuous tense can also be used when two or more actions take place in the past for the same duration of time.  “While I was working in my garden, my wife was cooking.” 

    Examples of Two Actions at the Same Time:

    While we were studying, the telephone rang.

    My front tire blew out while I was driving home from school.

    When their mother was preparing dinner, the boys came home.

    When I got to class, my students were waiting for me.

    Examples of Two Actions of Equal Duration of Time:

    While I was ironing my clothes, I was watching a DVD.

    While my older son was taking a shower, my younger son was waiting for him to finish so that he could take a shower.        

    While my son was driving my car, I was sitting next to him.

    Examples of One Action Use of the Past Continuous Tense             

    Yesterday I started working in my garden at 8:00 AM and stayed in my garden until 8:00 PM.  I was working all day long in my garden.             

    I was correcting homework papers for four hours last night.                    

    Both of my sons were still sleeping at 2:00 PM yesterday.          

    My sons and I were watching movies all afternoon long on Saturday.

    Exercise 56:  Make one sentence using the following actions.  One of the actions will require the past continuous tense and the other one will require the simple past tense.

    For example:            pick potatoes in my garden     find a piece of glass

    While I was picking potatoes in my garden yesterday, I found a piece of glass.

    1.  stop to buy a coffee           drive to school

     

    2.  work in my office              get a phone call from my wife

     

    3.  speak to my son                 tell him about a party

      

    4.  break a glass                     help my wife in the kitchen

     

    5.  watch television                fall asleep 

     

    6.  eat breakfast              open a window in my kitchen

      

    7.  shop with my sons                    buy two toys for them

      

    8.  drink coffee with a friend        see a pretty girl walking across the street

     

    9.  have a nightmare                     sleep

     

    10.  do my homework                    take a break

     

    11.  mow my lawn                  run out of gas in the lawnmower

     

    12.  answer the phone                   read the newspaper

     

    13.  answer the teacher’s question      sit in class

     

    Exercise 57: Change the following sentences to the negative, please.

    1.  We were eating lunch with our friends.

     

    2.  We ate lunch with our friends.

     

    3.  I was writing an exercise for my students yesterday.

     

    4.  I wrote an exercise for my students yesterday.

     

    5.  My sons were talking to each other on Skype last night.

     

    6.  My sons spoke to each other on Skype last night.

     

    7.  The man’s girlfriend was making soup for him yesterday afternoon.

     

    8.  The man’s girlfriend made soup for him yesterday afternoon.

     

    9.  The boy was watching the baseball game on TV last night.

     

    10.  The boy watched the baseball game on TV yesterday.

     

    11.  The team was winning the soccer game.

     

    12.  The team won the soccer game.

     

    Exercise 58: Change the following sentences to the negative, please.

    1.  We flew to France two years ago.

     

    2.  My sons were eating sandwiches when we got home last night.

     

    3.  I felt sick after I ate the fish sandwich.

     

    4.  The president spoke on television last week.

     

    5.  I saw the man in the green coat last weekend.

     

    6.  My mother was cooking dinner when I got home from work.

     

    7.  The girl was eating dinner with her family this evening.

     

    8.  We shook hands on the deal after talking for two hours.

     

    9.  My friend stole a book from the library.

     

    10.  They were taking selfies of themselves when it began to rain.

     

    11.  The girl blew out the candles on the birthday cake.

     

    12.  We were sleeping when the phone rang.


    This page titled 1.10: Past Continuous Tense is shared under a CC BY-NC 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Don Bissonnette.

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