2.2: Past Progressive

Past Progressive (Past Continuous) Tense

Forming the Past Progressive

In the past progressive tense, we use the past tense of the verb "to be" (was/were) followed by the present participle (verb + "-ing" form) of the main verb.

Subject	"to be" (past tense)	Negative	Contraction	Verb + "-ing" form	Rest of the sentence
I	was (not)	not	wasn't	working	yesterday.
You	were	not	weren't	studying	all night.
He/She/It	was	not	wasn't	cooking	when I arrived.
We	were	not	weren't	hiking	in the mountains.
They	were	not	weren't	playing	soccer at that time.

 Exercise 2.1:

Fill in the blanks with the appropriate past progressive form of the verbs.

1. While I _________________ (cook), my friends were setting the table.
2. They __________________ (play) football when it started raining.
3. She ________________ (study) for her exams at midnight last night.
4. We _________________ (drive) to the beach when we saw the sunset.
5. He __________________ (ride) his bike when it broke down.
6. The children ________________ (build) a sandcastle on the beach while their parents were relaxing in the sun.
7. While she __________________ (watch) TV, her mom was cooking dinner.
8. The birds ____________________ (sing) in the trees as we walked through the park.

Question Form:

Question Word	Subject	"to be" (past tense)	Verb + "-ing" form	Rest of the sentence
(When)	was	I	bothering you	yesterday?
(Why)	were	you	studying	all night?
(What)	was	he/she/it	doing	when you arrived?
(Where)	were	we	hiking	in the mountains last year?
(How)	were	they	doing	in their classes at that time?

(Charts created in ChatGPT)

Exercise 2.2: Wh- (Information) Questions

Instructions: Rewrite each statement as an information question.

Example:
Statement: She was cooking dinner in the kitchen.
Question: What was she cooking in the kitchen?

1. Cecilia was reading a book in the library.
2. The boys were playing soccer at the park.
3. Nguyen was listening to music while doing his homework.
4. The children were building a sandcastle on the beach.
5. My husband and I were watching a movie at 8 o’clock last night.
6. The dog was barking at a stranger near the gate.
7. I was writing an email to my friend.
8. The teacher was explaining a new topic in class.

Using the Past Progressive (Continuous)

The past progressive tense, also known as the past continuous tense, is used to describe actions that were ongoing or in progress at a specific point in the past. Here's an explanation of how and when to use the past progressive tense:

1. Ongoing Actions in the Past: We use the past progressive tense to describe actions that were happening at a specific point in the past. These actions were in progress and were not necessarily completed. See the chart for examples with time expressions:

Time Expressions for Events in Progress at a Time in the Past

Time Expression	Example Sentences
At	He was running at that moment.
	The team was playing at 6 p.m.
In	They were traveling in 2005.
	She was studying in the morning.
On	We were working on Monday.
	She was watching the fireworks on the 4th of July.
Last	They were watching a movie last night.
	I was preparing for the exam last week.

2. Actions Happening Simultaneously (at the same time):  The past progressive tense is used to describe two or more actions that were happening simultaneously in the past. It emphasizes that both actions were ongoing at the same time. For example:

• While I was cooking, my friends were setting the table.
• She was studying for her exams while her mom was cooking dinner.

Note: It is also possible to use simple past for one of the actions and past progressive for the other action.

• My friends set the table while I was cooking.
• While she was studying for her exams, her mom cooked dinner.

3. Interrupted Actions: Sometimes, the past progressive tense is used to describe actions that were interrupted by another action in the past. The interrupted action is often in the past progressive tense, while the interrupting action is usually in the simple past tense. For example:

• I was reading a book when the phone rang.
• They were dancing at the party when the power went out.

Overall, the past progressive tense is used to emphasize the ongoing nature of actions in the past or to provide background information about events that were happening at a specific point in time. It helps to convey a sense of continuity or duration in storytelling or describing past events.

(Explanation created in ChatGPT)

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Punctuation Rule

The above example sentences are examples of complex sentences. Complex sentences contain two clauses (parts of sentences that include a subject and verb combination). The examples are made up of a time clause and a main clause. If the time clause comes first, it is followed by a comma.

              Main Clause                        Time Clause

I was watching a movie while I was ironing my clothes.

             Time Clause                           Main Clause   

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

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Exercise 2.3: Ongoing Actions in the Past

Use the pictures to complete the response to the questions.What were you doing at midnight on December 31st ?                                                        Photo by Jae Park on Unsplash

1. "I was at Disney World in Florida with my family. At midnight, we.....

________________________________________________________________________

  Image by Freepik

2. "My friends and I were in Germany. We were outside in front of a restaurant. We........

________________________________________________________________________
     Image by Freepik                                                                                                                      

3. "I was in a nightclub at a New Year's Eve party. When the clock struck midnight, I ......."

________________________________________________________________________

 Image by Freepik

4. "I was in my apartment with my friends Gary and Liz. We were ...."   

_________________________________________________________________________                                                                                                                

Exercise 2.4: Simultaneous Actions

Read the story and answer the questions that follow. Write your answers in complete sentences. Don't forget to change "I" to "you" and "my" to "your." Use commas where necessary.

Yesterday evening, while I was cooking dinner, my sister was talking on the phone with her friend. The kids were playing in the backyard, and the dog was barking at a squirrel on the fence. Meanwhile, my dad was reading the newspaper in the living room, and my mom was knitting a scarf. The TV was on, but nobody was watching it. Outside, the rain was falling steadily, and the wind was blowing through the trees. At the same time, a neighbor was walking their dog with a big umbrella. Just as I was setting the table, the power went out, and everything suddenly became quiet.

Questions

Information Questions:

1. What was my sister doing while I was cooking dinner?
2. Where were the kids and the dog playing?
3. What was my dad doing, and what was my mom doing at the same time?
4. Why wasn’t anyone watching the TV? (Use your imagination!)
5. What was happening outside while the rain was falling steadily?

Exercise 2.5: Interrupted Actions

Make one sentence using the following actions. One of the actions will require the past progressive, and the other one will require the simple past tense.  Use commas where necessary.

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.  drive to work                get stuck in a traffic jam

 

4. break a glass                 help my wife in the kitchen

 

5. watch television             fall asleep