Past Continuous Tense
The Past Continuous Tense is formed with was/ were plus the present participle.
Affirmative Statements Negative Statements
I was writing. I was not writing.
You were writing. You were not writing.
Affirmative Questions Negative Questions
Was I writing ? Was I not writing ?
Were you writing ? Were you not writing ?
Past Continuous Tense is used:
i) To talk about continued state or repeated actions which occurred in the past. It is used for an incomplete action in the past. It describes an action as continuing at some past time.
Ex: Some students were fighting with each other.
He was playing chess.
ii) It is used in combination with the simple past. If an action was going on for sometime and a new action happened, the past continuous is used for the former and the simple past for the latter.
Ex: We were watching T.V. When our uncle came to see us.
He fell down while he was running.
The Past Continuous Tense is formed with was/ were plus the present participle.
Affirmative Statements Negative Statements
I was writing. I was not writing.
You were writing. You were not writing.
Affirmative Questions Negative Questions
Was I writing ? Was I not writing ?
Were you writing ? Were you not writing ?
Past Continuous Tense is used:
i) To talk about continued state or repeated actions which occurred in the past. It is used for an incomplete action in the past. It describes an action as continuing at some past time.
Ex: Some students were fighting with each other.
He was playing chess.
ii) It is used in combination with the simple past. If an action was going on for sometime and a new action happened, the past continuous is used for the former and the simple past for the latter.
Ex: We were watching T.V. When our uncle came to see us.
He fell down while he was running.
