The past continuous tense is used to describe ongoing or continuous actions that were happening in the past at a specific time or over a period. It emphasizes the duration and progression of the action.
Past Continuous Tense Formula:
(1) Positive Form:
[Subject + was/were + ing form of verb + object]
Examples:
- She was studying when I called her.
- They were playing football in the park.
- I was watching a movie last night.
- The kids were laughing at the funny clown.
- We were cooking dinner when the power went out.
(2) Negative Form:
[Subject + was/were not (wasn’t/weren’t) + ing form of verb + object]
Examples:
- He was not working late yesterday.
- We weren’t talking about you.
- The cat wasn’t chasing the mouse.
- She wasn’t wearing her glasses.
- They were not listening to the radio.
(3) Interrogative Form:
[Was/Were + subject + ing form of verb + object + ?]
Examples:
- Were you studying when I called you?
- Was she sleeping when you arrived?
- Were they watching TV at that time?
- Was he playing the guitar yesterday?
- Were we going to the same party?
(4) Interrogative Negative Form:
[Was/were + subject + not + ing form of verb + object + ?] OR [Wasn’t/Weren’t + subject + ing form of verb + object + ?]
Examples:
- Was he not working on the project all night? (or) Wasn’t he working on the project all night?
- Were you not listening to the teacher’s instructions? (or) Weren’t you listening to the teacher’s instructions?
- Was she not taking a nap when you called her? (or) Wasn’t she taking a nap when you called her?
- Were they not playing basketball in the gym? (or) Weren’t they playing basketball in the gym?
- Was it not raining heavily this morning? (or) Wasn’t it raining heavily this morning?
(5) Wh-word Form:
[Wh-word + was/were + subject + verb-ing ?]
Examples:
- Where were you going when I saw you?
- What were they doing at the park?
- When were you arriving at the airport?
- Why was she crying during the movie?
- How were they feeling after the game?