Past Continuous

• Engels
• Secundair onderwijs

Past Continuous

Past Continuous

The past continuous describes ongoing actions in the past. It shows a continuous action that began in the past.

When do we use the Past Continuous?

1.  Actions that began in the past and lasted for some time.

• It was snowing yesterday.

2. Actions in the past that get interrupted.

• Marta was leaving her apartment when she heard the thunderstorm.

3. Ongoing actions at a specified time.

• They were working as cashiers last October.
  

How to form the Past Continuous

Positive form:

Subject + Was/Were + -ing form of the verb

• I was sleeping when my alarm went off.
• They were writing an article for the school newspaper.

I _____ (To sing) in my shower yesterday.

How to form the Past Continuous

Negative form:

Subject + Was/Were + Not + -ing form of the verb

• Emily was not listening when the teacher asked her a question.
  
• Duke and Jason were not studying for their test.
  

They _____ (To play) with their Xbox when their mother got home.

How to form the Past Continuous

Question:

Was/Were + Subject + -ing form of the verb

• Was he eating grapes while watching TV?
• Were Damian and Talia playing chess together?
  

___ You ___ (To watch) TV when the power went out?

Spelling exceptions

1) When a word ends with an e, you remove the e

• Mary was coming home when she got a call.

You ____ (To Bake) a cake for Duke's birthday.

Spelling exceptions

2) If the verb ends with a stressed vowel followed by a consonant double that consonant.

• They were dropping something when I walked in.
  

I ____ (To win) the game.

Spelling exceptions

3) If the verb ends with ie change it to a y

• They were lying to my face
  

She ____ (To tie) the sticks together.

Spelling exceptions

4) If the verb ends with a vowel followed by and L always double the L

• They were travelling to Italy.
  

The audience ____ (To marvel) at the spectacle.

Write a sentence in the Past Continuous, use the verb to read.