Past continuous

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• Secundair onderwijs

Past continuous

The Beatles

George Harrison

Paul McCartney

Ringo Starr

John Lennon

What do these sentences have in common?

I was dreaming of the past

And my heart was beating fast

I was feeling insecure

I was trying to catch your eyes

Past continuous

I was dreaming of the past

And my heart was beating fast

I was feeling insecure

I was trying to catch your eyes

=> subject + to be + ing form

Past continuous

We use the past continuous when something was going on in the past.

I was brushing my teeth yesterday morning.

She was walking to school last week.

They were driving their car at that time.

Past continuous

We use the past continuous when an action is interrupted by another action.

I was brushing my teeth yesterday morning when my dad walked in.

She was walking to school last week when she was hit by a bike.

They were driving their car at that time when it broke.

We also use it when...

Two things are happening at the same time 

=> I was lying in my bed while my sister was playing a video game.

We are talking about a repeated action that causes irritaion or shock. Always or constantly are signal words.

=> He was always listening to loud music.

=> She was constantly bragging about her car.

We also use it when...

Plans are unfulfilled.

=> I was hoping to catch the bus (but I missed it).

Past continuous - negative

I was not brushing my teeth yesterday morning.

She wasn't walking to school last week.

They were not driving their car at that time.

They weren't cleaning the house in 2020.

=> subject + to be + not + ing form

Time to practice!

They __________ (to walk) to school.

1. was walking
2. were walking
3. is walking
4. are walking

I ____________ (to bake) a cake when he _______ (to scare) the living daylight out of me!

1. was baking / scared
2. baked / scared
3. is baking / scares
4. was being baking / was scaring

Put the sentence in the correct order.
was / kitchen / baking / in the / a cake / He

Put the sentence in the negative.
I was crying for help.

Past continuous - ?

Past continuous - inversion question

I was talking to Susan.

=> Was I talking to Susan?

You were talking to Susan.

=> Were you talking to Susan?

to be + subject + ing form + ?

Past continuous - QWQ

I was doing the dishes.

=> What was he doing?

You were doing the dishes.

=> What were you doing?

question word + to be + subject + ing form + ?

Past continuous - questions to the subject

Glenn was talking to John.

=> Who was talking to John?

It was raining.

=> What was going on?

question word (that is also the subject!) + to be + ing form

Past continuous - questions to the prepositional object

Questions to the prepositional object

Glenn was talking to John.

=> What was Glenn talking about?

Glenn was talking to John.

=> Who was Glenn talking to?

question word + to be + subject + ing form + preposition + ?

Time to practice!

Put the parts in order.
talking / were / to John / you / ?

1. Was you talking to John?
2. Were she talking to John?
3. Was he talking to John?
4. Were you talking to John?

Ask a good question:
Glenn was talking to John.

Ask a good question:
Yes, he was.

Ask a good question:
They were chatting about global warming.