Past Continuous(progressive) tense form,uses,questions,negatives,and examples By Mr.Zaki Badr

 Past Continuous(progressive) tense  form,uses,questions,negatives,and examples By Mr.Zaki Badr


Past Continuous(progressive) tense  form,uses,questions,negatives,and examples By Mr.Zaki Badr
Past Continuous(progressive) tense  form,uses,questions,negatives,and examples By Mr.Zaki Badr

FORM

[was/were + present participle]


I/he/she/it è was  playing

We/you/they è were   working


Examples:

You were studying when she called.

Were you studying when she called?

You were not studying when she called.


Study this example :

Yesterday Karen and Jim played tennis.  They began  at 10 o’clock and finished at 11.30

So, at 10.30  they were playing tennis


I was doing something = I was in the middle of doing something at a certain time . The action or the situation had already started before this time, but had not finished


What were you doing at 10 o’clock last night?


USE 1 Interrupted Action in the Past

Use the Past Continuous to indicate that a longer action   in the past was interrupted.


Examples:

was watching TV when she called.

When the phone rang, she was writing a letter.

While we were having the picnic, it started to rain.

What were you doing when the earthquake started?

was listening to my iPod, so I didn't hear the fire alarm.


USE 2 Specific Time as an Interruption

You can also use a specific time as an interruption.


Examples:

Last night at 6 PM, I was eating dinner.

At midnight, we were still driving through the desert.

Yesterday at this time, I was sitting at my desk at work


IMPORTANT

In the Simple Past, a specific time is used to show when an action began or finished. In the Past Continuous, a specific time only interrupts the action.


Examples:

Last night at 6 PM, I ate dinner.
(I started eating at 6 PM.)

Last night at 6 PM, I was eating dinner.
(I started earlier; and at 6 PM, I was in the process of eating dinner)



While vs. When


When  simple past, past cont.


While  past cont. , simple past


Examples:


I was studying when she called.


While I was studying, she called.


She called while I was studying.


When she called, I was studying.




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