PAST CONTINUOUS TENSE

Past Continuous

FORM

[was/were + present participle]
Examples:

·      You were studying when she called.

·      Were you studying when she called?

·      You were not studying when she called.

Complete List of Past Continuous Forms

USE 1 Interrupted Action in the Past

Use the Past Continuous to indicate that a longer action in the past was interrupted. The interruption is usually a shorter action in the Simple Past. Remember this can be a real interruption or just an interruption in time.
Examples:

·      I 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?

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

·      You were not listening to me when I told you to turn the oven off.

·      While John was sleeping last night, someone stole his car.

·      Sammy was waiting for us when we got off the plane.

·      While I was writing the email, the computer suddenly went off.

·      A: What were you doing when you broke your leg?
B: I was snowboarding.

USE 2 Specific Time as an Interruption

In USE 1, described above, the Past Continuous is interrupted by a shorter action in the Simple Past. However, 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.

USE 3 Parallel Actions

When you use the Past Continuous with two actions in the same sentence, it expresses the idea that both actions were happening at the same time. The actions are parallel.
Examples:

·      I was studying while he was making dinner.

·      While Ellen was reading, Tim was watching television.

·      Were you listening while he was talking?

·      I wasn't paying attention while I was writing the letter, so I made several mistakes.

·      What were you doing while you were waiting?

·      Thomas wasn't working, and I wasn't working either.

·      They were eating dinner, discussing their plans, and having a good time.

USE 4 Atmosphere

In English, we often use a series of parallel actions to describe the atmosphere at a particular time in the past.
Example:

·      When I walked into the office, several people were busily typing, some were talking on the phones, the bosswas yelling directions, and customers were waiting to be helped. One customer was yelling at a secretary and waving his hands. Others were complaining to each other about the bad service.

EXERCİSES

PAST SIMPLE VS. PAST CONTINUOUS
    Complete with the correct form of the verb.

1. Mary  (take) a shower when his husband  (arrive).

2. Mark  (call) my name while I  (talk) on the phone, so I  (not hear) him.
3. Lucy  (study) when suddenly her brother (start) to cry.
4. While she (cook), her child (go) outside!
5. I  (not know) that they (play) basketball all morning, I (be) so worried.

6. Why  you   (interrupt) me while I  (explain)? Now, everybody is confused!

7. Kate  (laugh) all evening because Sam  (tell) her a very funny joke.

8. Michael  (swim) when his mother  (come) to tell him the good news.

Put the verbs in the Past Continuous tense.           
                                                           


Last night was hard. There was a blackout as well as a robbery. People in Smithville were upset. But what were they doing when the lights went out? A man  (wash) the dishes while his wife ( give) her baby a bath. A blonde woman (wash) her clothes. Another woman (watch) TV with her husband and their children (do) their homework. A young man didn't realise the lights went out because he (listen) to music on his mp3 player. But why did the lights go out? The director of the power company claims that there was a blackout because it (rain) heavily but it is said that they (have) a party and they (not watch) the controls.One of the reporters,Bob, (wash) the dishes and Dorris, his wife, (have) a bath. Jackie, Bob's colleague, (work) in the building.
Now let's talk about the robbery. Burglars broke into all the appartments in the building when all the tenants were out. But what (they/do)? One of the tenants (wash) his clothes and a woman (visit) a friend.Another woman (have) a picnic at the beach and a man (play) tennis in the park. Two men (attend) a football game and a blonde woman (visit) her grandchildren.What a night!