Past Continuous tense

                    Past Continuous tense

Use:

We use the past continuous to talk about the past:

•         for something which continued before and after another action:

1.                 The children were doing their homework when I got home.

Compare:

            I got home. The children did their homework.

                                       and

                 The children did their homework when I got home.

                 As I was watching television the telephone rang.

This use of the past continuous is very common at the beginning of a story:

The other day I was waiting for a bus when …

Last week as I was driving to work … 

• ·    for something that happened before and after a particular time:

It was eight o’clock. I was writing a letter.
Compare:

At eight o’clock I wrote some letters.

In July she was working in McDonald’s.

• ·    to show that something continued for some time:

1. My head was aching.
2. Everyone was shouting.

• ·    for something that was happening again and again:

1. I was exercising every day, three times a day.
2. They were meeting secretly after school.
3. They were always disputing.

• ·    with verbs which show change or growth:

1. The children were growing up quickly.
2. Her English was improving.
3. My hair was going grey.
4. The town was changing quickly.

Structure of sentence:

Positive sentences:

          • Subject + auxiliary verb + Main Verb (present participle) + object
          • Subject + was/were + (1st form of verb or base verb +ing) +object

If the subject is “he, she, It, I, singular or proper noun” then auxiliary verb “was” is used. If subject is “you, we, they or plural” then auxiliary verb “were” is used.

Examples:

1.        She was crying yesterday.
2.       They were climbing on a hill.

Negative sentences:

         • Subject + auxiliary verb + NOT + Main verb (present participle) + object
         • Subject + was/were + NOT + (1st form of verb or base verb +ing) +object

Rules for using auxiliary verb after subject are same as mentioned above.

Examples:

1.         She was not crying yesterday.
2.        They were not climbing on a hill.

Interrogative sentences:

         • Auxiliary verb + Subject + Main verb (present participle) + object
         • Was/were + Subject + (1st form of verb or base verb +ing) +object

The interrogative sentence starts with the auxiliary verb. If the subject is “he, she, It, I, singular or proper noun” then the sentence starts with auxiliary verb “was”. If subject is “you, we, they or plural” then the sentence starts with auxiliary verb “were”.

Examples:

1.        Was she crying yesterday?
2.       Were they climbing on a hill?