The word Past is translated as "past" and shows us that the action took place sometime in the past. If you've read the last article, you already know that Continuous is translated as "long / continued". In the past tense, this tells us that the action began sometime, lasted for some time and ended by the present moment.
We use Past Continuous to emphasize the duration of the action in the vulgar. Unlike the Past Simple tense, which we use when we just talk about something as a fact that happened in the past.
Let's take a look at two examples:
1.Past Simple:
I talked to her.
I talked to her.
2. Past Continuous:
I was talking to her for 2 hours.
I spoke to her for two hours.
The first example just talks about fact... We can use it, for example, when we describe a series of actions: woke up, took a shower, ate, called, talked to her.
The second example says it was process and it lasted for some time (2 hours). That is, we focus on the duration of this action. Emotion is also embedded in the sentence, and not just a set of facts is listed: I talked to her for 2 hours and did not have time to do anything.
Now let's look at the use cases of the past continuous tense.
Consuming Past Continuous Tense
This time is used in the following cases:
1. When we talk about an action in the past that took place over a period of time.
Example: I cleaned my apartment all day yesterday.
2.When we want to emphasize the duration of the process and give an emotional coloring.
Example: I baked this cake for two whole hours.
Affirmative Past Continuous Tense Suggestions
An affirmative sentence is formed using the past tense auxiliary verb to be (was, were) and the ending "-ing", which is added to the verb denoting the action. The education scheme will be as follows:
the one in question + was / were + verb + -ing
| I | was | |
| You | ||
| We | were | playing |
| They | swimming | |
| She | cooking | |
| He | was | |
| It |
For example:
They were watch ing TV for 2 hours.
They watched TV for two hours.
I was sleep ing whole day.
I slept all day.
He was driv ing a car.
He was driving.
Rules for adding endings -ing we covered in this article. In it, we also talked about verbs that are never used in extended tenses, since they do not know how to last. Be sure to take a look.
Words are indicators of time
Very often the following words are used over time Past Continuous:
- all day long - all day
- all the time - all the time
- all day yesterday - all day yesterday
- the whole morning - the whole morning
- from 5 till 7 p.m. - from 5 to 7
They will help you understand that you have an extended past tense in front of you. Let's take a look at some examples:
He was working the whole morning.
He worked all morning.
They were reading from 6
till 8
p.
m.
They read from six to eight in the evening.
I was painting all day yesterday.
I painted all day yesterday.
Negative Past Continuous Tense
A negative sentence in this tense is formed in the same way as an affirmative sentence, but the negative particle not is added to our verb to be.
the one in question + was / were + not + verb + -ing
| I | was | ||
| You | |||
| We | were | playing | |
| They | not | cooking | |
| She | swimming | ||
| He | was | ||
| It |
They were not play ing all day long.
They haven't played all day.
I was not study ing.
I didn't study.
She was not clear ing her room.
She didn't clean the room.
Interrogative form Past Continuous Tense
If you want to ask if someone has done any lasting action in the past, then move the verb to be to the first place in the sentence. The question's education scheme looks like this:
was / were + in question + verb + -ing
| Was | I | |
| you | ||
| Were | we | playing? |
| they | cooking? | |
| she | swimming? | |
| Was | he | |
| it |
Statement:
I was doing my homework.
I did my homework.
They were swimming in a sea.
They swam in the sea.
She was playing a piano.
She played the piano.
A question and an affirmative answer (our "yes") will look like this:
| Question | Short answer (contains the verb to be) | Complete answer (built as an affirmative sentence) |
| Was
I do ing my homework? Did I do my homework? |
Yes, I was. |
Yes, I was do ing my homework. Yes I did homework. |
| Were they swimm ing in a sea? Did they swim in the sea? |
Yes, they were. |
Yes, they were swimm ing in a sea. |
| Was
she play ing a piano? Did she play the piano? |
Yes, she was. |
Yes, she was play ing a piano. Yes she played the piano. |
Negative answers (our "no") would look like this:
| Question | Short answer (contains the verb to be + not) | Complete answer (built as a negative sentence) |
| Was
I do ing my homework? Did I do my homework? |
No, I wasnot. |
No, I was not do ing my homework. No, I didn't do my homework |
| Were
they swimm ing
in a sea? Did they swim in the sea? |
No, you werenot. |
No, they were not swimm ing in a sea. No, they didn't swim in the sea. |
| Was
she play ing a piano? Did she play the piano? |
No, she wasnot. |
No, she was not play ing a piano. No, she didn't play the piano |
Were they talking to her?
Did they talk to her?
Yes, they were.
Yes, they talked.
Were they talking to her?
Did they talk to her?
No, they were not.
No, they didn't talk.
Was he washing his car?
Did he wash his car?
Yes, he was washing his car.
Yes, he washed his car
Was he washing his car?
Did he wash his car?
No, he was not washing his car.
No, he didn't wash his car.
Special Issues
When, we ask a question with the following question words:
- What - what
- Where - where
- Who - who
- Which - which
- Why - why
question word + was / were + in question + verb + -ing
| was | I | ||
| you | |||
| What | were | they | reading? |
| Where | we |
In our time, it is almost a vital necessity. Children are introduced to its basics from an early age, and a diligent high school student is even able to freely express himself in English. Like any other language, it has its own characteristics, which should be given a lot of attention.
According to those who started learning already in adulthood, one of the most difficult features of this language is. assumes the division of all situations in time when they occurred, occur or will occur relative to a given moment. It can be difficult for beginners to master this topic right away, but diligence, attention to theory and active practice will help you quickly adapt.
One of the Most Curious Times - Past Continuous Tense
This is the past tense, but it is continued. That is, they use it, not just wanting to present the listener with a fact (for example, “Olya cooked dinner yesterday”), but aiming to describe it, indicate its duration (for example, “Olya cooked dinner yesterday: she baked a turkey and made a cake "). But - how can such sentences be constructed in English?
How Past Continuous is formed
Was and Were in Past Continuous
In order to create a sentence using this tense, it is necessary to use the second form of the verb "to be" (""), that is - (if we are talking about the singular) or - (if there are several subjects of conversation). In addition, the verb used in speech acquires
The proposal itself, depending on its form, will be built as follows:
- Affirmative: singular (I/ he/ she/ it) + was…;
plural (we/ you/ they) + were…
- : (I / he / she / it) + was not (wasn't) ...;
(we / you / they) + were not (weren’t) ...
- : was I / he / she / it…?
were we / you / they ...?
In negative sentences, both the full form was not and were not, and the abbreviated form can be used. The second, by the way, is more common, while the full is used extremely rarely, mainly in official speech.
When to use Past Continuous
There are three main cases when in the process of narration it is necessary to refer to this particular time..
- If the described continuous action took place over a certain, unknown period of time, at some point in the past. That is, there is no clear data on how many minutes or hours the action lasted, but the very fact of its duration is important for the further course of the conversation.
I was walking at 18:00 yesterday.
- If it lasted while some other action took place... That is, one of the described events had already lasted for a certain moment, but suddenly another event began, inextricably linked with the first.
When Jenny came home, Kate was sleeping.
- If several actions in the past took place in the same period of time... It is not known whether they started at the same time, or the second connected at some point to the first. The fact is that both are equal and have the same meaning in conversation.
While Tony was cooking, Ann was reading a book.
Remarkably, in the latter case, the words while or when are always used, which will be discussed in more detail later.
But there is another type of situations where you have to resort to. These are reflections about plans for the future that took place in the past.
In order to say, for example, that Amy imagined how she would read a book on the beach, you need to make a construction like: Amy was planning how she would be reading a book on the beach.
The beginning of a sentence is a familiar construction, composed according to the rules of Past Continuous, while its second part begins with the words “” (in negative form - wouldn’t be), followed by the verb without fail with the ending “ing”.
Thus, combining within one sentence, two times are able to recreate the picture in its entirety, taking into account all the nuances.
What is the difference between Past Continuous and Past Simple
In order to operate with proper ease with the forms of verbs, building a competent sentence, you need to have a clear understanding of in which cases this or that tense is used.
- differs primarily in the finality of thought.
- Past Continuous, on the other hand, focuses on the duration of the action.
That is, if you need to notify the fact, inform the listener, Simple is used, and when you need to tell more about the event, then Continuous. For example, here is the sentence: "Mary did her homework yesterday." And - another, similar at first glance: "Mary did her homework yesterday."
But the first should be formalized in Past Simple, and the second - in Past Continuous, due to the specified duration of the action: "Mary was doing her homework yesterday."
While and When in Past Continuous
It happens that you need to talk about two actions that take place in the past in parallel, that is, within one, common for them, period of time. To refer to an event that was unfolding while another event was occurring, use the words "while" or "when". What is the difference between them?
When the form of conversation is official, which does not allow colloquial sentences, use while. When it comes to friendly conversation, colloquial when is more appropriate.
For example: "Kate was singing, when I was eating my breakfast."
The when form is simpler, unobtrusive and ideal for informal conversations, but absolutely not suitable for formal conversations. When communicating with native speakers, you need to carefully monitor this! Inappropriate use of words that are inappropriate in their form can cause misunderstandings and conflicts, which, by the way, could be easily avoided.
Thus, knowing the rules for using time, as well as the signs of situations that should be described with its use, you can significantly improve your level.
The main thing is not to neglect the study of the most important rules and not be lazy to apply the learned information in practice, because it is it that helps bring the application of knowledge to automatism, which, in fact, is the essence of free communication.
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In this article, we will take a look at the past long time in English. We call all the past tenses in English Past Tenses, which differ only in their duration or quality: whether it will be a simple past - Past Simple, a long past - Past Continuous or past perfect - Past Perfect. In this article, we will stop and consider Past Continuous Tense.
Past Continuous is the time that is used to describe the lasting action in the past. Basically, this is a process that lasted at a certain point or period in the past. The moment of action must be clearly defined, or be understood in the context of the proposal.
Formation of affirmative sentences in the Past Long Time
When I came to London, it was raining. It was raining when I arrived in London. Martin was studying history from three till eight o'clock. From three to eight o'clock Martin taught history. Lisa was cooking the pancakes, when I entered the kitchen. Lisa was making pancakes when I entered the kitchen.
Examples of negative sentences in the past long tense
He wasn’t sleeping all the night. He did not sleep all night. They weren’t having a class at this time yesterday. Yesterday we had no class at this time. Last year she wasn "t eating fat food as she was on diet. Last year she didn’t eat fatty foods because she was dieting.
Examples of affirmative sentences in the past long tense
Was Kate listening to the professor at the lecture? Did Kate listen to the professor during the lecture? How long were they traveling round Russia? How long did they travel in Russia? What kind of music was George playing when I entered the room? What kind of music was George playing when I entered the room? What were you doing at five o’clock? I was searching the web. What were you doing at five o'clock? I was surfing the Internet.
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Consuming Past Long Time
Time Indicators
All the time all day long all day at seven o'clock yesterday at seven o'clock the whole Friday the whole Friday during the film during the film from three till eight o'clock from three to eight o'clock
Examples of the use of sentences in the Past Long Time
I was reading an interesting article at 6 pm yesterday evening. I was reading an interesting article at 6 pm yesterday. My parents were staying in Rome for three months. My parents stayed in Rome for three months. We went to the country. The sun was shining, the birds were singing. We drove out of town. The sun was shining, the birds were singing.
Watch video on Past Continuous tense
Past Continuous Is the past long time in English. Its main meaning is a long-term action that took place at a certain moment in the past. In contrast, it expresses an action that was happening in the past and not occurred.
Past Continuous education scheme: rules and examples
Consider how sentences with the past long tense are constructed in three forms: affirmative, negative and interrogative.
1. Affirmative: I was talking
Past Continuous in the affirmative form is formed with a verb and a verb ending – ing, while only the verb is changed to be... Accordingly, it can be in the form was or were.
Table with examples:
Examples of sentences with Past Continuous:
My dog was playing with a raccoon. - My dog played with a raccoon.
My boss was yelling at me this morning - My boss yelled at me this morning.
I was thinking of you, when you came in - I thought about you when you came in.
She was working on this article from 9 to 12 - She worked on this article from 9 to 12.
2. Negative form: I was not talking
Negation is built with a particle not- add it after was or were.
Possible abbreviations: wasn’t, weren’t.
Examples:
Sorry, I was not listening... - Sorry, I didn’t listen.
The raccon wasn’t playing, it was trying to hurt my dog! - The raccoon did not play, he tried to hurt my dog!
Don’t interrupt me, I wasn’t talking to you - Don't interrupt me, I wasn't talking to you.
We weren’t trying to insult you, we were just discussing your opinion - We were not trying to offend you, we were just discussing your point of view.
3. Interrogative form: Was I talking?
In the interrogative form, the verb to be is placed before:
Examples:
Was the water boiling now? - Was the water boiling now?
Were you ear-dropping? - Did you overhear?
Was he cooking when I called? - He was cooking (food) when I called?
Were they playing chess this morning? - Did they play chess this morning?
Using Past Continuous: When is the past long time used?
Past Continuous is used in the following cases:
- The action took place at a certain point in the past.
In this case, the moment is usually specified with the help of:
a) time indication:
I was having my breakfast at nine. - At nine o'clock I had breakfast.
We were not walking at midnight. - We didn't walk at midnight.
b) another action:
I was sleeping when you turned on the TV. - I was asleep when you turned on the TV.
What were you doing when the earthquake started? - What were you doing when the earthquake started? (what were you doing at that moment)
- A long-term action that took place at a certain period of time in the past.
We can express with the help of the past long time a certain action that did not occur at a certain moment in the past, but took place over a period of time.
I was writing a novel last winter. - Last winter I wrote a novel.
Jack was taking English lessons this year. - This year, Jack took English lessons.
- A repetitive action with a negative connotation.
Past Continuous combined with adverbs like always, constantly(meaning "all the time") expresses an unpleasant, annoying action that has occurred regularly in the past. This turnover is typical for colloquial speech.
The Past Continuous Tense (Elapsed long time) expresses a continuous unfinished action:
a) occurred at a certain moment in the past, which in the sentence can be indicated either by an exact indication of the moment in time ( at ... o "clock, at that moment, etc), or another single action expressed by a verb in PastSimple:
We were going to the Institute at 4 o "clock.
We went to the institute at 4 o'clock.
We were discussing this question when the bell rang.
We were discussing this issue when the bell rang.
b) occurring simultaneously with another lasting action:
My friend was putting down the new words while I was writing the exercise.
A friend of mine wrote down new words while I wrote the exercise.
Past Continuous so called Past Progressive, and in Russian they also call elapsed continuous tense.
Formula: was/ were Ving
Past Continuous translated by the imperfect verb in the past tense.
Affirmative sentences in Past Continuous (Affirmative sentences)
| Affirmative sentences | Examples of | ||
| I | was | verb + ing | I was doing it |
| He | He was doing it | ||
| She | She was doing it | ||
| It | It was doing it | ||
| We | were | We were doing it | |
| You | You were doing it | ||
| They | They were doing it | ||
Examples - Examples
She called me when I was driving a car.
She called me when I was driving.
She called me when I was driving.
She came home when I was playing computer games.
She came home when I was playing computer games.
She came home while I was playing computer games.
I was talking to her yesterday at 3 o "clock.
I was talking to her yesterday at 3 o'clock.
I spoke to her yesterday at 3 o'clock.
Negative sentences in Past Continuous (Negative sentences)
| Negative sentences | Examples of | ||
| I | was not ( wasn "t ) |
verb + ing | I wasn "t doing it |
| He | He wasn "t doing it | ||
| She | She wasn "t doing it | ||
| It | It wasn "t doing it | ||
| We | were not ( weren "t ) |
We weren "t doing it | |
| You | You weren "t doing it | ||
| They | They weren "t doing it | ||
Examples - Examples
When she called me, I wasn "t doing my homework.
When she called me I was not doing my homework.
When she called me, I wasn't doing my homework.
When she saw me, I wasn "t talking to my teacher.
When she saw me, I was not talking to my teacher.
When she saw me, I did not speak to my teacher.
Interrogative sentences in Past Continuous (Interrogative sentences)
| Interrogative sentences | Examples of | ||
| Was | I | verb + ing | Was I doing it? |
| he | Was he doing it? | ||
| she | Was she doing it? | ||
| it | Was it doing it? | ||
| Were | we | Were we doing it? | |
| you | Were you doing it? | ||
| they | Were they doing it? | ||
Examples - Examples
Were you playing computer games when she came home?
Were you playing computer games when she came home?
Were you playing computer games when she came home?