Everything you need to understand, use and master the past continuous in English, formation, every use, common mistakes, exercises and exam practice, explained clearly by a CELTA-qualified teacher.
📖 Reading time: ~18 minutes✅ Reviewed by a CELTA-qualified teacher🎯 Covers A1 to B2
The past continuous (also called the past progressive) describes actions that were in progress at a specific moment in the past. It answers the question "What was happening?" rather than "What happened?"
Where the past simple treats an action as a single completed point, the past continuous zooms in on the middle of an action, it shows the action already underway, with no clear start or end in view. This is why it is the tense of scene-setting: it puts you in the middle of a story before the past simple moves the action forward.
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How to use this guide
If you already know the past simple, focus on Section 7 (Past Continuous vs Past Simple), that comparison is where almost all real difficulty with this tense lies.
2. Quick Summary
⚡ Past Continuous at a Glance
DefinitionAn action that was in progress at a specific past moment.
Common MistakeUsing it with stative verbs ("I was knowing the answer")
Memory TipIf you can picture it happening mid-action like a photo, use the past continuous.
3. The Grammar Rule
The past continuous is formed with was/were plus the -ing form of the main verb.
Subject
Form
Example
I / He / She / It
was + verb-ing
I was working. She was sleeping.
You / We / They
were + verb-ing
You were talking. They were waiting.
4. Sentence Structure
Form
Structure
Example
Positive
Subject + was/were + verb-ing
I was reading a book.
Negative
Subject + was/were + not + verb-ing
I wasn't reading a book.
Question
Was/Were + subject + verb-ing?
Were you reading a book?
Short Answer
Yes/No, subject + was/were(n't)
Yes, I was. / No, I wasn't.
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Common structural error
Learners often forget "was/were" entirely: "I working when she called" is incorrect. The auxiliary is never optional: "I was working when she called."
5. Every Use of the Past Continuous
1 An Interrupted Action
A longer action in progress, interrupted by a shorter, completed action (past simple).
I was watching TV when the phone rang.
She was cooking dinner when the fire alarm went off.
We were sleeping when the earthquake happened.
2 Two Parallel Actions
Two actions happening at the same time in the past, often linked with "while."
While I was cooking, my husband was setting the table.
She was studying while he was watching football.
3 Setting the Scene in a Story
Describing the background of a story before the main events (past simple) happen.
The sun was shining and birds were singing when we arrived.
Everyone was dancing when the lights suddenly went out.
4 A Temporary Situation Around a Point in Time
At 8pm last night, I was having dinner.
This time last year, I was living in Madrid.
5 A Repeated, Often Annoying Action (with "always")
Combined with "always," this expresses irritation about a repeated past habit.
He was always losing his keys.
They were always arguing about money.
6. Signal Words
Common signal words and phrases: while, as, when, at that moment, at 8pm yesterday, this time last week, all day yesterday, always (for irritation).
7. Past Continuous vs Past Simple
This is the single most important comparison in this guide. The past continuous is the background; the past simple is the event.
Past Continuous
Past Simple
Action in progress, no clear end
Completed action with a clear end
I was walking home.
I walked home.
Background / longer action
Interrupting / shorter action
I was watching TV when she arrived.
She arrived while I was watching TV.
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Quick test
Ask yourself: is this the main event of the sentence, or the background it happened against? Main event → past simple. Background → past continuous.
8. Common Mistakes
❌ Incorrect
✅ Correct
Why
I was knowing the answer.
I knew the answer.
"Know" is a stative verb, never used in continuous forms.
She was arrived when I called.
She had arrived when I called.
Completed-before-completed needs past perfect, not past continuous.
While I cooked, he was setting the table.
While I was cooking, he was setting the table.
Parallel long actions both take past continuous.
I working when you called.
I was working when you called.
The auxiliary "was/were" can never be dropped.
9. Stative Verbs, Why They're Not Used Here
Stative verbs describe states, not actions, and are not normally used in any continuous form, including the past continuous. Common stative verbs: know, believe, understand, want, like, love, hate, own, belong, need.
Instead of "I was wanting a coffee," say "I wanted a coffee."
10. Spelling Rules for -ing
Rule
Example
Most verbs: add -ing
work → working, read → reading
Ends in silent -e: drop the -e
make → making, write → writing
One syllable, consonant-vowel-consonant: double final consonant
run → running, sit → sitting
Ends in -ie: change to -y
lie → lying, die → dying
11. Exercises
A. Gap Fill, Complete with the correct past continuous form (25 questions)
1. I ___ (watch) TV when the lights went out.
2. ___ you ___ (sleep) when I called?
3. They ___ (not/listen) when the teacher explained the task.
4. She ___ (cook) dinner at 7pm last night.
5. While we ___ (walk) home, it started to rain.
6. He ___ (drive) too fast when the accident happened.
7. ___ she ___ (work) when you arrived?
8. I ___ (not/pay) attention during the meeting.
9. The children ___ (play) in the garden all afternoon.
10. We ___ (have) dinner when the doorbell rang.
11. ___ they ___ (wait) for a long time?
12. He ___ (always/complain) about the weather.
13. I ___ (think) about you when you texted me.
14. She ___ (not/feel) well, so she left early.
15. What ___ you ___ (do) at 9pm last night?
16. The sun ___ (shine) when we left the house.
17. I ___ (not/expect) that phone call.
18. ___ he ___ (still/talk) when you left the room?
19. We ___ (chat) for hours when the waiter interrupted us.
20. She ___ (not/wear) a coat, even though it was cold.
21. The birds ___ (sing) when I woke up this morning.
22. ___ you ___ (enjoy) yourself when the music suddenly stopped?
23. He ___ (jog) in the park when it started to rain.
24. I ___ (not/look) where I was going, and I bumped into a lamppost.
25. They ___ (celebrate) all weekend after the win.
Show Answers (A)
1. was watching 2. Were...sleeping 3. weren't listening 4. was cooking 5. were walking 6. was driving 7. Was...working 8. wasn't paying 9. were playing 10. were having 11. Were...waiting 12. was always complaining 13. was thinking 14. wasn't feeling 15. were...doing 16. was shining 17. wasn't expecting 18. Was...still talking 19. were chatting 20. wasn't wearing 21. were singing 22. Were...enjoying 23. was jogging 24. wasn't looking 25. were celebrating
B. Multiple Choice (15 questions)
1. I ___ TV when you called. (a) watched (b) was watching
2. They ___ when the storm started. (a) were driving (b) drove
3. ___ you sleeping at midnight? (a) Was (b) Were
4. She ___ the piano beautifully at the party. (a) was playing (b) played
5. We ___ dinner when the power went out. (a) had (b) were having
6. He ___ always losing things. (a) was (b) is
7. I ___ know the answer at the time. (a) wasn't (b) didn't
8. ___ it raining when you left? (a) Was (b) Did
9. They ___ arguing when I walked in. (a) were (b) was
10. She ___ a red dress at the wedding. (a) wore (b) was wearing
11. I ___ the news when you texted me. (a) was reading (b) read
12. ___ they still working when the office closed? (a) Was (b) Were
13. He ___ his phone when he walked into the door. (a) was using (b) used
14. We ___ a walk when it began to snow. (a) had (b) were having
15. She ___ tired all week, so she stayed home. (a) was feeling (b) felt
Show Answers (B)
1.b 2.a 3.b 4.a 5.b 6.a 7.b 8.a 9.a 10.a 11.a 12.b 13.a 14.b 15.b (a general state over the week, though 'felt' is also acceptable)
C. Error Correction (14 questions)
1. I was knowing him for years.
2. She working when I called.
3. They was watching a film.
4. While I cooked, she was cleaning.
5. Was you sleeping at 10pm?
6. He was wanting to leave early.
7. We was having a great time.
8. I was believe the story.
9. Did you were working yesterday?
10. She were reading a book.
11. I was know the answer.
12. While she was cook, I was setting the table.
13. He was play football when he got injured.
14. Was raining when we left the cinema.
Show Answers (C)
1. I knew him for years. 2. She was working when I called. 3. They were watching a film. 4. While I was cooking, she was cleaning. 5. Were you sleeping at 10pm? 6. He wanted to leave early. 7. We were having a great time. 8. I believed the story. 9. Were you working yesterday? 10. She was reading a book. 11. I knew the answer. 12. While she was cooking, I was setting the table. 13. He was playing football when he got injured. 14. It was raining when we left the cinema.
D. Freer Practice, Longer Sentences in Context (5 questions)
1. Yesterday at 6pm, I ___ (get ready for a night out). Meanwhile, my roommate ___ (watch a film on the sofa).
2. When the fire alarm rang, some students ___ (write) their exam, while others ___ (already/leave) the room.
3. This time last year, I ___ (still/study) at university and ___ (not/think) about a career yet.
4. While the chef ___ (prepare) the starter, the waiters ___ (set) all twenty tables.
5. At the exact moment the goal was scored, half the crowd ___ (look) at their phones and missed it.
Show Answers (D)
1. was getting ready for a night out / was watching a film on the sofa 2. were writing / had already left 3. was still studying / wasn't thinking 4. was preparing / were setting 5. were looking
12. Mini Quiz
13. Exam Focus, Cambridge, IELTS, SELT
Exam
How Past Continuous Is Tested
Sample Question
Cambridge B1 Preliminary
Narrative writing, combined with past simple for interrupted actions.
Writing Part 2: "Write a story that begins: While I was walking home..."
Cambridge B2 First
Key word transformations mixing past continuous and past simple.
"I was in the middle of cooking when the phone rang." → "I ___ dinner when the phone rang." (was cooking)
IELTS Speaking
Part 2 narrative tasks often require past continuous for scene-setting.
"Describe a memorable event. What was happening before it started?"
Trinity GESE/ISE (SELT)
Storytelling and describing what was happening at a specific time in personal narratives.
"What were you doing when you heard the news?"
14. Frequently Asked Questions
It describes an action that was in progress at a specific moment in the past, for example, "I was reading when you called."
Subject + was/were + verb-ing. Example: "She was working."
Past continuous shows an action in progress (the background); past simple shows a completed event (the main action). See Section 7 for a full comparison.
No, verbs like know, believe, want and like describe states, not actions, and are not used in continuous forms.
Subject + was/were + not + verb-ing. Example: "I wasn't listening."
Was/Were + subject + verb-ing? Example: "Were you sleeping?"
"While" often introduces a past continuous clause showing an action in progress during which something else happened.
Yes, this is one of its main uses. Example: "While I was cooking, he was cleaning."
It expresses irritation about a frequently repeated past habit. Example: "He was always losing his keys."
No, the auxiliary is required in every positive, negative and question form.
Yes, it's commonly needed when describing what was happening at a particular time in a personal narrative.
Describe what was happening around you at a specific moment yesterday, then book a free consultation for personalised speaking practice.
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