Past Continuous: Rules, Examples & Exercises

Imagine what happened in the past like a movie. In order to describe it, we use the Past Continuous Tense. Try this exercise to check what you know about it:

Was this too hard? Study the article below and do the exercises at the bottom of this page.

Structure
- Verb (-ing) Form
Conjugation Table
When to Use the Past Continuous Tense
- Time Expressions for Past Continuous
- Key Points
Exercises on Past Continuous Tense

The past continuous tense is used to talk about actions that were happening at a specific time in the past or actions that were interrupted by another event.

Structure

The past continuous tense is formed using:

Affirmative: Subject + was/were + verb (-ing).
Negative: Subject + was not/were not (wasn’t/weren’t) + verb (-ing).
Interrogative: Was/Were + subject + verb (-ing)?

Verb (-ing) Form

To form the “-ing” form of a verb:

Add -ing: work → working, play → playing.
Drop the e and add -ing: write → writing.
Double the last consonant for short, stressed vowels: run → running.

Conjugation Table

Subject	Affirmative	Negative	Interrogative
I	I was working.	I was not working. (I wasn’t working.)	Was I working?
You	You were working.	You were not working. (You weren’t working.)	Were you working?
He/She/It	He was working.	He was not working. (He wasn’t working.)	Was he working?
We	We were working.	We were not working. (We weren’t working.)	Were we working?
They	They were working.	They were not working. (They weren’t working.)	Were they working?

When to Use the Past Continuous Tense

This verb tense is used in the following situations:

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Finding confusing with other Past Tenses? You can also study Past Simple, Past Perfect, or even to know more about habits in the past study Semi-Modals of Habits.

Time Expressions for Past Continuous

This verb tense often uses these time expressions:

At (specific time): At 6 p.m., I was having dinner.
When (interruption): I was sleeping when the alarm went off.
While (two actions): She was reading while he was cooking.

Key Points

Affirmative: Use was/were + verb (-ing).
Negative: Add not after “was/were” (short forms: wasn’t/weren’t).
Interrogative: Start with was/were, then use subject + verb (-ing).
Use time expressions like at, when, and while to give context.

Exercises on Past Continuous Tense

EXERCISE: Write a complete sentence in the Past Continuous

Write complete sentences in the Past Continuous. Use affirmative, negative, or question forms as indicated.
Example:
Prompt: she – play the piano – then (affirmative)
Answer: She was playing the piano then.

1 / 10

You – listen to music (question)

2 / 10

We – walk – in the park (affirmative)

3 / 10

He – talk – on the phone (question)

4 / 10

We – have dinner – when she called (negative)

5 / 10

I – sleep – when he arrived (affirmative)

6 / 10

She – drive – during the storm (question)

7 / 10

He – work – all night (affirmative)

8 / 10

They – play football – then (affirmative)

9 / 10

They – eat – when the lights went out (negative)

10 / 10

She – study – for the exam (negative)

Your score is

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