4 Questions
Which type of actions in the past does the past continuous tense describe?
Ongoing actions that were interrupted
What is the correct structure for forming the past continuous tense?
Subject + was/were + present participle (-ing form of verb)
Which of the following is a common keyword associated with the past continuous tense?
While
When using the past continuous tense, what function can it serve in storytelling?
To set the background of a story
Study Notes
- Past continuous tense, also referred to as past progressive tense, is used to describe ongoing actions in the past.
- To form past continuous tense, subject takes "was" or "were" followed by a verb with the "-ing" ending. For example, "I was eating," or "Here it was plus a verb like eat plus ing: I was eating."
- It is used to describe longer actions in the past that have been interrupted, such as "Last week, I was walking across the street when Supergirl jumped in front of me."
- Past continuous tense is used to set the background of a story, like "The sun was shining and the sheep were eating as I walked through the field."
- It can also be used to describe actions that started in the past and finished at a later time, such as "He was working overtime last night."
- Keywords often used with past continuous tense include "when," "while," and "always" or "constantly," like "When the phone rang," or "While I was playing golf," or "He was constantly talking in class."
- Past continuous tense can also be used with expressions like "all day" or "all evening," such as "They were playing games all day," or "I was doing homework all evening."
Test your knowledge of past continuous tense, also known as past progressive tense, which is used to describe ongoing actions in the past. Learn how to form and use this tense to describe interrupted actions, set backgrounds in stories, or portray actions that started and finished in the past.
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