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He was serving a customer when the robber came in.
What were you doing at …?
I was watching TV.
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Past continuous tense
Part 1
Part 2
Part 1
In this part, you will learn to use the past continuous tense to talk about actions that continued for a period of time in the past.
We use the present continuous tense to talk about an action that is happening at the present time.
I am doing homework.
is / am / are + verb +ing
What about the same time yesterday?
(now)
Continuous actions
I was doing homework at 3 p.m. yesterday.
was / were + verb +ing
I do homework at the same time every day.
(yesterday)
Continuous actions
Correct! We use the past continuous tense to talk about a action that continued for a period of time in the past.
She was playing the violin at 4 p.m. yesterday.
4:00 p.m.
yesterday
Past continuous tense
Here is another example.
They were eating at six o’clock yesterday.
6:00 p.m.
yesterday
Let’s take a closer look at these examples.
Past continuous tense
We use the past continuous tense to talk
about a continuous action that happened at a particular point of time in the past.
an ongoing action
a point of time in the past
Past continuous tense
They were eating at six o’clock yesterday.
She was playing the violin at 4 p.m. yesterday.
They were eating at six o’clock yesterday.
She was playing the violin at 4 p.m. yesterday.
he / she / it / I + was
you / they / we + were
How do we form a question in the past continuous tense?
Past continuous tense
This is how we can form a question:
A: What were you doing at 1 p.m. this afternoon?
B: I was having lunch.
What you were doing …?
I had lunch.
Past continuous tense
Here are more examples.
A: What was Jim doing at 7:00 this morning?
B: He was eating breakfast.
A: What were your parents doing at 9:00 last night?
B: They were watching TV.
Past continuous tense
1. This sentence is written in the past continuous tense. There is one mistake. Can you find it and correct it?
I am tidying my room at 1 p.m. yesterday.
was
Quick Check
2. Fill in the blanks.
Mum: What ______ you _______ (do) at 4 p.m. yesterday?
Sue: I ____________ (play) �basketball.
were
doing
was playing
Quick Check
3. Fill in the blanks.
Gigi: What ______ your brother ________ (do) at 10 p.m. last night?
Sue: He _______________ (study) for his exams.
was
doing
was studying
Quick Check
4. Fill in the blanks.
Jim: What ________________ (do) at 6 o’clock this morning?
Sue: _________________ (brush) my teeth.
were you doing
I was brushing
Quick Check
Part 2
In this part, you will learn to use when to link a longer action and a shorter action in the past.
We learnt how to use the past continuous tense in the last part.
I was sleeping at 10 p.m. last night.
Past actions
Now let’s look at this sentence.
I was sleeping at 10 p.m. last night.
I was sleeping when my dad came home.
Past actions
Now let’s look at this sentence.
Why is this in the past continuous tense …
… but this is in the simple past tense?
I was sleeping when my dad came home.
Past actions
There are two actions here:
This is a longer action.
This is a shorter action.
Let me explain!
Past actions
I was sleeping when my dad came home.
We use the past continuous tense for the longer action.
This is a longer action.
This is a shorter action.
We use the simple past tense for the shorter action.
Past actions
I was sleeping when my dad came home.
We use when to link a longer action and a shorter action.
I was sleeping when my dad came home.
Past actions
I’m home!
I was sleeping when my dad came home.
Past actions
Which is the longer action?
Which is the shorter action?
Now let’s try to put these two actions together.
thief / escape
police / catch the thief
Linking past actions
Now let’s try to put these two actions together.
thief / escape
police / catch the thief
longer action
shorter action
Linking past actions
the thief was escaping
the police caught him
thief / escape
longer action
police / catch the thief
shorter action
We use the past continuous tense for the longer action…
…and the simple past tense for the
shorter action.
Now let’s try to put these two actions together.
Linking past actions
Now what word can we use to link the two actions?
when
the thief was escaping
the police caught him
Now let’s try to put these two actions together.
Linking past actions
The thief was escaping when the police caught him.
when
the thief was escaping
the police caught him
Now let’s try to put these two actions together.
Linking past actions
The thief was escaping when the police caught him.
Linking past actions
Good job! Let’s look at more examples.
longer action
longer action
shorter action
shorter action
Linking past actions
The children were having lunch when the doorbell rang.
The people in the house were sleeping when the burglar broke in.
1. Link the two sentences using when.
I was playing in the park when it started to rain.
Quick Check
2. Link the two sentences using when.
I was waiting for the bus at the bus stop when a car crashed into a tree.
Quick Check
3. Fill in the blanks.
Bella ____________ (eat) at a restaurant when a thief ______ (steal) her mobile phone.
was eating
stole
Quick Check
4. Fill in the blanks.
I ______________ (jog) in the park ______ I _____ (see) an injured �puppy.
was jogging
when
saw
Quick Check
Well done!
Acknowledgements
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