What is Past Continuous?
Past Continuous describes an action that was in progress at a specific moment in the past. Think of it as a photograph of the past — you caught the action mid-flow.
Action in progress
Something was happening at a specific past time.
At 8pm I was watching TV.
Background action
Sets the scene for another event.
It was raining when I left.
Interrupted action
Was happening when something else occurred.
I was sleeping when the phone rang.
Two parallel actions
Two things happening at the same time.
She was cooking while he was reading.
Formula
✅ Positive
Subject+was / were+verb + -ing
I/he/she/it → was | you/we/they → were
❌ Negative
wasn’t / weren’t+verb + -ing
❓ Question
Was / Were+subject+verb + -ing?
Past Continuous + Past Simple (the KEY combo)
This combination is very common. The Past Continuous gives the background (long action), and the Past Simple is the interruption (short action).
I was walking home when it started to rain.
walking = background · started = interruption
She was cooking when he arrived.
cooking = in progress · arrived = sudden event
Were you sleeping when I called?
Question about a past background action
⚡ Signal words for Past Continuous:
while
when (background)
at that moment
at 8pm yesterday
all day
all morning
when (background)
at that moment
at 8pm yesterday
all day
all morning
💡 Memory Hack
The movie scene trick
Past Continuous = the camera is rolling. You’re filming a scene and catching someone mid-action. Past Simple = a sudden cut to a new scene. “She was dancing (camera rolling) when he walked in (cut!).” While the camera rolls → continuous. The cut → simple.