Past Continuous Tense Rules with Examples: Past continuous tense is very similar to present continuous tense. The main difference among both is that in past continuous tense the action takes place in past. On the same note, rules of past continuous tense are also quite similar to present continuous tense. Lets discuss all these rules of past continuous tense with examples in which we talk about ongoing actions in past.
Past Continuous Tense Rules with Examples
The basic rule for past continuous tense is given by the expression as follow.
Past Continuous Tense=Subject + was/were (Helping Verb) +1ST Verb+ Ing+ Object
Was –> (I, He, She, It, any Name, Singular noun)
Were –> (We, They, You, Plural Noun)
Rules for using past continuous tense
- Background stories
- Interrupted task
- Parallel Actions
- When/while
- Actions happening again and again
- Change and Growth
Background stories
When anyone explains any of your stories happened in the past then it can be explained with the help of past continuous tense.
For example
- The bird was chirping and I was enjoying it.
- The dog was barking on me and I was just running fast.
- The Police inspectors were searching for the thief and the thief was trying to hid himself.
- They were fighting but all the boys were just laughing.
Interrupted Task
If a person was doing any task and it kept unfinished by some reasons then this action can be expressed as past continuous tense.
For example
- I was having a horrible dream when you came inside.
- She was skiing when she lost her legs.
- I was waiting for the bus when you picked me from bus stop.
Parallel Actions
Sometimes we express many actions simultaneously. These all actions are parallel to each other. To express these actions we use past continuous tense.
For example
- She was studying while I was witching T.V.
- Were you concentrating while teacher teaching?
- We were doing party and planning for our coming trip for London.
- I was working on my laptop, doing some task of website and enjoying it.
When/While
The sentences using these words like when and while are mostly using past continuously tense.
For example
- My mom was making food while I was planning.
- I was taking tea while my friend was drinking soft drinks.
- The sun was just burning when I left hospital.
- They were working on a project when I asked them for help.
Actions happening again and again
These can be some situations when any action is repeatedly happening again and again. For these situations we use past continuous tense.
For example
- I was always waiting for your time.
- Steve was constantly taking his companies to new milestones.
- No one likes her because she was always fighting with everyone.
- They were constantly cheating me in my firm.
Change and Growth
When any one feels about the changes growth made in the past then he/ she expresses it with the help of past continuous tense.
For example
- My son was growing up quickly.
- Our website was improving its ranking day by day.
- My mind was running faster than everyone else.
- Her eyes were losing their shine day by day.
I hope you have enjoyed this article and get what you wanted. So this was all about Past Continuous Tense Rules with Examples. If you feel any problem regarding this topic then comment below so that we can solve out your problems.
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