Looking For Past Continuous Tense Formula? We have explained past continuous tense formula and examples. Now you can become king in Past Continuous Tense using our formula of past continuous tense.
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The past continuous tense formula is fairly simple:
Subject + was/were + present participle (-ing) verb |
For example: |
I was studying for my exam. |
They were playing soccer in the park. |
She was singing a song when I walked in. |
In the negative form, you simply add "not" after "was/were":
Subject + was/were + not + present participle (-ing) verb |
For example: |
I was not studying for my exam. |
They were not playing soccer in the park. |
She was not singing a song when I walked in. |
In the question form, you switch the order of the subject and "was/were":
Was/Were + subject + present participle (-ing) verb |
For example: |
Was I studying for my exam? |
Were they playing soccer in the park? |
Was she singing a song when I walked in? |
Exclamatory form
In the exclamatory form, you simply add an exclamation mark at the end of the sentence: |
I was studying for my exam! |
They were playing soccer in the park! |
She was singing a song when I walked in! |
Simple past Continuous Tense Formula is very simple to understand.
Here is the formula :
Subject + was/were + present participle (-ing) verb |
Past continuous tense, also known as past progressive tense, is a verb tense used to describe an action that was in progress at a specific time in the past. In other words, it describes an action that was ongoing in the past, but not necessarily completed.
The past continuous tense is formed by using the auxiliary verb “was” or “were” (depending on the subject) followed by the present participle (-ing) form of the main verb. For example:
- I was walking to the store.
- She was studying for her exams.
- They were cooking dinner.
The past continuous tense is often used to provide background information or to set the scene for another event that occurred in the past. It can also be used to describe an action that was interrupted by another event in the past. For example:
- I was studying when my friend called.
- She was walking in the park when it started to rain.
- They were playing soccer when the storm hit.
Overall, the past continuous tense is a useful tool for describing ongoing actions in the past and their relationship to other events.
The format of past continuous tense is as follows:
Positive statement: Subject + was/were + present participle (-ing form of verb) + object
For example:
- I was studying for my exam.
- They were playing soccer.
Negative statement: Subject + was/were not + present participle (-ing form of verb) + object
For example:
- She was not cooking dinner.
- We were not watching TV.
Question: Was/were + subject + present participle (-ing form of verb) + object?
For example:
- Was he watching a movie?
- Were they studying for the test?
Note: When using the past continuous tense, “was” is used for singular subjects (I, he, she, it) and “were” is used for plural subjects (we, you, they).
Here is the list of 10 examples of past continuous tense.
1. I was walking to the store when I saw my friend. |
2. She was cooking dinner while listening to music. |
3. The children were playing outside in the park. |
4. He was reading a book when the phone rang. |
5. They were watching a movie when the power went out. |
6. She was studying for her exam all night. |
7. I was driving to work when I got stuck in traffic. |
8. He was typing an email when his computer froze. |
9. They were discussing the project during the meeting. |
10. She was writing a letter to her grandmother. |
The past continuous tense is used to describe an action that was in progress at a specific time in the past. It can be used in the following situations:
- To describe a past action that was in progress when another action or event occurred:
- I was walking to the store when it started to rain.
- To describe a past action that was in progress for a duration of time:
- They were playing basketball for two hours.
- To provide background information about a past event or situation:
- She was working in a restaurant before she started her own business.
- To describe two or more past actions that were happening at the same time:
- While I was studying, my roommate was watching TV.
- To describe an ongoing past state or situation:
- He was feeling sick all day yesterday.
Overall, the past continuous tense is commonly used in storytelling, narratives, and conversations to provide a detailed description of past events or actions.

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