Past continuous

Rules

• Rule 1: was or were?

  Use was with I / he / she / it and were with you / we / they. Then add the verb + -ing.

  Pattern: I / he / she / it + was + verb-ing · you / we / they + were + verb-ing

  Example: My sister was painting a picture.

  Example: We were waiting for the bus.

• Rule 2: A moment in the past

  We use it for actions in progress at a particular time in the past.

  Example: At 6 pm yesterday, Dad was cooking dinner.

  Example: What were you doing at midnight?

• Rule 3: when + a short action

  A long action can be interrupted by a short action. Long action → past continuous; short action → past simple. We often use when before the short action.

  Pattern: long action (was/were + -ing) + when + short action (past simple)

  Example: I was eating breakfast when the phone rang.

  Example: We were walking home when it started to rain.

• Rule 4: while + a long action

  while goes before the long action. If two long actions happen at the same time, both are in the past continuous.

  Example: While I was washing the dishes, I broke a plate.

  Example: While Mom was reading, Dad was watching TV.

Common mistakes

• They was playing. → They were playing.

  they → were.

• I was watch TV. → I was watching TV.

  After was / were → verb + -ing.

• Did you playing at 5? → Were you playing at 5?

  Questions use was / were.