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Past continuous Exercises

( Free Online English Grammar Lessons )

Read time : 2 minutes

Past Continuous Form : ( Was / were + verb -ing )

In English we use the past continuous to talk about an action taking place during a period of time in the past. We usually use it with past simple.

The table below shows the different forms of past continuous :

Example verb : study	I / He / She / It	You / We / They
Positive	... was studying.	... were studying.
Negative	... wasn't studying.	... weren't studying.
Questions	Was ... studying?	Were ... studying?
Short answers	Yes, ... was. / No, ... wasn't.	Yes, ... were. / No, ... weren't.

In English we use the past continuous to show that a longer action in the past was interrupted. The interruption is usually a shorter action in the past simple. This can be a real interruption or just an interruption in time.

Past Continuous Examples Sentences :

Positive Examples of Past Continuous :

I was cooking dinner when she phoned.
While we were cycling in the park, it started to rain.
While Alex was exercising, someone stole his bike.

Negative Examples of Past Continuous :

You were not listening to the teacher when she gave us our homework.
He wasn't paying attention when the fire alarm went off.
We weren't watching the film during the scary parts.

Question Examples of Past Continuous :

What were you doing when you had the car accident?
What were you doing when the police turned up?
Where was he living when the attack happened in London?

In English we can also use a specific time as an interruption.

Examples Sentences :

Last night at 6 PM, I was travelling home.
At midnight, I was still studying for my exam.
Yesterday at this time, I was sitting on a beach in Australia.

When you use the past continuous with two actions in the same sentence, it means that both actions were happening at the same time. The actions are parallel.

Examples Sentences :

I was swimming while he was sunbathing.
While Emily was cooking, Brian was doing his homework.
Were you listening when I was speaking to you?
They were sitting by the pool, sipping cocktails, and talking about life.

Past continuous example sentences
Yes, sorry, I was thinking of getting stock powder at the shop.	.أجل، أسفة، كنت أفكر فى إحضار مسحوق المرق فى المتجر
Yeah, it wasn't only Pogo, she was complaining about everything!	!أجل، لم يكن بوجو وحسب، إنها كانت تشتكي من كل شيء
I was planning on cooking some meat, originally.	.كنت أخطط لطهى بعض اللحم فى الأصل
Hm, why was he begging the fairy to turn him into a real kid then?	همم، لماذا إذاً كان يتوسل إلى الجنية لكي تحوله إلى طفل حقيقي؟
The other day, you complained about how loud I was snoring.	.في البارحة، كنت تشتكي من كيف أنني أقوم بالشخير بصوت عالي
Once when Bear was little, we were walking along a dark street...	.. ذات مرة عندما كان بير صغيراً, كنا نمشى فى شارع مظلم
I think she definitely understood I was lying!	!أعتقد أنها بالتأكيد فهمت أنني كنت أكذب
She was in the kitchen, too, preparing something to cook.	.كانت هي في المطبخ، كذلك، تُجهز شيئًا لكي تطهوه
Yes, I already made myself a coffee while you were sleeping.	.نعم، لقد قمت بعمل قهوة لنفسى بينما كنت انت نائماً
Thank god you weren't looking for red wine!	!الحمد لله أنكِ لم تكونى تنظرين الى نبيذ أحمر
I thought Diego was taking you somewhere.	.لقد إعتقدت ان ديجو كان سيأخذك معه الى مكان ما
How did you know you were knocking on the right door?	كيف علمتِ أنكِ كنتِ تطرقين على الباب الصحيح؟
Oh, I see, she was talking about it last night!	!أوه، أتفهم ذلك، لقد كانت تتحدث عن هذا الليلة الماضية
I was just trying to be more realistic!	!كنت فقط أحاول أن أكون أكثر واقعية
It sounds like she was having a mental breakdown.	.يبدو وأنها كانت في حالة إنهيار عصبي
When I came, you were at the bar getting yourself a beer.	.عندما أتيت كنت انت عند البار, تشترى لنفسك جعة
And you pretended you didn't know I was living here.	.و ادعيت أنك لم تعلم أنني أعيش هنا
I was planning on stirfrying some red peppers and mushrooms!	!كنت أخطط لقلى بعض الفليلفة الحمراء و المشروم
That's what I was planning.	.هذا ما كنت أخطط له
You were saying something about the wardrobe before.	.كنتي تقولين شيئًا ما حول خزانة الملابس من قبل

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