Past Continuous Tense (Lesson 7)

A. Read the passage below and notice the time reference of the action verbs in the sentences in bold:

It was 5 o'clock in the evening. It was raining lightly. I was sitting at a tea-stall by the side of the road. I was taking tea and watching the people on the road. The people were walking hurriedly for shelter. An old woman was crossing the road. A bus was running at a high speed. Suddenly the bus ran over the old woman.

Say:
What is the verb form of the sentences in bold?
Is the action complete or over or it was still going on at a point of time in the past?

Note: Notice that the bold sentences in this passage refer to some actions which were going on at a certain time in the past.

Form: 'was/were' is used as auxiliary verb and base/present form of the main verb+ ing is used. So the verb form is: was/were+verb+ing.
Write five sentences in the past continuous tense on 'what were you doing at about 10:00 pm last night' using the following verbs:
write, play, sleep, laugh and drink.

B. Read the following dialogue:
A: What were you doing in the evening yesterday?
B: I wasn't doing anything in particular.
A: Were you studying?
B: Not at all.
A: I was calling you but you were not responding.
B: Then I was possibly talking with my father.

There are some interrogative and negative sentences in the dialogue. See how the interrogative and negative sentences are framed in this tense.

Note: In framing negative sentences in this tense 'not' is used after the auxiliary verb and in the interrogative sentences the auxiliary verb 'was'/'were' comes before the subject.

C Complete the following sentences using the past continuous tense. Use the appropriate auxiliary verb in the first gap and the right form of the main verb (given in the brackets) in the second gap:

1. At 8 o'clock mother ______ ______ dinner. (cook)
2. I _____ then _____ a bath. (take)
3. Zinnia ______ ______ ready to go out. (get)
4. You ____ ______ a phone call. (make)
5. What ____ they ____ then? (do)

D. Write a few sentences describing what you were doing this time last week. (Note Past perfect and Past Perfect Continuous tenses will be dealt with in the grammar book of class VII)