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1. • Ongoing actions in the past

     • The past continuous tense, also known as the past progressive tense, describes ongoing actions in the past, such as I was writing my research paper all night. It uses the same construction as the present continuous tense except with the past tense of the verb to be.
     www.grammarly.com/blog/grammar/past-continuous-tense/

     Past Continuous Tense: How and When to Use It | Grammarly

2. People also ask

   What is past continuous tense?

   • It is the past tense version of the present continuous, which also describes ongoing actions. The present and past continuous are very similar, but the past continuous uses was and were, the past tense of to be. The past continuous tense formula involves the past tense of to be (was or were) and the present participle of the verb, the – ing form.

   Past Continuous Tense: How and When to Use It | Grammarly

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   What is the difference between past continuous and past perfect continuous?

   • With the past continuous, the action continues after the interruption. With the past perfect continuous, the action stops after the interruption. In this example, which uses the past continuous tense, the cat continues to nap after the owner returns: The cat was napping when its owner came home.

   Past Continuous Tense: How and When to Use It | Grammarly

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   What is the structure of the past continuous tense?

   • The structure of the past continuous tense is: The auxiliary verb (be) is conjugated in the Past Simple: was, were The main verb is invariable in present participle form: -ing For negative sentences we insert not between the auxiliary verb and the main verb. For question sentences, we exchange the subject and the auxiliary verb.

   Past Continuous tense (with example sentences) - EnglishClub

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   Can a verb be used in a continuous tense?

   • The days were getting shorter as winter approached. As we explain in our grammar guide, there is a certain type of verb that cannot be used in any continuous tense, including the past continuous tense. These are called stative verbs, also known as state-of-being verbs or, fittingly, non-continuous verbs.

   Past Continuous Tense: How and When to Use It | Grammarly

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   Can you use the past continuous tense with non-continuous verbs?

   • You cannot use the past continuous tense with non-continuous verbs (also known as stative verbs). Stative verbs are verbs that describe a state, condition, or situation, rather than an action. Examples of stative verbs include “like”, “hate”, “believe”, “belong”, “seem”, “know”, and “understand”.

   Past Continuous Tense: How to Use It, With Examples

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   How do you use the past continuous tense in a story?

   • We often use the Past Continuous tense to "set the scene" in stories. We use it to describe the background situation at the moment when the action begins. Often, the story starts with the Past Continuous tense and then moves into the Past Simple tense. Here is an example: "James Bond was driving through town.

   Past Continuous tense (with example sentences) - EnglishClub

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3. learnenglish.britishcouncil.org › past-continuousPast continuous | LearnEnglish - British Council

   learnenglish.britishcouncil.org › past-continuous

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   The past continuous is made from the past tense of the verb be and the –ing form of a verb: We use the past continuous to talk about the past: for something which happened before and after another action: The children were doing their homework when I got home. Compare: The children did their homework when (= after) I got home.

4. fluent-english-grammar.com › en › past-continuous-tensePast Continuous Tense: How to Use It, With Examples

   fluent-english-grammar.com › en › past-continuous-tense

   May 2, 2024 · The past continuous tense, also known as the past progressive tense, is a verb tense used to describe an action or event that was in progress at a specific time in the past. This article will explain how to use the past continuous tense and provide examples to help you understand it better.

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6. www.englishclub.com › grammar › verb-tenses_pastPast Continuous tense (with example sentences) - EnglishClub

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   The Past Continuous tense expresses action at a particular moment in the past. The action started before that moment but has not finished at that moment. For example, yesterday I watched a film on TV. The film started at 7pm and finished at 9pm.

7. www.englishpage.com › verbpage › pastcontinuousPast Continuous Tense | ENGLISH PAGE

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   • USE 1 Interrupted Action in the Past. Use the past continuous to indicate that a longer action in the past was interrupted. The interruption is usually a shorter action in the simple past.
   • USE 2 Specific Time as an Interruption. In USE 1, described above, the past continuous is interrupted by a shorter action in the simple past. However, you can also use a specific time as an interruption.
   • USE 3 Parallel Actions. When you use the past continuous with two actions in the same sentence, it expresses the idea that both actions were happening at the same time.
   • USE 4 Atmosphere. In English, we often use a series of parallel actions to describe the atmosphere at a particular time in the past. Example: When I walked into the office, several people were busily typing, some were talking on the phones, the boss was yelling directions, and customers were waiting to be helped.

8. www.perfect-english-grammar.com › past-continuousThe Past Continuous (or Past Progressive) Tense

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   Perfect English Grammar. The Past Continuous. (or past progressive tense) How can we make the past continuous? Firstly, check that you know how to make the past simple with 'be' (subject + was / were). Then just add verb-ing. Click here to download this explanation as a pdf. Click here for practice on how to USE the past continuous.

9. speakenglishalfresco.com › blog › understanding-theUnderstanding the Past Continuous Tense in English

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   The past continuous tense is one of the most essential yet sometimes misunderstood tenses in English grammar. Also known as the past progressive tense, it is used to describe actions that were happening at a specific moment in the past. In this blog, we’ll delve into how and when to use the past continuous tense, with plenty of examples to ...