Page 84 - New Grammar with a Smile 6

Uses

The past continuous tense is used

1. to describe an unfinished action that was interrupted by another event or action.
For example,

• I was watching TV when you called.
• I was making my presentation, when the computer went off.

2. to describe two actions that were happening at the same time in the past.
For example,
• While Mother was cooking, I was watching television.

• While Maya was reading, Rajat was watering the plants.

3. to describe the introductory scene for a story written in the past tense.
For example,

• The sun was shining brightly. The birds were chirping on the trees.

Structure

♦ Affirmative sentences

For affirmative sentences in the past continuous tense, we use the present participle
form of the verb.

subject was/were verb + ing rest of the sentence

• We were sleeping in the afternoon.
• She was watching television.
• The children were playing in the garden.

♦ Negative sentences

For negative sentences, we have the following structure.

subject was/were not verb + ing rest of the sentence

• He was not waiting for us.

• She was not driving carefully.
• The students were not making any noise.

♦ Interrogative sentences

For interrogative sentences, we have the following structure.

was/were subject verb + ing rest of the sentence

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