The past continuous puts emphasis on the course of an action in the past.
Form
Positive | Negative | Question | |
---|---|---|---|
I / he / she / it | I was speaking. | I was not speaking. | Was I speaking? |
you / we / they | You were speaking. | You were not speaking. | Were you speaking? |
Exceptions in Spelling
Exceptions in spelling when adding ing | Example |
---|---|
final e is dropped (but: ee is not changed) | come – coming (but: agree – agreeing) |
after a short, stressed vowel, the final consonant is doubled | sit – sitting |
l as final consonant after a vowel is doubled (in British English) | travel – travelling |
final ie becomes y | lie – lying |
Use of Past Progressive
- puts emphasis on the course of an action in the past Example: He was playing football.
- two actions happening at the same time (in the past) Example: While she was preparing dinner, he was washing the dishes.
- action going on at a certain time in the past Example: When I was having breakfast, the phone suddenly rang.
Exercise 2
Exercise 3
Exercise 4