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    Past Continuous

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    Star Gamer Florin

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    Past Continuous

    Uploaded by

    Star Gamer Florin
    3 views2 pages

    Original Title

    2. PAST CONTINUOUS

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    3 views2 pages

    Past Continuous

    Uploaded by

    Star Gamer Florin

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
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    THE PAST CONTINUOUS

    FORM
    • the past continuous is made from the past tense of the verb BE and the –ING
    FORM of a verb:

    statement: You were studying when she called.


    question: Were you studying when she called?
    negative: You were not studying when she called.

    No. USE EXAMPLE


    1. action which was in progress when We were playing football in the
    another action interrupted it. garden when it started to rain.

    We use the past continuous for


    the action in progress (the longer action)
    and the past simple for the action which
    interrupted it (shorter action).
    2. two or more simultaneous actions in the I was cooking dinner in the
    past. kitchen while Mary was
    watching TV in the living room.
    3. an action which was in progress at a At 11 o’clock last night I was
    stated time in the past. driving home from the party.

    We don’t mention when the action


    started or finished.
    4. to describe the atmosphere, setting etc The birds were singing and the
    and to give background information to a sun was shining.
    story. I was sitting outside in the garden
    when something strange
    happened ...
    TWO PAST CONTINUOUS FORMS – SAME SUBJECT
    When there are two past continuous forms in a sentence with the same subject we
    can avoid repetition by just using the present participle (-ing form) and leave out
    the verb to be.
    Example:
    He was walking along, he was whistling a tune. = He was walking along, whistling
    a tune.

    STATIVE VERBS
    • we do NOT normally use the past continuous with stative verbs. We use the
    past simple instead:

    Example:
    • When I got home, I really needed (NOT was needing) a shower.

    WHEN & WHILE


    • the conjunctions WHEN and WHILE are used very often in sentences that
    contain verbs in the Past Continuous.

    • WHEN is followed by Past Simple.


    Example: He was talking to Jeremy when I took that photo.

    • WHILE is followed by Past Continuous.


    Example: The girls were preparing the meat while the boys were chopping
    sticks for the fire.

    TIME EXPRESSIONS
    The time expressions we use with the past simple are:
    • while, as,
    • all morning/evening/day/week etc
    • when

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