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Past continuous Exercises

( Free Online English Grammar Lessons )

Read time : 2 minutes

Past Continuous Form : ( Was / were + verb -ing )

In English we use the past continuous to talk about an action taking place during a period of time in the past. We usually use it with past simple.

The table below shows the different forms of past continuous :

Example verb : study	I / He / She / It	You / We / They
Positive	... was studying.	... were studying.
Negative	... wasn't studying.	... weren't studying.
Questions	Was ... studying?	Were ... studying?
Short answers	Yes, ... was. / No, ... wasn't.	Yes, ... were. / No, ... weren't.

In English we use the past continuous to show that a longer action in the past was interrupted. The interruption is usually a shorter action in the past simple. This can be a real interruption or just an interruption in time.

Past Continuous Examples Sentences :

Positive Examples of Past Continuous :

I was cooking dinner when she phoned.
While we were cycling in the park, it started to rain.
While Alex was exercising, someone stole his bike.

Negative Examples of Past Continuous :

You were not listening to the teacher when she gave us our homework.
He wasn't paying attention when the fire alarm went off.
We weren't watching the film during the scary parts.

Question Examples of Past Continuous :

What were you doing when you had the car accident?
What were you doing when the police turned up?
Where was he living when the attack happened in London?

In English we can also use a specific time as an interruption.

Examples Sentences :

Last night at 6 PM, I was travelling home.
At midnight, I was still studying for my exam.
Yesterday at this time, I was sitting on a beach in Australia.

When you use the past continuous with two actions in the same sentence, it means that both actions were happening at the same time. The actions are parallel.

Examples Sentences :

I was swimming while he was sunbathing.
While Emily was cooking, Brian was doing his homework.
Were you listening when I was speaking to you?
They were sitting by the pool, sipping cocktails, and talking about life.

Past continuous example sentences
Yeah... What was I saying?	حسنًا...ماذا كنت أقول؟
When I came, you were at the bar getting yourself a beer.	.عندما أتيت كنت انت عند البار, تشترى لنفسك جعة
Once when Bear was little, we were walking along a dark street...	.. ذات مرة عندما كان بير صغيراً, كنا نمشى فى شارع مظلم
But I don't know where he was getting it from.	.لكن لا أعلم من أين كان يأتى به
Yes, I already made myself a coffee while you were sleeping.	.نعم، لقد قمت بعمل قهوة لنفسى بينما كنت انت نائماً
Hm, why was he begging the fairy to turn him into a real kid then?	همم، لماذا إذاً كان يتوسل إلى الجنية لكي تحوله إلى طفل حقيقي؟
I think she definitely understood I was lying!	!أعتقد أنها بالتأكيد فهمت أنني كنت أكذب
And the girls were too busy ordering.	.و كانت الفتيات مشغولات بالطلبات
The only smoke I could see was coming out of her ears.	.كان الدخان الوحيد الذي تمكنت من رؤيته يخرج من أذنيها
I was also training new workers how to make coffee.	.كنت أيضاً اقوم بتدريب العمال الجدد على كيفية عمل القهوة
How did you know you were knocking on the right door?	كيف علمتِ أنكِ كنتِ تطرقين على الباب الصحيح؟
Noone was paying attention to your "precious" bag.	.لم يكن هناك أى حد يعير حقيبتك "الغالية" أى إهتمام
I can't believe it, I was planning to sleep till 9 today!	!أنا لا أصدق، لقد كنت أخطط أن أنام حتى التاسعة اليوم
Yes, sorry, I was thinking of getting stock powder at the shop.	.أجل، أسفة، كنت أفكر فى إحضار مسحوق المرق فى المتجر
I ran inside to check what was happening...	...ركضت إلى الداخل لأري ماذا كان يحدث
Alright Nick, what were you saying?	حسنًا نيك، ماذا كنت تقول؟
Oh, I see, she was talking about it last night!	!أوه، أتفهم ذلك، لقد كانت تتحدث عن هذا الليلة الماضية
You were saying something about the wardrobe before.	.كنتي تقولين شيئًا ما حول خزانة الملابس من قبل
I was planning on stirfrying some red peppers and mushrooms!	!كنت أخطط لقلى بعض الفليلفة الحمراء و المشروم
She was in the kitchen, too, preparing something to cook.	.كانت هي في المطبخ، كذلك، تُجهز شيئًا لكي تطهوه

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