Past continuous Tense

Identification of the Tense: - The event was happing in recent past. Ex:-

1. Rajiv was going to school.
2. I was playing football.
3. He was not studying.
4. Were they living here?

There was continuity in the happening of all the events given in the above examples.

Usage:- In Past Continuous Tense we usually use 

1. First form of the verb + ing and
2. was (with singular subject)/were(if the subject is plural I)

Explanation:-

In the first sentence "Rajiv was going to school."
Singular noun Rajiv is followed by helping verb was followed by first form of the verb go+ing.

In second sentence "I was playing football."
Singular Pronoun I  is followed by helping verb was followed by first form of the verb play+ing.

In third sentence "He was not studying"
Being a negative sentence the helping verb was is followed by not which itself is followed by first form of the verb study+ing.

In the fourth sentence"were they living here."
In this interrogative sentence helping verb were is preceeding plural noun they following by first form of the verb live+ ing ie living.

Example sentences in Past Continue Tense:

Use of Past Continuous Tense:-

to express an action that was in progress at some time in the past.

• She was taking my bath at 7o’clock.
• I was playing in the garden when he came.

to express two or more actions in progress at the same time.

• While I was doing my home-work, my brother was playing outside.
• The students were talking when the teacher was writing on the black-board.

to express an often repeated (undesirable) past action.

• She was always taunting him.
• She was always coming at odd hours.   

Practise Exercise for Past Continuous Tense:-

• Past Continous Tense Conversation 1
• Past Continous Tense Exercise 1

Present Tense

• Present Indefinite Tense/ Simple Present Tense
• Present Perfect Tense
• Present continuous Tense
• Present Perfect continuous Tense

Past Tense

• Past Indefinite Tense/ Simple Past Tense
• Past Perfect Tense
• Past continuous Tense
• Past Perfect continuous Tense

Future Tense

• Future Indefinite Tense/ Simple Future Tense
• Future Perfect Tense
• Future continuous Tense
• Future Perfect continuous Tense