When to use past continuous?

Use the past continuous tense to talk about an action that used to be done frequently in the past but is not done in the present.

What is the rule of past continuous?

In order to form the past continuous tense, we use the past tense of the verb be followed by the present participle of the verb. The present participle is a form of a verb that ends in the suffix -ing. For example, the present participle of read is reading.

How do you use past continuous tense examples?

Examples of Past Continuous Tense

1. It was snowing yesterday.
2. They were eating at the restaurant.
3. You were working yesterday.
4. I was studying last night.
5. I was waiting for the cab when I met Raj.
6. The children were shouting when the teacher came in.
7. It was midnight when it was raining.
8. Everyone was clapping.

What is the difference between present continuous and past continuous?

The Present continuous can be used to show an action which is happening at the time of speaking. I am having dinner at the moment. The Past continuous can be used to show an action which was happening in the past.

What is the difference between past continuous and past simple?

We use the past continuous to talk about events and temporary states that were in progress around a certain time in the past. We use the past simple to talk about events, states or habits at definite times in the past.

How do you teach past continuous?

They'll need to choose a time and then create a sentence for what the people in the pictures were doing at that time.

What are 4 examples of past continuous tense?

They were going to market. he was playing football. I was watching a movie. she was talking about yourself.

How do you teach past continuous tense?

Continue introducing the past continuous by asking students simple questions in the past simple about events. Follow up these questions with a question asking what was happening when the event occurred. When did you leave home this morning – At nine o'clock. What was your sister doing when you left home?

What is the main difference between past continuous and past perfect continuous?

Past continuous emphasizes interrupted actions, whereas past perfect continuous emphasizes a duration of time before something in the past.

How is past simple Different from past continuous explain?

The past simple describes actions that happened in a specific moment in the past. On the other hand, the past continuous describes actions that were in progress in the past.

What are 10 examples of past continuous?

They were playing basketball after school. He was eating food. The rain was raining tonight. She wasn't watching the movie.
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Answers

• They were going to market.
• he was playing football.
• I was watching a movie.
• she was talking about yourself.
• children were coming to the classroom.

How do you teach simple past and past continuous?

Continue introducing the past continuous by asking students simple questions in the past simple about events. Follow up these questions with a question asking what was happening when the event occurred. When did you leave home this morning – At nine o'clock. What was your sister doing when you left home?

What is the difference between simple past and past continuous?

We use the past simple to talk about events, states or habits at definite times in the past. At 4 pm last Tuesday, I was working in the office. The past continuous emphasises the action or event in progress around a time in the past. The event (working) was in progress at 4 pm.

What is past continuous tense for beginners?

The past continuous tense is used in sentences to indicate actions that were happening at some time in the past. It can be written in the following format – subject + was/were + verb+ing + the rest of the sentence.

What is past tense vs past continuous?

We use the past continuous to talk about events and temporary states that were in progress around a certain time in the past. We use the past simple to talk about events, states or habits at definite times in the past. At 4 pm last Tuesday, I was working in the office.

What is the rule of past continuous and past perfect tense?

We use the past perfect continuous to show that an event or action in the past was still continuing. The builders had put up the scaffolding around the house. Past perfect simple emphasises the completion of the action (the scaffolding is up). The builders had been putting up the scaffolding when the roof fell in.

How do you explain past continuous tense and what is the formula?

Past Continuous Tense – Structure

Was/were + subject + present participle (verb+ing) + the rest of the sentence? Wasn't/weren't + subject + present participle (verb+ing) + the rest of the sentence? She was doing her work.

How do you change past tense to past continuous?

• We make the present continuous tense form by putting is, am or are before the –ing form of the verb. We make the past continuous tense form by putting was or were before the –ing form of the verb.

How do you make past continuous tense?

A verb, when used in the past continuous tense, always takes a helping verb (was or were) and a main verb. The helping verb is followed by the main verb, which happens to be in the present participle form (gerund form – base verb +ing).

What are 5 examples of present continuous?

• Present continuous
  • I'm just leaving work. …
  • Mary is going to a new school next term. …
  • At eight o'clock we are usually having breakfast. …
  • Michael is at university. …
  • These days most people are using email instead of writing letters. …
  • The children are growing up quickly. …
  • It's always raining in London.

What is the difference between past tense and past continuous?

We use the past continuous to talk about events and temporary states that were in progress around a certain time in the past. We use the past simple to talk about events, states or habits at definite times in the past. At 4 pm last Tuesday, I was working in the office.

What is the objective of past continuous tense?

The past continuous:

The past continuous, also called past progressive, is used to refer to an action that was continuous (i.e. an action that was going on) at a particular time in the past.

What is the difference between past perfect and past continuous?

We use the past perfect simple with action verbs to emphasise the completion of an event. We use the past perfect continuous to show that an event or action in the past was still continuing. The builders had put up the scaffolding around the house.

How can I teach past continuous?

Continue introducing the past continuous by asking students simple questions in the past simple about events. Follow up these questions with a question asking what was happening when the event occurred. When did you leave home this morning – At nine o'clock. What was your sister doing when you left home?

How do you explain past simple and past continuous?

Grammar explanation

1. Past simple. The past simple shows us that an action was in the past, not in the present. …
2. Past continuous. The past continuous shows us that the action was already in progress at a certain time in the past. …
3. Past continuous and past simple.

What are the rules for using the past simple and continuous tenses?

We use the past continuous to talk about events and temporary states that were in progress around a certain time in the past. We use the past simple to talk about events, states or habits at definite times in the past. At 4 pm last Tuesday, I was working in the office.