PAST CONTINUOUS
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PAST CONTINUOUS (PAST PROGRESSIVE)
FORMATION:
was/were + Present Participle
Nancy was dancing when we came. – Was she also singing? – No, she was not singing as she had a sore throat.
PAST CONTINUOUS (PAST PROGRESSIVE) IS USED:
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For an action which was in progress at a stated time in the past. It is not mentioned when the action started or finished, e.g.
At seven o'clock yesterday evening they were having dinner. (We do not know when they started or finished their dinner.)
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For an action which was in progress when another action interrupted it.
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Past Continuous is used for the action in progress (longer action)
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and the Past Simple is used for the action, which interrupted it (shorter action) , e.g.
He was walking down the street when he ran into an old friend.
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For two or more simultaneous past actions, e.g.
She was talking on her mobile phone while she was driving to work.
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To describe the atmosphere, setting, etc. in the introduction to a story before the description of the main events (background action), e.g.
One beautiful autumn afternoon, Ben was strolling down a quiet country lane. The birds were singing and the leaves were rustling in the breeze.
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The past continuous is used with the following time expressions (adverbial modifiers of time:
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while
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when
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as
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from …to
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from … till
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all morning/ all evening/ all day/ all night long
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all that time
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at that time
What was she doing from 3.30 to 4.30 yesterday?
She was looking around the shops at that time.
As Brenda was coming to her house, she remembered that she had left her key in the office.