Meaning
All Continuous (or Progressive) tenses express that the duration of a verb extends beyond the time reference. For the Past Continuous tense, the speaker refers to a specific time period in the past, and the verb is generally sustained throughout that time period at least, often spilling over to before, after, or both.
That sustained verb is often constant, though it may instead be recurring. Either way, while the verb may seem to last for a long time in some instances, it is always temporary; Past Continuous verbs generally do not go on indefinitely.
One of the common ways the Past Continuous tense is taught is juxtaposed to the Past Simple. When brought together — often with the linkers ‘when’ or ‘while’ — the Past Simple is expressed as a shorter action that interrupts the longer action expressed by the Past Continuous verb. For example: “Xiang was still working on the last page of her exam when the bell rang.”
Context is essential for establishing the tense. The same verb might be Past Continuous in a narrow time frame, but Past Simple in a broader time frame (as it no longer expands across the referenced time). Thus, we’re less likely to see the Past Continuous with times like ‘in the 1980s’ or ‘during last century’ than we are with times like ‘at 5pm’ or ‘yesterday afternoon’.
Structure
BE + Active Participle
For the Past Continuous tense, the verb string needs to have some form of the auxiliary verb BE. The specific form of BE depends on the subject: ‘was’ for 1st-person and 3rd-person singular subject; and ‘were’ for 2nd-person singular and all plural subjects. However, if the verb string has a Perfect Modal Verb (a modal followed by ‘have’) at its start, the Continuous BE should then take on the form ‘been’ instead.
The verb that immediately follows the Continuous BE should be in the Active Participle form, and in most cases that would be the main verb. The form of any Active Participle simply has the -ing suffix.
Here are some example sentences:
- “I was trying something new.” ← with 1st-person singular subject
- “You were trying something new.” ← with 2nd-person singular subject
- “She was trying something new.” ← with 3rd-person singular subject
- “We were trying something new.” ← with plural subject
- “We could’ve been trying something new.” ← with modal
Notice that for each of the examples above, the auxiliary BE takes different forms, but the main verb try is always in the -ing form.
Structural Variations
Here are some structural variations of the second of the examples above; note how the changes are reflected only in the auxiliary verb:
- “You weren’t trying anything new.” ← as negative
- “Were you trying anything new?” ← as a question
The auxiliaries was and were are sometimes abbreviated as ‘s and ‘re in casual speech. However, this sometimes causes problems if the context is not clear because these contracted forms are identical to those of present is and are.
Usage
In-Progress
The Past Continuous tense expresses verbs that are both temporary and unfinished during some past time period. In most cases, the Continuous verb was already in progress by the time the context began. The context might be marked by some time expression such as ‘last Thursday’ or ‘at 10:30’, or it may be marked by an Adverbial Clause like ‘as the sun rose’ or ‘when the announcement was made’ in order to relate the Past Continuous verb with another verb.
Setting the Stage
Sometimes the Past Continuous provides some background information into the situation. Events rarely occur in true isolation, so a Past Continuous verb reveals what else was already underway when the specified time frame began.
Longer vs. Shorter
When discussing multiple actions or events, the Past Continuous is often used for verbs that lasted significantly longer than the others (which would probably be in the Past Simple tense).
Time Markers
Some common time-based adverbs, conjunctions, and prepositions you might find with Past Continuous verbs — especially when featured alongside other past verbs — include:
as • before • by the time • during • throughout • until • when • while
Action Verbs Only
The vast majority of verbs generally fall into one of two categories: Action Verbs and Stative Verbs.
- Action Verbs express what a subject does or what is done to a subject. Actions can typically be demonstrated. The majority of verbs in our dictionary qualify as Action Verbs.
- Stative Verbs express a state of the subject; that is, what the subject is or has. Static Linking Verbs (like ‘is’ or ‘seems’) qualify as Stative Verbs, as do many verbs of perception, inclusion, or worth. Visit the Stative Verbs page to learn more.
The Past Continuous tense rarely applies to Stative Verbs, although exceptions might be made if the verb is dynamic (meaning it changes from beginning to end, as in “He was getting angry,”).
Advanced Concepts
Complex Verb Strings
A Past Continuous verb might also be Perfect, Passive, modal, or any combination of those. In such cases, the verb string appears more complex. Take these examples:
- “You should’ve been assembling your new desk.” ← with modal verb
- “We had been assembling your new desk.” ← also a Perfect tense
- “Your new desk was being assembled in the factory.” ← in Passive Voice
- “Your new desk might’ve been being assembled when you asked about it.” ← Continuous, Passive, and modal
While this looks more complicated — and indeed there are more factors to consider in these examples — both the form and the meaning remain consistent with the basic Past Continuous tense. Regarding the form:
- In all cases, some form of the auxiliary BE is in the sentence.
- Whichever verb immediately follows BE is in the Active Participle form. In most cases, this would be the main verb (assemble). However, in Passive Voice, the subsequent verb is another BE auxiliary, which then takes on the Active Participle form of ‘being’.
Regarding the meaning, it is always in case that assemble took a while to complete relavative to the past time frame, such that it was still unfinished when the context ended. What changes is whether the situation was only theoretical; whether the action of assembled had begun previously with results taking place during the reference time frame; and whether assemble happened to the subject instead of by it.
Past Perfect Continuous
The Past Perfect Continuous tense is an advanced topic not frequently visited, although it bears a close relation to the more common Present Perfect Continuous. In both form and meaning, the Past Perfect Continuous is a combination of the Past Continuous tense and the Perfect Aspect. It is generally used to express verbs that had gone on for some time before the referenced past time period and which have some lingering within the context.
Consider the example from above: “We had been assembling your new desk.” It merges the idea that the assembly had lasted over a sustained period of time, rather than simply happening briefly (continuous) with the idea that there was some effect in that past moment, like the reason the subjects were otherwise unavailable at that time, or the reason the subjects were irritated that the object ‘you’ didn’t aid in assembling the desk, for instance (perfect).
Teaching Tips
Interruptions
Many grammar textbooks illustrate the Past Continuous by contrasting it with the Past Simple tense, and more specifically by establishing a scenario in which the a longer action (continuous) is interrupted by a brief action or event (simple). This is certainly a good way to get started.
An activity that you can apply in the classroom is to have students perform or mime a physical activity — anything that can be ongoing (rather than instantaneous). As some point, clap your hands once, at which point the students must freeze their positions. To discover why this student was standing in a funny position or why that student was holding a certain object, ask some of the students in turn, “What were you doing when I clapped my hands?” Their answer must be in the Past Continuous tense.
The Active Participle
By the time students begin learning about the Past Continuous tense, they should’ve already been exposed to the Active Participle form (that is, any word with a verb base and the -ing suffix that expresses an action or activity carried out by the agent). They probably would have encountered it in the Present Continuous tense, and perhaps with some basic Verb Patterns as well (as in “He likes swimming,” or “She keeps running away,”).
Another, more popular name for the Active Participle is the ‘Present Participle’, but that term can be misleading. Consider how confusing it would be to discuss the Present Participle form when the topic is the Past Continuous tense. We strongly suggest consistently using the term ‘Active Participle’ instead, or ‘Progressive Participle’ if you prefer. Doing so may help instill the notion that that form expresses the agent is actively engaging in the verb at the moment, not matter which tense it’s applied to. Dive into our Active Participle page to learn more.
Take some time with the Past Continuous lesson to reinforce the meaning associated with -ing, since that will be fairly consistent with other subjects that use the same form.
An Essential Pair
The auxiliary BE is essential for the Past Continuous tense (or any Continuous tense, for that matter). The Active Participle is equally essential. What students need to remember is that the two of these always have to go together for any Continuous tense, always in that order (BE before -ing), and never separated by another auxiliary verb (although an adverb can come between them).
Any verb string that has -ing without BE immediately before it is not correctly in a Continuous tense.
Insider Access
Visit our How to Teach Progressive/Continuous Tenses page on www.insightstoEnglish.com for a demonstrational video, bonus notes, printouts, a slideshow for your class, practice activities, and more. That page applies not only to the Past Continuous tense but to all Continuous tenses.
Further Reading
Encyclopedia Pages
- the Present Continuous tense
- the Continuous Aspect
- Active Participles
Insights Articles
Intermediate Topics
CEFR Levels B1-B2: Pre-Intermediate to Upper Intermediate courses
