Grammar topics are always a challenge for those who are just beginning their English learning journey. Among them, the Past Continuous tense is a basic yet extremely important tense that frequently appears in the IELTS test and high school exams. Without a clear understanding of this tense, it is easy to lose points or use the wrong structure in communication.
In this article, IDP will help you understand the definition, structure, signal words, and specific uses of the Past Continuous tense. If you are not confident in your knowledge yet, you can practice with the Past Continuous exercises provided below.
1. What is the Past Continuous tense?
The Past Continuous tense is used to describe an action that was happening at a specific moment in the past, emphasizing the process or duration of the action or event.
Examples:
They were eating at the restaurant.
You were working yesterday.
In 1994 they were working in a small town in Germany.
2. Structure of the Past Continuous tense
To use the Past Continuous tense correctly, you need to understand its structure in different sentence forms: affirmative, negative, and interrogative.
Sentence Type | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
Affirmative | Subject + was/were + V-ing | In 2010, we were working in a big town in America. |
Negative | Subject + was not/ were not + V-ing | I was not joking. |
Yes/No Question | Was/Were + Subject + V-ing? | Were they decorating their house at 11 a.m yesterday? |
WH- Question | WH-word + was/were + Subject + V-ing? | What was she doing in the company yesterday? |
3. Signal words of the Past Continuous tense
To identify the Past Continuous tense in a sentence, pay attention to these time expressions:
Time markers: at, in, yesterday, in 2000, at that time, in the past, etc.
Phrases: at that time, at this time, last night, last week, last month, last year
Sentences using "while" and some using "when"
Verbs in the past form "was" or "were" followed by a verb ending in "-ing"
Examples:
At this time last week, we were playing soccer on the beach.
Sue was swimming at 10 a.m. yesterday morning.
I was not paying attention while I was writing the letter, so I made several mistakes.
4. How to use the Past Continuous tense
Here are common uses of the Past Continuous tense with examples:
Usage | Example |
|---|---|
To describe an action happening at a specific time in the past | This time last year they were living in England. |
To describe a sequence of actions happening at the same time | Their family was playing, cooking and watching TV. |
To describe an action interrupted by another action | He was not working when his boss came yesterday. |
To describe a repeated action in the past (often negative) | My friends were always complaining about their life. |
5. Past Continuous tense exercises
Exercise 1: Put the verbs into the correct form
I (walk) ………………. down the street when it began to rain.
At this time last year, I (attend) …………….…. an English course.
Jim (stand) …………….…. under the tree when he heard an explosion.
The boy fell and hurt himself while he (ride) …………….…. a bicycle.
When we met them last year, they (live) …………….…. in Santiago.
The tourist lost his camera while he (walk) …………….…. around the city.
The lorry (go) …………….…. very fast when it hit our car.
While I (study) …………….…. in my room, my roommate (have) …………….…. a party in the other room.
Mary and I (dance) …………….…. in the house when the telephone rang.
We (sit) …………….…. in the cafe when they saw us.
Exercise 2: Complete the sentences using the Past Continuous form of the given verbs
Verbs: buy, catch, enjoy, feel, make, play, swim
One day, last summer something really surprising happened to us at the beach.
The weather was great, so lots of people (1) ………… in the sea. I (2) ………… ice creams from a shop with my parents, and my brothers (3) ………… football on the beach.
Everyone (4) ………… the lovely weather until someone suddenly shouted, “SHARK!” There was a shark in the water, but luckily it did not try to eat anyone. Perhaps it (5) ………… hungry!
Exercise 3: Write complete Past Continuous sentences using the given words
When Don / arrive / we / have / coffee
He / sit down / on the chair / while / I / paint / it
When / Margaret / open / the door / the phone / ring
The students / play / a game / when / professor / arrive
Answer Key
Exercise 1:
was walking
was attending
was standing
was riding
were living
was walking
was going
was studying; was having
were dancing
were sitting
Exercise 2:
were swimming
was buying
were playing
was enjoying
was not feeling
Exercise 3:
When Don arrived, we were having coffee.
He sat down on the chair while I was painting it.
When Margaret opened the door, the phone was ringing.
The students were playing a game when the professor arrived.
Build confidence with IDP
This article has provided you with a comprehensive overview and practice exercises to help you understand the Past Continuous tense in the IELTS test. We hope this will be a useful reference during your exam preparation. You can also explore more practice resources from IDP’s IELTS preparation library.
At IDP, you can choose to take the IELTS on computer with flexible weekly test dates. You may also register for an IELTS mock test to familiarize yourself with the format and practice effective time management.
When you feel ready, register for your official IELTS test with IDP today.