meeting

Past Continuous Lesson

The Structure:

Positive: was/were + verb-ing

I/He/She/It was eating
You/We/They were eating

Negative: was/were + not + verb-ing

I wasn't listening
They weren't watching

Question: Was/Were + subject + verb-ing?

Was she sleeping?
Were you texting?

When Do We Use It?

Use 1: Actions in progress at a specific time in the past

Think of it like a photograph of the past - what was happening at that exact moment?

At 8pm last night, I was watching Netflix.
This time yesterday, we were sitting on the beach.
What were you doing at midnight? - I was studying for my exam!

Use 2: Setting the scene in stories (the background)

Use it to describe the atmosphere or what was happening around the main action.

The sun was shining, birds were singing, and children were playing in the park.
It was getting dark and the temperature was dropping.
Everyone was laughing and having a good time.

Use 3: Two actions happening at the same time (both ongoing)

Use "while" to connect them.

While I was cooking dinner, my brother was playing video games.
She was listening to music while she was jogging.
Were you sleeping while I was cleaning the house?

Use 4: When a long action was interrupted by a short action

Past Continuous (long action) + Past Simple (interruption)

I was taking a shower when someone knocked on the door.
They were driving home when they saw the accident.
While we were having dinner, the lights went out.
He was texting his girlfriend when he walked into a lamppost! 😄

Cool, Relatable Examples:

Awkward Moments:

I was singing in my room when I realized my window was open and the neighbors were listening!
She was talking about her boss when he walked into the room.

Everyday Situations:

At 3am, I was scrolling through Instagram instead of sleeping.
Were you really working, or were you just pretending?
My phone died while I was taking the perfect selfie.

Excuses:

Sorry I'm late - I was stuck in traffic.
I couldn't answer because I was charging my phone in another room.

Common Mistakes to Avoid:

❌ I was go to school → ✅ I was going to school
❌ Were you watch TV? → ✅ Were you watching TV?
❌ Yesterday I was study → ✅ Yesterday I was studying (need a time)

Уровень владения языком

Intermediate

2026-02-08 19:00

Продолжительность: 45 минут

Места: 0 / 5

Moscow