What are the 20 examples of past continuous tense? The past continuous tense refers to a past action or state that is not complete or in progress. The progressive past tense is composed of past forms of the verb to be (was, were) and an accompanying verb formed as a present participle or -ing form such as playing, singing, cooking, walking, memorizing, etc.
In this article, you’ll learn 20 examples of past continuous tense, affirmative, negative, and interrogative.
Examples of Past Continuous Tense (Affirmative)
Subject + was/were +V(ing) + Object
- The baby was crying all yesterday night.
- While I was doing the paper, the fire alarm went off.
- By 12:00 this afternoon, all the students were packing their bags.
- I was having dinner when I heard the explosion.
- While they were studying, I was taking a bath.
- It was drinking juice.
- She was listening to the music all yesterday morning.
- The cat was knocked down by a bus while it was crossing the road.
Past Continuous Tense Examples (Negative)
Subject + was/were + not +V(ing) + Object
- They were not sleeping in the evening.
- I wasn’t visiting them frequently.
- He wasn’t closing the store.
- None of the students were doing their homework.
- I was not visiting my grandmother.
- I wasn’t teaching in this school when she received a new job offer.
Examples of Past Continuous Tense (Interrogative)
Was/Were + subject + V(ing) + Object?
Question Word +Was/Were + Subject + Object?
- Where was she sleeping?
- Were your family watching the championship on television?
- Who was demanding your attention?
- Was the man talking to himself?
- What were the children playing? How far were you traveling?
Note: The past continuous tense is also called the past progressive form. The main verb we use to formulate the past continuous or progressive is known as the present participle, -ing, continuous, or progressive form.
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- 100 Sentences of Simple Past Tense
- 50 Sentences of Present Perfect Continuous Tense
- 30 Sentences in Simple Past Tense
- 50 Sentences of Future Continuous Tense
- 20 Examples of Present Perfect Continuous Tense
- 10 Examples of Present Perfect Continuous Tense
- 10 Sentences of Present Perfect Tense
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