What is past progressive tense?
The use of past progressive tense is for an action that was in progress at the specific time in the past.
Form
The past progressive is formed with was/were and the addition of -ing.
Example;-
- I was riding my bike all day yesterday.
- Kamal was being a terrible role model for his younger brother.
The past progressive indicates a limited duration of time and is thus a convenient way to indicate that something took place (in the simple past) while something else was happening:
- Kamal lost his watch while he was running.
The past progressive can express incomplete action.
I was sleeping on the couch when Sarah smashed through the door.
Was/ Were +present participle | ||
Statements | I was working | He was working |
Question | Were you working? | Was he working? |
Negatives | They werent' working. | He wasn't working |
Singular | Plural | |
I was sleeping | we were sleeping | |
you were sleeping | you were sleeping | |
he/she/it was sleeping | they were sleeping |
Singular | Plural | |
I was sleeping | we were being | |
you were being | you were being | |
he/she/it was being | they were being |
1. The use of past progressive tense for an action that was in progress at a specific time in the past.
ie:-
Salmah started her homework at 8.00. She stopped at 10.00. At 9.00, Salmah was doing homework.
I was living in Bintulu at this time last year.
2. We often use the past progressive and the simple past together when one past action interrupts another past action.
ie.
The sun was shinning when i woke up this morning.
We were watching tv when a friend called.
3. Use the past progressive for the action that started first and the simple past for the interrupting action. You can write this kind of sentence in two days.
- Use when to begin the clause with the simple past verb.
ie.
I was living in Sabah when a big earthquake happened.
- Use while to begin the clause with the past progressive verb.
ie.
A big earthquake happened while i was living in Sabah.
3. When two past actions are in progress at the same time, use the past progressive for both.
ie.
I was living in Sabah while my boyfriend was living in Kuala Lumpur.
Parallel actions
We can emphasize the fact that two or more actions were in progress at the same time by using e.g. while or at the time (that):
While I was working in the garden, my wife was cooking dinner.
Repeated actions
This use is similar to that of the Present Progressive:
When he worked here, Kamal was always making mistakes.
Polite inquiries
This use is even more polite and tentative than the Simple Past:
I was wondering if you could give me a lift.
Tips!
Students in order to understand Past progressive tense better just keep in mind that the word Was, were and addition -ing is used when making a sentence. We often use past progressive one past action interrupts another past action.
Tips!
Students in order to understand Past progressive tense better just keep in mind that the word Was, were and addition -ing is used when making a sentence. We often use past progressive one past action interrupts another past action. http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/tenses/past_progressive.htm
