Not enough, although it has a ton of functions and use cases. Therefore, we move on to the next time: Past Continuous, which, like all times of the group Continuous, conveys a long acting process.

First, let's look at how the forms of this time are formed.

The formation of a statement in Past Continuous is similar to Present continuous: subject + auxiliary verb to be + verb ending -ing.

The only difference is that auxiliary verbs (am / is / are)  change to the past form: was / were. Compare the education of two times:

Approval in Present Continuous			Approval at Past Continuous

We form the negation by adding the negative particle NOT to the auxiliary verb:

Denial in Past Continuous
		(wasn’t) ["wɒznt]
	were not	(weren’t)

In colloquial form, abbreviated forms (wasn’t and weren’t) are used.

To form an interrogative form, we remove the auxiliary verb in front of the subject. If the question is informational (special), then a question word is put before the auxiliary verb:

Information Question	General question	at Past Continuous

At all times, the exception is the question to the subject, where the word order does not change and auxiliary verbs are not used:

Eating Past Continuous.

1.   Past Continuous is used to indicate an action that was in progress at a certain point in the past.

When we return home from vacation, the whole next day we remember our vacation:

And yesterday at this time I was sunbathing on the beach ...

Children swam in the sea yesterday at this time ...

Yesterday at this time we had dinner at a restaurant ...

What time should you use to say the same thing in English?

Consider these steps. All of them are processes, since we do not know when the action began and when it ended. We only know that at a certain point in the past, these actions were carried out. Therefore, you need to use Past Continuous:

I was sunbathing  on the beach this time yesterday.

The children were bathing  in the sea this time yesterday.

We were having dinner  at the restaurant this time yesterday.

One more example. This time, let's draw parallels with the already familiar Present Continuous:

Now it’s two o’clock. I’m sitting at my desk and writing an article. “It's two o'clock now.” I am sitting at the table and writing an article.

The action in the process at the time of speech, we use Present Continuous. You do not know when the action began, you do not know when it will end.

Now suppose you ask me the next day:

What did you do yesterday at two o'clock?

I answer:

I sat at the table and wrote an article. - I was sitting  at my desk. I was writing  an article yesterday at two o’clock.

Having received this answer, you understand that at the time that interests you, I was in the process of performing this action, but you do not know when it started and ended.

2.   If two actions are indicated in the proposal, one of which is long (process), and the other is short, then Past Continuous is used to indicate long-term action.

In such cases, Past Continuous is used in conjunction with, because a certain moment in the past can be expressed not only by a specific indication of the time (9 o’clock), but also by another past action. Past Continuous stands for a process (long, long action), and Past Simple is a short completed action:

I was reading when you came. - I read (I was in the process of reading) when you arrived (short completed action).

The boys were playing football when it started to rain. - The boys played football (process) when it started to rain (short completed action).

He was working in the garden when the accident happened. - He worked in the garden (process) when an accident occurred (short completed action).

In many cases, they say that a short action interrupts the process. If we imagine these situations, then indeed, the processes could be interrupted for a while, and then could resume again.

Actions are combined in a sentence using the words:

when  - when (with both times)

while/ as  - when; while; bye (only with Past Continuous)

1. The teacher was writing on the board when the latecomers entered the room. - The teacher wrote on the board (process) when the latecomers entered the room (short action).

2. While I was cooking, I burnt myself. - At that time, when I was cooking (I was in the process), I got burned (short action).

3. As we were looking out of the window, we saw your mother. - When we looked out the window (process), we saw your mother (short action).

notethat if the connecting word is in the middle of the sentence (example 1), then a comma is not placed in front of it. And if the connecting word is at the beginning of the sentence, then the comma is placed before the second part of the sentence (examples 2 and 3).

3.   We use Past Continuous if we are talking about two simultaneously running processes:

When the teacher was explaining the new topic, I was writing down. - When the teacher explained a new topic, I wrote down.

My mother was cooking while my father was washing the car. - Mom was cooking, while dad was washing the car.

We were watching while the actors were rehearsing. - We watched when the actors rehearsed.

Two simultaneously occurring processes can be combined using words:

when/ while /as  - when; while; till

4.   Past Continuous can be used at the beginning of a story, a story, as a preface to create the atmosphere of the story.

The main events of the story are described in Past Simple:

It was a gorgeous day. The sun was shining and we were driving along the country road. - It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining and we were driving along a country road.

It happened one winter night. The wind was blowing and the snow was falling heavily. She was sitting by the fireplace and reading. - It happened on a winter night. The wind was blowing and heavy snow was falling. She sat by the fireplace and read.

5.   Past Continuous is used to emphasize that the action lasted a long time in the past with qualifiers such as all day, all night, all morning, evening  etc.

Please note that the action must be completed and the time period completed:

I was studying all day yesterday and today I passed my exam. - I studied all day yesterday, and today I passed the exam.

My neighbor "s dog was barking all night so I couldn" t sleep. - The dog of my neighbors barked all night and I could not sleep.

We were cooking all morning and in the afternoon our quests came. “We cooked all morning, and guests came in the afternoon.”

6.   In some functions, Past Continuous intersects with, but with the only difference, that the action is transferred to the past.

Temporary action:

I was staying at this hotel when I met her. - I lived (stayed - temporary action) at this hotel when I met her.

My mother was a shop-assistant. But she was working as a cashier when it happened. - My mother worked as a seller, but when this happened, she worked as a cashier (temporarily, on that day).

Annoying, often repeated action (with the word Always):

She was always telling stories about her private life. - She always told stories from her personal life.

He was always talking on the phone in a loud voice. - He was constantly talking loudly on the phone.

Past Continuous is often confused with Past Simple. In our next publications we will analyze in detail.

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When you get acquainted with English grammar, you can not ignore Past Continuous (Progressive). After all, this is the time that keeps a few small secrets, which will take you to a new level, enrich your speech.

Among all the variety of temporary forms for mastering English, it is simply necessary to learn the past long time. Its whole essence is in focusing attention on an event that took place and lasted in the past. Where to start and what nuances you need to remember?

Education Past Continuous (Progressive)

If you carefully study the forms of Continius pastes, then difficulties in their use will not arise. You need to remember to be , namely its form   was / were.   The verb at this time is used in one form, which coincides with the participle 1 - Ving.   Although there are not without exceptions. The rules for past continuous on the peculiarities of writing a predicate with this ending can be found in the article “Continuous group times”. It is very important to learn how to correctly translate this shade. Each verb emphasizes the duration of the action, its duration in the situation, which is indicated in the sentence. For example, he worked, read, swam, wrote, painted.

Table Past continuous

Let us try to schematically depict all the forms of this time in various types of sentences. But first, remember the general scheme.

was / were + Ving

Narrative	Negative	Interrogative
I was watching	I was not watching	Was I watching?
You were watching	You were not watching	Were you watching?
She (He, It) was watching	She (He, It) was not watching	Was she (He, It) watching?
We were watching	We were not watching	Were we watching?
You were watching	You were not watching	Were you watching?
They were watching	They were not watching	Were they watching?

All this is not difficult enough to remember and understand. In colloquial speech, we often use short forms, such as wasn’t, weren’t.

Eating Past Continuous Tense

Like everything in our lives, including the use of the times in the English language, is subject to the rules. Consider the main cases of using past continuous (progressive):

1. The name itself - long, continued - indicates that the action took place and lasted for some indicated moment in the past. This moment can either be clear from the context, or indicated by some hints, time indicators.

• at 6 o’clock yesterday, at that moment, at that time

We were drawing at 7 o’clock yesterday. - Yesterday at seven o’clock we painted.
  At that time I was writing a letter to my friend. - At that time I wrote a letter to a friend.

• Past Progressive is used in situations where one action took place, lasted, and suddenly another happened, which is expressed by Past Simple. The words when are used to help convey such situations. It can be parallel actions that lasted in the past. For the expression, the best helper is the word while. Do not confuse with Past Simple, which describes actions that follow one after another, and not simultaneously.

They were reading when the teacher came in. - They read when the teacher entered.
  I was sleeping while he was watching TV. - I was sleeping while he was watching TV.

2. As in the present and in the past tense of this group, phrases can be expressed reproach, disapproval, irritation, too often repeated habits. And again, the adverbs are always, constantly, too often.

He was always borrowing money and fogetting to pay it back. - He always borrowed money and forgot to return it.

3. Use Past Progressive time, if accurate a period of time in the past not necessarily the exact time, but perhaps some kind of framework. You can recognize it in the offer by the prompts all day long yeaterday, the whole evening (yesterday), from 10 till 11, during.

We were sleeping the whole day yesterday. “We slept all day yesterday.”

4. To express actions that gradually developed, changed. All this will be clear from the meaning of the sentence, the context, so look deep into the text.

The sun was rising. - The sun was rising.
  It was getting dark. - It was getting dark.

5. Remember that the British are very polite people, which is why they have so many ways to express their respect. Even the rule for past continuous has its own notes. Instead of simple time, a continuum paste is used to express a polite question or answer. Moreover, the meaning in Russian is almost the same, but in English - two different.

What was he doing in our absent? “What did he do in our absence?”

But Past Continuous grammar puts another stick in the wheel in language learning. Namely, you still have to remember verbs that are not used in any of the Continuous tenses. All this can be found in the article “Non Continuous verbs”.

So, in order to learn this time well, you not only need to get acquainted with education, but also remember cases of use. It is very important that the action lasts, does not interrupt in the past. All this is best worked out in exercises and tests.

The Past Continuous time indicates a process that lasted at a certain moment or a certain period in the past. In contrast, this moment in the past must be called using indicative words (see below) or be obvious, i.e. flow out of context.

  Auxiliary verb / Auxiliary verb

Auxiliary verb for Past continuous  is the verb to be   in the past form:

was for I, he, she, it

were for you, we, they

(+) Affirmative

Subject + be (Past Form) + verb + ing

We wereplay ing football in the garden when it started to rain. - We played football in the garden when it started to rain.

(?) Interrogative

be (Past Form) + subject + verb + ing

Were they play ing   football when it started to rain? “Did they play football when it started to rain?”

Yes, they were. - Yes.

No, they weren’t. - Not.

(-) Negative

Subject + be (Past Form) + not + verb + ing

They were not (weren’t) play ing football when it started to rain. “They didn't play football when it started to rain.”

Use

1. One action interrupts another. For an action that was in the process (i.e. lasted), Past Continuous is used. For an action that interrupts (i.e. short / instant) -

I was writing my essay when somebody knocked at the door.  - I wrote an essay when there was a knock on the door.

He was working on his computer when the light went off.  - He worked at the computer when the lights were turned off.

2. Two actions occurred simultaneously.

Joe was cooking in the kitchen while I was laying the table in the garden.  “Joe was cooking in the kitchen while I was setting the table in the garden.”

3. An action in the past that was in the process (i.e. lasted) at a specific time.We are not talking about when it started and when it ended.

At 10 p.m. last night Nancy was driving home from the party.  - Yesterday, at 10 pm, Nancy was returning home from the party by car.

4. Description of the atmosphere, surroundings, etc.

The birds were singing, the sun was shining and the children were running around. The day seemed to be perfect.- The birds sang, the sun was shining and children were running around. It seemed like an excellent day.