Get Keyboard and check your text using a unique Contextual Grammar and Spell Checker. She, "At the very moment that the iceberg struck, the saloon passengers. The past progressive is also known as the past continuous. They are used just to make sure the person you’re talking to understood what you meant or to emphasize what you said. While Melanie was working upstairs, I was preparing dinner. "Often the action expressed with the past progressive was ongoing at the time another action occurred. While Melanie was working upstairs, I was preparing dinner. Why wasn’t she waiting at the meeting point? "The difference between are walking and were walking is that the present progressive refers to an event as taking place now, whereas the past progressive tense refers to the event as having taken place at a particular moment in the past. Use only one of these time expressions in each sentence. In English grammar, the past progressive is a verb construction (made up of a past form of the verb "to be" —"was" or "were"—and a present participle) that conveys an ongoing action in the past that has been completed. Wh- questions are questions that require more information in their answers. With when, the past progressive action can be in the main clause, as in (39a), or in the subordinate clause, as in (39b). He/She/It was 4. Participle (trying) … Sam wasn’t lying when he said he loved you. By using ThoughtCo, you accept our, Understanding the Types of Verbs in English Grammar, Present Progressive Tense: Definition and Examples, The Present Tense of Verbs in English Grammar, Ph.D., Rhetoric and English, University of Georgia, M.A., Modern English and American Literature, University of Leicester, B.A., English, State University of New York, (39) b. Dr. Richard Nordquist is professor emeritus of rhetoric and English at Georgia Southern University and the author of several university-level grammar and composition textbooks. Where were you standing when the trouble started? (enter/talk), I _________ in the sales department when I first _________ Sofie. ThoughtCo uses cookies to provide you with a great user experience. You were 3. To ask a question that will be answered with either a yes or no, start with Was or Were, (Wasn’t or Weren’t for a negative question) then choose your subject (the person or thing doing the action), followed by the ing (present participle) form of the verb and then the rest of your question. The past progressive tense is difficult for many non-native speakers to master because many languages don’t have an equivalent. were not > weren’t. When shortening the 1st & 3rd person (I, he, she, it) negative, just remove the o in not and add an apostrophe (‘) Return It can be used: To describe an action that started in the past and was interrupted by another action: To describe two actions that were in progress at the same time in the past: Note: The word order in the sentence can be switched around as in the examples above, however, it is important to remember that we use the time expression while before the past progressive and the word when before the past simple part of the sentence. The past progressive is formed using was or were and the ing (present participle) form of the verb. He was writing an e-mail when the phone rang. Tag questions are those short questions that are tagged onto the end of a sentence. When the sentence is negative, the tag is positive. As a rule: When the sentence is positive, the tag is negative. All rights reserved. The past progressive (e.g. Return They’re formed by using a positive sentence in the past progressive and adding wasn’t or weren’t and a pronoun (I, you, we, they, he, she, it) and a question mark. Here are several examples of past progressive verbs in action from literature. googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.defineSlot('/53015287/really-learn-english.com_d_300x250_3',[300,250],'div-gpt-ad-1407836030099-0').addService(googletag.pubads());googletag.pubads().enableSingleRequest();googletag.enableServices();}); Join our mailing list now and get a special bonus: First 2 chapters of the English Short Stories Book and Workbook. The simple past tense (e.g. It can be used: To describe an action that started in the past and was interrupted by another action: He was writing an e-mail when the phone rang. In English grammar, the past progressive is a verb construction (made up of a past form of the verb "to be"—"was" or "were"—and a present participle) that conveys an ongoing action in the past that has been completed. You may also add a positive tag when you’re using a negative sentence. We were 5. (use/pack), ______ you ______ attention when the teacher ______ your name? The past progressive is also known as the past continuous. Copyright 2020 Ginger Software | The trains weren’t running on schedule yesterday, were they. The trains weren’t running on schedule yesterday, What _______the manager ________ at 7:00 pm yesterday? What Is a Past Progressive Verb in English? (eat /knock). Ex: die > dy. I was preparing dinner while Melanie was working upstairs. (do), Tina and Shelly ____________ to the hotel when it _________ to rain. (pay/call), We ______ TV when the lighting ________. Fill in the correct form of the verb in Past Progressive (Continuous) or Past Simple as in the examples. Past Progressive Tense. I wasn’t sleeping when you came home last night. Past Progressive Tense shows action that was continuously in progress in the past when another action happened. Marjolijn Verspoor and Kim Sauter clarify the difference between the present progressive and past progressive verb tenses below.

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