Past continuous

English · A2

The rule

Use was or were + -ing for an action in progress in the past. A shorter event may interrupt it and use the past simple.

Example

I was studying when the phone rang.

Practice

1. I ___ dinner when she arrived.

  1. cook
  2. will cook
  3. was cooking
  4. have cook
Answer and explanation

was cooking

The ongoing action takes the past continuous.

2. They ___ waiting outside.

  1. was
  2. were
  3. is
  4. be
Answer and explanation

were

Use were with they.

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