+

Past Progressive

+Structure (Form)

Structure

Auxiliary Verb: Was/Were

Affirmative

Subject + Aux Verb + Verb with –ing

They were reading a book.

He was playing the piano.

Negative

Subject + Aux Verb Not + Verb with –ing

They were not reading a book.

He was not playing the piano.

Question

(WH Question) + Aux Verb + Subject + Verb with –ing

(Why) Were they reading a book?

(Where) Was he playing the piano?

+The Past Progressive is used:

To describe an action in

progress at a certain

time in the past.

What were you doing at

10 o clock last night?’

I was having a shower

+

To describe actions that

were happening at the same

time in the past (usually with

while or as).

While John was cooking, Marc

was sleeping.

+

To describe background

scenes to a story.

There were a lot of people

at the station, some were

talking on their mobiles,

others were sleeping and a

few were walking up and

down.

+

To describe temporary

past states or actions.

My mom was writing a

play in those days.

+Past Simple – Past Progressive

We use the Past Progressive and the Past Simple in the

same sentence when one action interrupted another in the

past. We use the Past Progressive for the longer action an the

Past Simple for the shorter action. In this case we usually use

while, when or as.

As/while/when they were walking in the forest, they saw a bear.

I was having a bath when the lights went out.

+

NO

TE

• We commonly use as soon as with the Past

Simple.

As soon as we arrived on the island, we ran

to the beach.