Past continuous
The past continuous (was/were + verb-ing) describes an action in progress at a specific past moment, often interrupted by another action in the past simple: 'I was cooking when the phone rang.' It also sets the background scene in a story and describes two actions happening simultaneously with 'while'. It is not used for single, completed past actions.
The rule
How to form the past continuous
Positive
subjectwas/wereverb-ing
The children were playing in the garden.
Negative
subjectwas/werenotverb-ing
I wasn't listening when you called my name.
Question
Was/Weresubjectverb-ing?
Were you waiting long?
Short answer
Yes, I was. / No, I wasn't.
“Was it raining?” “No, it wasn't.”
Inside a sentence
The childrensubjectwerewas/wereplayingverb-ingin the garden.
Isubjectwaswas/werewalkingverb-inghomewhen it started to rain.past simple interruption
- subject
- helping verb
- main verb
- key word
- time word
Signal words
- while
- when
- as
- at that moment
- at nine o'clock last night
- this time yesterday
How to use past continuous
When do you use the past continuous?
Use the past continuous for an action that was in progress at a specific moment in the past, not finished, not yet started, but happening right at that point in time. The moment can be a clock time, another action, or a general point implied by the context.
- At nine o'clock last night, I was still working at my desk.in progress at a specific time
- What were you doing when the lights went out?
- I was still working at my desk last night.
Interrupted actions: past continuous + past simple
The most common pattern pairs the two past tenses: the past continuous sets a longer background action, and the past simple marks the shorter action that interrupts it. 'When' usually introduces the interrupting event, and 'while' usually introduces the background one.
Getting the two tenses the right way round matters: swapping them changes which event interrupted which.
- I was chatting with a neighbour when my phone buzzed.chatting = background, buzzed = interruption
- While I was chatting with a neighbour, my phone buzzed.
- I chatted with a neighbour when my phone was buzzing.reverses which action is the background one
'While' or 'when'?
'While' typically introduces the longer, background action and pairs naturally with the past continuous on both sides of the sentence when two things happen at once. 'When' typically introduces the shorter, completed action and pairs naturally with the past simple.
Both words are flexible in practice; the deciding factor is really which tense follows them, not the word itself.
- While the kettle was boiling, I checked my messages.while + continuous, main clause + simple
- When the kettle boiled, I made the tea.when + simple, sequential actions
- While my sister was studying, my brother was cooking dinner.two parallel background actions with 'while'
Past continuous or past simple?
Choose the past simple for a completed action or a short sequence of events told in order. Choose the past continuous only when you need to show that an action was unfinished at a particular past moment, usually because something else happened during it.
A common error is overusing the past continuous for simple completed events: 'I was going to the shop and I was buying bread' should simply be 'I went to the shop and bought bread', because both actions are complete, sequential events, not backgrounds.
- I went to the shop and bought some bread.two completed, sequential actions → simple
- I was going to the shop and buying bread.no interruption or background needed → I went…and bought
- I was walking home when it started to rain.background + interruption is the correct use
Setting the scene in a story (IELTS Part 2)
In narratives, the past continuous is ideal for painting the background at the start of a story before the main events unfold in the past simple. This mirrors how the past perfect adds background before a story, but the past continuous adds background at the same time as the story's opening moment.
- The sun was setting over the harbour, and fishing boats were coming in for the night when I first saw her.background scene, then a main event
- Everyone was talking and laughing when the power suddenly cut out.
Common mistakes with past continuous
Find what is wrong in each one, then open it to check.
1I was going to the cinema and I was watching a comedy.What's wrong? Show the fix
I went to the cinema and watched a comedy.
Two completed, sequential actions with no interruption need the past simple, not the past continuous.
2While I cooked dinner, the doorbell rang.What's wrong? Show the fix
While I was cooking dinner, the doorbell rang.
'While' introduces a background action in progress, which needs the past continuous, not the past simple.
3She was knowing the answer when the teacher asked.What's wrong? Show the fix
She knew the answer when the teacher asked.
Know is a stative verb and never takes the continuous form, even in past-tense storytelling.
4When I was walking to work, I saw an accident and I was calling an ambulance.What's wrong? Show the fix
When I was walking to work, I saw an accident and called an ambulance.
The two short, sequential reactions (saw, called) stay in the past simple; only the ongoing background action (was walking) takes the continuous.
5It was raining while I decided to stay home.What's wrong? Show the fix
It was raining, so I decided to stay home.
'While' should link two simultaneous actions of similar length; a background state plus a resulting decision reads more naturally with 'so'.
6I was living in Doha for three years before I was moving to Amman.What's wrong? Show the fix
I was living in Doha for three years before I moved to Amman.
A single completed action (the move) that follows a longer background state takes the past simple, not the continuous.
7The match was already finishing when we was arriving.What's wrong? Show the fix
The match had already finished when we arrived.
The earlier of two past events needs the past perfect (had finished), and the subject 'we' needs 'were' or, more naturally here, the plain past simple 'arrived'.
Practise
Write your own
Write a sentence of your own with past continuous, about you, your studies or your town.
Past continuous in IELTS
Speaking
- Part 2 stories score higher when you open with a past continuous scene-setter ('The rain was falling heavily and the streets were almost empty when the story really begins') before switching to past simple for the main events.
- Practise the while/when pattern out loud: 'While I was waiting for the bus, I bumped into an old classmate.' Examiners listen for exactly this pairing as evidence of accurate complex structures.
Writing
- Task 2 narrative examples (a personal anecdote to illustrate a point) benefit from one past continuous background clause to avoid a flat list of past simple events: 'While house prices were rising sharply, wages remained largely unchanged.'
- In Task 1 line graphs describing a past period, the past continuous is rarely needed; reserve it only for describing a trend that was mid-way through changing at a specific labelled point, and default to the past simple otherwise.