Tenses Intermediate

Past Continuous

Learn the Past Continuous tense (was/were + -ing). Understand when to use it for background actions, interrupted events, simultaneous past actions, and how to use it in PTE and IELTS narrative and descriptive writing.

What is Past Continuous?

The Past Continuous (was/were + verb-ing) describes an ongoing action at a specific moment in the past. It is most commonly used with Past Simple to describe a background action interrupted by a shorter event. It also describes two simultaneous past actions and sets scene in narrative writing.

Rules & Formation

Formation: Subject + was/were + present participle (verb-ing).
Was: I, he, she, it. Were: you, we, they.
Background action + interruption: "She was studying when the power went out."
Two simultaneous past actions: "While I was preparing my notes, she was practising her speaking."
Scene setting in narrative: "It was raining. The streets were empty. A man was walking..."
Time expressions: while, when, as, at that moment, at 5 o'clock yesterday.

Examples

The committee was reviewing the proposals when the new data arrived.

While researchers were conducting the study, several anomalies were emerging.

In 2010, enrolment was growing steadily across all universities.

She was completing her application form when the system crashed.

What were you doing when the results were announced?

At this time last year, I was preparing for my IELTS exam.

🎯 Exam Tip — PTE & IELTS

In IELTS Writing Task 2 and PTE Write Essay, Past Continuous is useful for describing background situations in historical contexts: "In the 1990s, policymakers were beginning to recognise the scale of the problem." Use it sparingly — one or two instances per essay demonstrate tense range without overuse.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between "when" and "while" with Past Continuous?

"While" typically introduces the longer background action (Past Continuous): "While I was studying, my friend called." "When" typically introduces the shorter interrupting action (Past Simple): "I was studying when my friend called." Both sentences mean the same thing — the difference is which clause uses which conjunction. "When" can also introduce a Past Simple clause when both actions are simultaneous and equal: "When I was young, we lived in a small town."

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