Past Continuous Worksheets

The past continuous tense is used to talk about actions or situations that were in progress at a specific time in the past. It is formed with the past tense of the verb “to be” (was/were) and the present participle of the main verb (-ing form).

What is the Past Continuous Tense?

The past continuous tense is used to describe actions or situations that were happening at a particular point in the past. It is often used to set the background or context for another action or event that happened in the past.

How to Form the Past Continuous Tense

To form the past continuous tense, use the past tense of the verb “to be” (was/were) followed by the present participle of the main verb (-ing form). For example:

I was studying for my exam yesterday.
They were playing soccer in the park.

Using the Past Continuous Tense

The past continuous tense is often used to describe interrupted actions or actions that were happening at a specific time in the past. It can also be used to talk about two or more actions happening simultaneously in the past.

Examples of Past Continuous Worksheets

1. Complete the sentences with the correct form of the verb in brackets:

She _________ (cook) dinner when the phone rang.
They _________ (watch) a movie while it was raining outside.

2. Rewrite the following sentences in the past continuous tense:

I am reading a book. → I ____________ a book.
He plays basketball every Sunday. → He ____________ basketball every Sunday.

3. Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the verb in brackets:

We ____________ (walk) to school when it started to rain.
What ____________ you ____________ (do) at 8 o’clock last night?

Conclusion

The past continuous tense is a useful grammatical structure to describe actions or situations that were happening at a specific time in the past. By practicing with past continuous worksheets, you can improve your understanding and usage of this tense.