Past Continuous

Past Continuous

(Past Progressive)
 
1) The past continuous tense is formed by the past tense of the verb "to be" + the present participle (-ing form):

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE PRESENT PARTICIPLE (-ING FORM)

Example: to work
Affirmative
 - I was working
 - You were working
 - He was working
 - We were working
 - You were working
 - They were working 

Negative
 - I was not working
 - You were not working
 - He was not working
 - We were not working
 - You were not working
 - They were not working

Interrogative
 - Was I working?
 - Were you working?
 - Was he working?
 - Were we working?
 - Were you working?
 - Were they working?
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   a) Negative contractions: the verb "be" can be contracted with "not": "wasn't" / "weren't" 

Examples:
 - I wasn't talking to you.
 - They weren't paying attention to the speech.
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   b) Negative interrogative: positioning is different if the auxiliary is contracted or not:

Examples:
 - Was he not working?
 - Wasn't he working?'
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When to use


The past continuous is chiefly used for past actions which continued for some time but whose exact limits are not known and are not important.
It indicates uncertainty about times of starting or finishing.

1) (Without a time expression) To indicate gradual development.

Examples:
 - It was getting darker.
 - The wind was rising.
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2) (With a point in time) To express an action which began before that time and probably continued after it.

Example:
 - At eight he was having breakfast (implies that he was in the middle of breakfast at eight)
 --> Compare: "He had breakfast at eight" would imply that he started it at eight.
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3) (With a verb in the simple past instead of a time expression) To convey the idea that the action in the past continuous started before the action in the simple past and probably continued after it.

Example:
 - When I arrived Tom was talking on the phone.
 - When she knocked on my door, I was having a shower.
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4) In descriptions (atmosphere or scene).

Example:
 - A wood fire was burning on the hearth, and a cat was sleeping in front of it. A girl was playing the piano and (was) singing softly to herself. Suddenly...
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5) As a past equivalent of the present continuous:

   a) Direct speech/Indirect speech

Example:
 - He said, "I am living in London."
 --> He said he was living in London.
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   b) To express a definite future arrangement (in the past):

Example:
 - He was busy packing, for he was leaving that night. (The decision to leave had been made some time previously.)
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   c) (With "always") For a frequently repeated action in the past (annoying or unreasonable action).

Examples:
 - He was always ringing me up.
 - He was always working.
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6) As an alternative to the simple past to indicate a more casual, less deliberate action.

Example:
 - I was talking to Tom the other day.
 - From four to six Tom was washing the car.
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Note that continuous tenses are used only for apparently continuous uninterrupted actions. If we divide the action up, or say how many
times it happened, we must use the simple past.
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CLICK HERE to see verbs not normally used in the continuous tenses
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Present Continuous

Present Continuous

(Present Progressive)

Construction

1) The present continuous tense is formed with the present tense of the auxiliary verb "be" + the present participle (-ing form):
Example: to work
Affirmative
 - I am working
 - You are working
 - He is working
 - We are working
 - You are working
 - They are working
Negative
 - I am not working
 - You are not working
 - He is not working
 - We are not working
 - You are not working
 - They are not working
Interrogative
 - Am I working?
 - Are you working?
 - Is he working?
 - Are we working?
 - Are you working?
 - Are they working?
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   a) Contractions: the verb "be" can be contracted, so the present continuous of any verb can be contracted:
Examples:
Affirmative
 - I'm working
 - you're working
Negative
 - I'm not working
 - you're not (you aren't) working
 - he's not (he isn't) working
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   b) Interrogative contractions: "am, is, are" may be contracted:
Examples:
 - Why's he working
 - Where're you working?
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The spelling of the present participle
1) When a verb ends in a single "e", this "e" is dropped before "ing":
Examples:
 - argue, arguing
 - hate, hating
 - love, loving
   a) except after "age", "dye" and "singe":
 - ageing
 - dyeing
 - singeing
   b) and except in verbs ending in "ee":
 - agree, agreeing
 - see, seeing
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2) When a verb of one syllable has one vowel and ends in a single consonant, this consonant is doubled before "ing":
Examples:
 - hit, hitting
 - run, running
 - stop, stopping
3) Verbs of two or more syllables whose last syllable contains only one vowel and ends in a single consonant double this consonant if the stress falls on the last syllable:
Examples:
 - admit, admitting
 - begin, beginning
 - prefer, preferring
but:
 - budget, budgeting
 - center, centering (stress not on the last syllable).
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4) A final "l" after a single vowel is, however, always doubled (except in American English):
Examples:
 - signal, signalling
 - travel, travelling
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5) "ing" can be added to a verb ending in "y" without affecting the spelling of the verb:
Examples:
 - carry, carrying
 - enjoy, enjoying
 - hurry, hurrying
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When to use

1) For an action happening now: 

Examples:
 - It is raining.
 - I am not wearing a coat as it isn't cold.
 - Why are you sitting at my desk? 
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2) For an action happening about this time but not necessarily at the moment of speaking:

Examples:
 - I am reading a play by Shaw. (This may mean 'at the moment of speaking' but may also mean 'now' in a more general sense.)
 - He is teaching French and learning Greek. (He may not be doing either at the moment of speaking.)

Note: When two continuous tenses having the same subject are joined by "and", the auxiliary may be dropped before the second verb, as in the above example. 
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3) For a definite arrangement in the near future (the most usual way of expressing one's immediate plans):

Examples:
 - I'm meeting Peter tonight. He is taking me to the theatre.
 - Are you doing anything tomorrow afternoon? ~ Yes, I'm playing tennis with Ann.

Note that the time of the action must always be mentioned, as otherwise there might be confusion between present and future meanings. However, "come" and "go" can be used in this way without a time expression.
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4) Other possible uses of the present continuous:

   a) With a point in time to indicate an action which begins before this point and probably continues after it:

Example:
 - At six I am bathing the baby. (I start bathing him before six.)
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   b) With "always" (This form is used, chiefly in the affirmative):

Example:

 - He is always losing his keys.
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     b1) For a frequently repeated action, usually when the frequency annoys the speaker or seems unreasonable to him: 

Examples:
 - Tom is always going away for weekends.
 - I'm always making that mistake. 
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     b2) For an action which appears to be continuous:

Examples:
 - He's always working. (= He works the whole time)
 - He's always reading. (= He reads a lot)
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Verbs not normally used in the continuous tenses

The continuous tenses are chiefly used for deliberate actions. 

1) Verbs of the senses (involuntary actions):
 - feel, hear, see, smell,
 - notice and observe (= notice),
 - feel, look, taste (used as link verbs).
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2) Verbs expressing feelings and emotions:
 - admire (= respect),
 - adore,
 - appreciate (= value),
 - care for (= like),
 - desire,
 - detest,
 - dislike,
 - fear,
 - hate,
 - like,
 - loathe,
 - love,
 - mind (= care),
 - respect,
 - value,
 - want,
 - wish.
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3) Verbs of mental activity:
 - agree,
 - appreciate (= understand),
 - assume,
 - believe,
 - expect (= think),
 - feel (= think),
 - feel sure/certain,
 - forget,
 - know,
 - mean,
 - perceive,
 - realize,
 - recall,
 - recognize,
 - recollect,
 - remember,
 - see (= understand),
 - see through someone (= penetrate his attempt to deceive),
 - suppose,
 - think ( = have an opinion),
 - trust (= believe/have confidence in),
 - understand. 
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4) Verbs of possession:
 - belong,
 - owe,
 - own,
 - possess.

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