You can also use this tense to make a question. Examples of this use include:

Past continuous tense is often combined with past simple tense. An example of this combination is: While we were sitting at the stadium, the rain began. The past continuous tense is "were sitting" and the past simple is "began."

In this combination, the simple past tense interrupted the past progressive tense action. This pairing shows that something happened in the middle of something else happening.
Past continuous tense can also be used when describing the background of a story written in the past tense. Examples of this use include:

Past continuous tense can be used when describing an unfinished action that was interrupted by another action. The action in the past started before the other action and continued after for a short period of time. Examples of this use include:

Past continuous can also be used to express a change of mind or thought that happened in the past. Examples of this use include:

Past continuous tense can be used to show that two actions were going on at the same time in the past. Neither of these actions are happening in the present. Examples of this use include:

The past continuous tense, also known as the past progressive tense, refers to a continuing action or state that was happening at some point in the past. The past continuous tense is formed by combining the past tense of to be (i.e., was/were) with the verb’s present participle (-ing word).

There are many situations in which this verb tense might be used in a sentence. For example, it is often used to describe conditions that existed in the past.

The sun was shining every day that summer.

As I spoke, the children were laughing at my cleverness.

Here’s a tip: Want to make sure your writing always looks great? Grammarly can save you from misspellings, grammatical and punctuation mistakes, and other writing issues on all your favorite websites.

Your writing, at its best

Be the best writer in the office.

GET GRAMMARLYIt can also be used to describe something that was happening continuously in the past when another action interrupted it.

The audience was applauding until he fell off the stage.

I was making dinner when she arrived.

The past continuous can shed light on what was happening at a precise time in the past.

At 6 o’clock, I was eating dinner..

It can also refer to a habitual action in the past.

She was talking constantly in class in those days.

One final caution: Though the irregularities are few, not every verb is suited to describing a continuous action. Certain verbs can’t be used in the past continuous tense. One common example is the verb to arrive.