Past Progressive Tense
a. It shows an action
that began earlier and was in progress when another action occurred.
Examples
I was walking down the street when it
began to rain.
OR
While I was walking down the street, it
began to rain.
In both sentences
the action walking was in progress when it began to rain.
b. It may also show a
point in time, with expressing an action which began before that point and
probably continued after that.
Examples
At eight he was having his breakfast.
We can guess that
he started his breakfast before eight.
c. We use the
continuous tenses in descriptions. Simple past is also used to show what
happened that time.
Examples
A wood fire was
burning on the hearth and a cat was sleeping in front of it.
A girl was playing
piano and singing softly to herself. Suddenly there was knock at the door. The
girl stopped playing. The cat woke up.
d. Just as the present
continuous can be used to express a definite future arrangement as:
I
am leaving for Lahore tonight.
In the same way the
past progressive can express this sort of future in the past.
More
Examples
Positive
Sentence
·
We
were reading our lesson.
·
He
was playing tennis yesterday.
·
She
was going to school.
·
The
horses were neighing.
·
The
sparrow was making a nest.
·
The
dogs were barking.
·
He
was preparing for the examination.
·
The
teacher was marking the papers.
Negative Sentence
·
He
was not weeping.
·
The
cat was not mewing.
·
The
farmer was not ploughing.
·
She
was not singing a song.
·
A
cool breeze was not blowing.
·
The
children were not playing with toys.
·
The
boy was not dozing.
·
The
fountains were not playing.
Interrogative Sentence
·
Was
the train moving at full speed?
·
Was
Zahid shivering with cold?
·
Were
they laughing at the traveler?
·
Was
the beggar begging?
·
Was
the horse running fast?
·
Was
it drizzling?
·
Was
Zahid sleeping by now?
·
Was
this man quarrelling with his brother?