Lesson 5 of 6

Past Continuous: Review and Expansion

You will be able to use the Past Continuous to describe interrupted actions, background events, and parallel actions in business narratives.

Part 1: Overview and Explanation

Definition and Core Meaning

The Past Continuous is formed with was or were plus the verb-ing. It describes an action that was in progress at a specific moment in the past, often interrupted by another action (Past Simple) or happening at the same time as another past action.

When to Use It

Interrupted action (when or while introduces the interruption)
The team was preparing the budget when the client called with an urgent request.
Background action in a narrative
While the supplier was delivering the goods, the warehouse manager checked the invoice.
Two parallel actions happening at the same time
The finance department was reviewing the quarterly results while the sales team was finalising the quarterly report.
Action interrupted by another action
Sarah was negotiating with the client when the fire alarm went off.
Setting the scene or context for a past event
The office was very quiet when we arrived for the early morning meeting.

Signal Words and Keywords

whenwhileasat that momentjust asall dayall weekduringat the time

Part 2: Conjugation and Practice

Conjugation Box

Positive

Subject + was / were + verb-ing

Oliver was reviewing the contract when the email arrived.

Negative

Subject + was / were + not + verb-ing

The team was not attending the conference last week.

Short form: The team wasn't attending the conference last week.

Question

Was / Were + subject + verb-ing?

Was Emma working on the recruitment process yesterday afternoon?

Negative Question

Was / Were + subject + not + verb-ing?

Were they not discussing the new supplier agreement at 2 pm?

Short form: Weren't they discussing the new supplier agreement at 2 pm?

Common mistake. Do not use the Past Continuous to describe a finished, complete action. Use the Past Simple instead. For example, say The meeting finished at 5 pm, not The meeting was finishing at 5 pm.

20 Practice Sentences

0 correct of 0 answered

Choose the correct form for each gap. Your answer is marked at once, with the reason.

1.When the shareholder arrived, the board ___ (prepare) the financial statements.

positive

2.At ten o'clock yesterday, Daniel ___ (install) the new software.

positive

3.While James ___ (negotiate) the contract, his manager was reading the draft carefully.

positive

4.The staff ___ (wait) in the reception area when the office flooded.

positive

5.Aisha ___ (update) the spreadsheet when the system crashed yesterday.

positive

6.As the budget review was taking place, the finance team ___ (receive) the latest figures from Manchester.

positive

7.The sales director ___ (present) the quarterly results when the power went out.

positive

8.Oliver ___ (not / listen) when the manager explained the new deadline.

negative

9.We ___ (not / watch) the screen when the figures changed, so we missed them.

negative

10.Priya and Tom ___ (not / work) on the project all last week because the client had not approved the brief.

negative

11.When the email was sent, Daniel ___ (not / monitor) the inbox, so he did not see it immediately.

negative

12.The recruitment manager ___ (not / interview) candidates all afternoon; the meeting ran late.

negative

13.___ (the team / attend) the training session when you called?

question

14.___ (you / review) the budget proposals yesterday afternoon around 3 pm?

question

15.___ (Sarah / work) on the client proposal when the system failed?

question

16.___ (Emma / prepare) for the conference at eight o'clock last night?

question

17.___ (Oliver and Priya / discuss) the new supplier agreement when the meeting started?

question

18.___ (the recruitment team / not / interview) candidates when the budget cuts were announced?

negative question

19.___ (Emma / not / travel) to Leeds when the train strike began yesterday?

negative question

20.___ (the finance team / not / calculate) the quarterly results when the error was found?

negative question

Past Simple: Review and Expansion Second Conditional