35 Past Progressive Tense Examples (Read This First)

Past progressive tense represents actions that were continuing in the past. Let us discuss the examples related to the past progressive tense.

Some examples of the past progressive tense are as follows.

My father was reading a newspaper in the morning.
Ohio was having lunch when I went to her house to meet her.
The girls were dancing on the stage.
They were looking at us through the window.
I was snoring loudly when my mother called me.
My brother was sleeping a sound sleep at noon.
The beggars were begging from door to door.
The children were playing in the park.
Our television was not working properly.
The cricketers were working hard in the session to perform well in the ensuing matches.
The teacher was teaching English in the class.
You were doing extremely well in the previous game.
The batsman was hitting the ball hard.
They were playing football after school was over.
My mother was cooking delicious dishes for us.
While I was bathing I was singing.
When he was reading his friend came to his house.
The girl was listening to the music on the radio.
Last week the pilgrims were going on the pilgrimage.
When was Jibesh returning home from the field?
The boys were making fun of themselves.
The travelers were resting under a tree.
Was the girl taking care of her brothers and sisters?
The painters were painting the house.
Suddenly, it began to rain when we were playing on the ground.
Catherine was swimming in the river.
The child was not eating his food.
David and his friends were enjoying the cricket match in the stadium.
My computer was working fine when I installed some data.
The audience was shouting in joy when they heard the leader speak.
My friends were chatting on their cell phones.
We were making a long journey last year.
Evra was writing an essay when her mother called her.
My wife was sleeping while I was watching the game on the television.
It was raining cats and dogs last night.

The sentences are examples of the past progressive tense. All the rules and structure of the past progressive are maintained properly in these sentences. Let us discuss some more facts about it.

Past progressive tense structure:

The proper structure of the past progressive tense helps to make sentences in this form of the past tense.

The past progressive tense is formed by using the past form of the ‘to be’ verb i.e. was/were and by adding the suffix ‘-ing’ to the main verb.

The following table shows the structure of all the sentence forms in the past progressive tense.

Sl	Sentence	Structure of the past progressive tense.	Examples	Explanations
1.	Positive	Subject + was/were + verb+ ing + object + rest of the sentence (positive	I was swimming in the river yesterday.	Here the example is in the positive sentence with the use of the past progressive tense.
2.	Negative	Subject+ was/were+ not+ verb +ing+ rest of the sentence	They were not making fun of the lame man.	Here the sentence is in the past progressive sentence. The subject is followed by the ‘be verb’ were and ‘not’ is used after it.
3.	Interrogative	Was/were + subject+ not+ verb+ ing+ object + rest of the sentence	Were you singing a song in a competition?	Here the sentence is in the question form. ‘Be verb’ ‘were’ is used before the subject.

Structure of the past progressive tense.

Past progressive tense formula:

If we want to frame any sentence in English with the past continuous tense the following formula will be very important. Let us explain the proper formula of the past progressive tense.

The formula of the past progressive form is shown in the table in the positive sentence with the help of the verb ‘read’.

Sl	Person	Singular number	Plural number
1.	First	I was reading English.	We were reading English.
2.	Second	You were reading English.	You were reading in the morning.
3.	Third	He/ She was reading at noon.	They were reading in the evening.

The formula of the past progressive tense in the positive sentences.

The use of the verb ‘watch’ in the negative sentence to show the formula of the past progressive tense is given in the table below.

Sl	Person	Singular number	Plural number
1.	1st.	I was not watching the movie.	We were not watching the movie.
2.	2nd	You were not watching the movie.	You were not watching the game last night.
3.	3rd	He/She was not watching the movie.	They were not watching the movie.

The formula of the past progressive tense in the negative sentences.

What is past progressive tense?

Here we shall explain what the past progressive tense is. Now, let us explain it

Past progressive tense is a verb form that indicates an action happening in the distant past. It was going on for a period of time.

Ex- Papia was making a kite for her little brother.

Explanation- Here the example shows that the action mentioned was continuing for a non-specific time.

Where to use past progressive tense?

Now we will describe where we can use the past progressive tense. Now, look at the table below.

Sl	The places of using the past progressive tense.	Examples	Explanations
1.	We can use the past progressive tense for the action which overlaps another action. The action in the past progressive starts before and continues after the other shorter action or time.	My friend was enjoying the drama at three o’clock.	Here it is seen that the action was started before and was continuing for a shorter time.
2.	The past progressive can be used for the background of a story.	The crow singing to please the fox.	This sentence shows that the past progressive tense is used for the background of a story.
3.	We can also use the past progressive tense to express the temporary action that happened more often than we expect in the past.	Laita was constantly singing.	Here we see that that action was continuing in the past as a temporary habit.
4.	The past progressive tense can be used to emphasize the actions that continued for a while.	The gardener was working in the garden all day.	Here it is found that the action was going on for a while.

Where is the past progressive tense used

When to use past progressive tense?

Now we shall explore when we can use the past progressive tense. Take a look at that.

Sl	When is the past progressive tense used?	Examples	Explanations
1.	We can use the past progressive tense to express an action in progress at a specific time in the past.	My grandfather was gossiping with us at 10 p.m.	Here we see that action was going on for a specific time in the past. tense to express an
2.	The past progressive tense is used to express an interrupted action in the past.	When she was writing a letter the phone rang.	In this sentence, we see that action was interrupted in the past when action was going on.
3.	The past progressive is used to refer to a habitual action in the past.	The maid was always leaving the tap running.	In this scenario, we see that an action that was continuing in the past shows a habitual action in the past.
4.	We can use the past progressive tense to show irritation used with ‘always’ or ‘constantly’.	The boy was always taking food from the kitchen.	Here the action that we see going on in the past shows irritation.
5.	We can again use the past progressive tense to describe an atmosphere that existed in the past.	The sun was shining very brightly yesterday.	The example shows that the action shows the past atmosphere.
6.	We can use the past progressive tense to express parallel action.	I was reading while my brother was watching TV.	Here we see that the action was going on with parallel action.

When is the past progressive tense used

How to use past progressive tense?

The past progressive tense refers to the actions that were continuous in the past. Here we shall discuss how it is used.

The past progressive tense is used with the subject and the past form of the verb ‘was/were. Then the past participle form of the main verb is used. It is used in the three different forms of sentences.

Sl	Examples	Explanations
1.	The river was flowing rapidly during the monsoon last year.	Here the continuous past action is referred to.
2.	The was barking at night.	Here is found an action that was continuing in the past.
3.	The beggar was sitting beside the wall.	Here the action that was going on in the past is mentioned.
4.	When were the players playing in the tournament?	Here we see in the sentence an action was continuing in the past. It is referred to here. The sentence is in question form.
5.	I was sweating in the hot weather.	In this example, it is seen that the action was in progress in the past.

How is the past progressive tense used

Conclusion

The article on the past progressive tense is explained in detail with many examples and their detailed explanations. We shall get proper knowledge on how we use the past progressive tense in the sentences.

Goutam Datta

Hi…. I am Goutam Datta. I have completed a double M. A. in English and B. Ed. I am a creative writer. Currently, I am a part of the LambdaGeeks.