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The Past Continuous Tense

The past continuous is also known as past progressive. It is used for actions that took place in the past in the middle of another past action. It is also used for actions that were hapenning for a short period of time.

Form
subject	+	Verb TO BE	+	main verb	+	ing
Noun or Pronoun	+	be: (was, were)	+	base	+	ing
For example:

Remember that: wasn't= was not, weren't= were not.
Affirmative	Negative	Questions	Short answer	Short answer
I was eating.	I was not eating.	Was I eating?	Yes, I was.	No, I was not.
You were eating.	You were not eating.	Were you eating?	Yes, I was. (we were.)	No, I was not. (we were not.)
We were eating.	We were not eating.	Were we eating?	Yes, we were.	No, we were not.
They were eating.	They were not eating.	Were they eating?	Yes, they were.	No, they were not.
She was eating.	She was not eating.	Was she eating?	Yes, she was.	No, she was not.
He was eating.	He was not eating.	Was he eating?	Yes, he was.	No, he was not.
It was eating.	It was not eating.	Was it eating?	Yes, it was.	No, it was not.

Usage
We use the past continuous: 1- to talk about thing that were happening for a short period of time in the past. 2- to indicate that an action was in progress when another action occurred in the past. 3- To talk about two actions happenning at the same time in the past.
What were you doing?	I was reading.
What were you doing when I called?	I was sleeping when you called.
He was driving and speaking on the phone

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