GRAMMAR SPOT : PAST CONTINUOUS TENSE

Study the following dialog!

Pasya   : Where are the boys?

Intan     : When I went to the laboratory, they were having a Biology experiment

Pasya   : Are they still there now?

Intan     : I think so

Pasya   : By the way, why didn’t you answer my call last night?

Intan     : Sorry, I didn’t hear your call. When you called me last night I was having lunch with my family.

In the dialog above, you can find the use of Past Continuous Tense. Past Continuous Tense is usually used with past Tense. Past Continuous Tense shows an activity that is in progress in the past.

The form of Past Continuous Tense is as follows:

S + was/were + V ing + O

The negative and question forms are as follows:

1   (+) She was reading a book.

(-) She was not reading a book.

(?) Was she reading a book?

2   (+) They were having a discussion.

(-)  They were not having a discussion.

(?) Were they having a discussion?

Change the verbs in the brackets into Past Continuous Tense!

1. When the teacher came, I (do) my homework.
2. When the phone rang, She (watch) TV.
3. He (drive) to work when the tree fell down.
4. They (play) basket when the earthquake happened.
5. We (eat) lunch when the headmaster got a guest.
6. The lamp blacked out when we (listen) to the news.
7. Some boys (go) camping when the snow fell.
8. I (do) my homework when the telephone rang.
9. She (fit) her dress when her mother opened the boutique.
10. When I entered the kitchen, my mother (make) a cake.