Guide to the Past Continuous Tense – TOEIC® Preparation

1. How to construct the past continuous

• To construct an affirmative sentence, the structure is: subject + was/were + verb-ing.
• To construct a negative sentence, the structure becomes: subject + was/were + not + verb-ing.
• To construct an interrogative sentence, we invert: was/were + subject + verb-ing + ?.

Common Mistakes

• Confusion between "was" and "were" depending on the subject:
  • Incorrect: He were studying for his exam.
  • Correct: He was studying for his exam.
• Forgetting the -ing form:
  • Incorrect: They were study all night.
  • Correct: They were studying all night.

2. When to use the past continuous?

2.1. Describing an ongoing action in the past

The past continuous is mainly used to express that an action was in the process of happening at a specific moment in the past.

• Yesterday at 6 PM, Sarah was preparing dinner.
• Last Monday morning, we were attending a conference.

2.2. Expressing an action interrupted by a sudden event

Following on from the previous point, this tense allows you to describe an ongoing action that was cut short by a punctual event that occurred in the past.

• I was driving to work when I saw an accident.
• They were having lunch when the fire alarm went off.

Typical time indicators for the past continuous

Connectors such as "while", "when", "at that moment", or "at that time" frequently accompany the past continuous to place the action in its temporal context.

• While he was checking his emails, his manager entered the office.
• The team was discussing the project when the client arrived.
• At that moment, Emma was taking notes during the meeting.

Tip: If you spot one of these markers followed by a verb in the simple past (entered, arrived, rang...) in a TOEIC® question, there is a high probability that the expected answer is a verb in the past continuous!

Here are the classic structures to remember:

• While + past continuous, past simple
• Past continuous when past simple
• At that moment / At that time, past continuous

Conclusion

In the TOEIC® exam, several questions test your ability to master the past continuous. Remember its formation (was/were + verb-ing) and its main use: describing an action in progress in the past, often interrupted by a punctual event.

If you wish to delve deeper into other essential grammar points for the TOEIC®, we recommend these articles:

1. 🔗 The Past Tenses for TOEIC® - General Overview
2. 🔗 The Simple Past (Prétérit - Simple Past) for the TOEIC®

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