Past continuous tense denotes to those actions/events that were happening for a particular time in the past.

The past continuous tense is formed by combining the past tense of to be (i.e., was/were) with the verb’s present participle (-ing word). There are many situations in which this verb tense might be used in a sentence. For example, it is often used to describe conditions that existed in the past.

Example:

• The sun was shining every day that summer.
• As I spoke, the children were laughing at my cleverness.

It can also be used to describe something that was happening continuously in the past when another action interrupted it.

Example:

• The audience was applauding until he fell off the stage.
• I was making dinner when she arrived.

The past continuous can indicate on what was happening at a precise time in the past.

Example:

• At 6 o’clock, I was eating dinner.
• At 9:00 p.m, I was watching a movie

Past Continuous Tense Examples:

• The children were shouting when the teacher came in.
• It was midnight when it was raining.
• Everyone was clapping.
• Raj was practicing the guitar after classes.
• The baby was laughing when I came into the room.
• The children were playing in the garden.
• The girls were dancing as the music played.
• The child was eating an apple.
• Trina was going to the library.

Past Continuous Tense can be Formed in the Following Way

Subject + Be form (was/were) + ‘ing’ form of verb.

For example, ‘My brother was cooking dinner yesterday’. Here, the subject is ‘my brother’, which is used with the ‘be’ form, i.e. ‘was’, and with the ‘ing’ form of the verb, i.e. cooking.