Past continuous tense
Usage
Continuous action in the past: The past continuous tense is used to describe an action that was in progress at a specific time in the past, often when another action interrupted it.
I was studying for my exam when my friend called.
Background description: The past continuous tense can also be used to describe a longer action that was happening in the background while another shorter action occurred.
He was cooking dinner while his roommate was watching TV.
Atmosphere: The past continuous tense can be used to set the atmosphere or describe the scene in the past.
The sun was setting and the birds were singing.
Form
The past continuous tense is formed using the past tense of the verb to be (was, were) followed by the present participle (-ing form) of the main verb.
Signal words
Signal words such as while, when, as, at, last night, yesterday, etc. are often used with the past continuous tense to give context and indicate the ongoing nature of the action.
Negation and question forms
To form negative sentences in the past continuous tense, the word not is placed between was/were and the present participle
I was not studying at that time.
To form questions in the past continuous tense, the auxiliary verb was/were is moved before the subject
Were you studying for your exam?