Past Progressive

Past Progressive - Use

1) actions were in progress at special time in the past

Peter was reading a book yesterday evening.

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2) two actions were happening at the same time (the actions do not influence each other)

Anne was writing a letter while Steve was reading the New York Times.

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3) together with the Simple Past

While we were sitting at the breakfast table, the telephone rang.

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4) repeated actions irritating the speaker (with always, constantly, forever)

Andrew was always coming in late.

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Past Progressive - Signal words

while

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Past Progressive - Form

to be (was, were) + infinitive + -ing

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Past Progressive - Examples

Affirmative sentences:

I was playing football.

You were playing football.

Negative sentences:

I was not playing football. I was't playing football.

You were not playing football. You weren't playing football.

Questions:

Was I playing football?

Were you playing football?

Simple Past - Past Progressive - contrasted

Simple Past - Summary

Past Progressive - Summary

Exercises

1) Use

Simple Past	Past Progressive
action finished in the past (single or repeated)	action was in progress at a special time in the past
series of completed actions in the past	two actions were happening at the same time (the actions do not influence each other)

2) Form

Simple Past	Past Progressive
regular verbs: infinitive + -ed  irregular verbs: 2nd column of the table of the irregular verbs	(was or were) + infinitive + -ing

3) Examples

Simple Past	Past Progressive
3-1 Affirmative sentences
He played football.	He was playing football.
We played football.	We were playing football.
He sang songs.	He was singing songs.
We sang songs.	We were singing songs.

Simple Past	Past Progressive
3-2 Negative sentences
He did not play football.	He was not playing football.
We did not play football.	We were not playing football.
He did not sing songs.	He was not singing songs.
We did not sing songs.	We were not singing songs.

Simple Past	Past Progressive
3-3 Questions
Did he play football?	Was he playing football?
Did you play football?	Were you playing football?
Did he sing songs?	Was he singing songs?
Did you sing songs?	Were you singing songs?

4) Spelling

stopped (Double the consonant after a short vowel.)	sitting (double consonant after short vowel)
loved (one -e at the end of the word -> Leave out the -e and add -d.)	writing (leave out one -e at the end)
worried (consonant before -y ->Change to -ie.)	lying (change -ie to -y)

5) Use

Both tenses are often used in one sentence:

While we were sitting at the breakfast table, the telephone rang.

We were sitting at the breakfast table when the telephone rang.

The signal word while is in the part with the Past Progressive, 
the signal word when is in the part with the Simple Past.

ATTENTION!
Past Progressive: we were sitting at the table
Simple Past: the telephone rang.

The action in the Simple Past (pink) interrupts the action in the Past Progressive (blue).