Past Continuous - Positive and

Negative
Make the positive or negative past continuous
Check
w as sleeping
1) Julie (sleep) at three o'clock. . Show Answ er

Check
w ere studying
2) You (study) at three o'clock. . Show Answ er

Check
w as reading
3) Luke (read) at three o’clock. . Show Answ er

Check
w as w orking
4) I (work) at three o’clock. . Show Answ er

w ere eating Check

5) They (eat) chocolate at three
o’clock. . Show Answ er

w as playing Check
6) John (play) tennis at three
o’clock. . Show Answ er

w ere w atchin Check

7) We (watch) TV at three
o’clock. . Show Answ er

w as useing Check
8) He (use) the internet at three
o’clock. . Show Answ er

w ere cooking Check

9) You (cook) lunch at three
o’clock. . Show Answ er

w ere traveling Check

10) We (travel) to London at three
o’clock. . Show Answ er

w aren`t w alking Check

11) Mrs Brown (not/walk) in the
garden when the murder happened. . Show Answ er

w asn`t w orking Check

12) Mr Black (not/work) in his
study when the murder happened. . Show Answ er

w asn`t talking Check

13) Miss Jones (not/talk) to Mr.
White when the murder happened. . Show Answ er

w aren`t playing Check

14) You (not/play) cards when the
murder happened. . Show Answ er

w asn´t reading Check

15) Dr Ford (not/read) in his room
when the murder happened. . Show Answ er

w aren`t eating
16) Mr. and Mrs. Green (not/eat) Check

in the dining room when the murder happened. Show Answ er

.
w asn`t drinking Check
17) Mr Blue (not/drink) coffee in
the library when the murder happened. . Show Answ er

w asn`t cleaning Check

18) The maid (not/clean) the
bedrooms when the murder happened. . Show Answ er

w asn`t listening Check

19) I (not/listen) to music when
the murder happened. . Show Answ er

w asn`t playing
20) The dogs (not/play) outside
when the murder happened. .

w ere playing

1. When I phoned my friends, they (play) monopoly.

w as prepare

2. Yesterday at six I (prepare) dinner.

w ere playing

3. The kids (play) in the garden when it suddenly began to rain.

w as practicing

4. I (practice) the guitar when he came home.

w aren`t cycleing

5. We (not / cycle) all day.

w as w orking w ere sw imming

6. While Alan (work) in his room, his friends (swim)

in the pool.
w eren`t listening

7. I tried to tell them the truth but they (not / listen ) .

w ere you

8. What (you / do) yesterday?

w ere sitting

9. Most of the time we (sit) in the park.

 w as listennig w as w atching

10. I (listen) to the radio while my sister (watch) TV.

w ere playing

11. When I arrived, they (play) cards.

w ere studying

12. We (study) English yesterday at 4:00 pm .

Write correct sentences:

Yesterday at 6 pm your family was doing different things. Write positive

sentences in past progressive.

My mother w as reading a novel.

1. My mother / read / a novel

My father w as w atching a movie.

2. My father / watch / a movie

My elder sister w as w riteing in her diary.

3. My elder sister / write / in her diary

They w ere listening to the radio.

4. My two brothers / listen / to the radio

5. My little sister and I / not / watch / a movie
We w eren`t w atching a movie.

We w ere talking about school.

6. We / talk / about school

Complete the following sentences using the past continuous:

w as liveing
 1. I (live) in Cape Town then.
w as sw immin
 2. I (swim) peacefully when I saw a massive shark that was swimming next to
me!
w ere w orking
 3. At that time they (work) in a local shop.
w as knocking
 4. You can't have been at home, I (knock) on the door for ages.
w as spending
 5. I had to cut back, I (spend) over £200 a month on clothes!
w as trying
 6. I think he (try) to be funny.
w as starting
 7. I (start) to fall asleep when I heard a scream.
w as crying
 8. She (cry) for hours, it was horrible.
w as talking
 9. I think she (talk) about her house in Paris...I wasn't really listening.
w as studying
 10. He (study) in New York but I don't know what he's doing now.
 w ere driveing
 11. They (drive) so they couldn't pick up the phone.
w ere snoreing
 12. You (snore) really loudly!
w ere w aiting
 13. They (wait) anxiously for their exam results.
w as cooking
 14. I (cook) dinner when his parents arrived.
w ere taking
 15. I thought you (take) out the rubbish.

Past Progressive - Statements - Exercise 1

Explanation: Past Progressive

Tenses Past Progressive en 750

Put in the verb in brackets into the gaps and form affirmative sentences in Past Progressive.

Toggle example

w as playing
1) She hockey. (to play)

w ere sw imming
2) They in the pool. (to swim)

w as rainning
3) It . (to rain)

w ere listenning
4) We to music. (to listen)

w as ringing
5) The mobile . (to ring)

w ere texting
6) The students . (to text)

w as danceing
7) Max with two girls. (to dance)

w as w aiting
8) I in front of the shop. (to wait)

w as sleeping
9) The cat in the basket. (to sleep)

w as repairing
10) He Gerry's bike. (to repair)

Past Continuous Tense Quiz

Use the past continuous tense or simple past tense as appropriate.

w ere
1 My brother and sister playing Click for answ er
tennis at 11am yesterday.
 Were
2 you still working at 7pm last Click for answ er
night?

w as
3 At 8.30am today I driving to Click for answ er
work.

4 w eren't Click for answ er

We sleeping at 11pm.

5 w as Click for answ er

Why he having lunch at 4pm?

met Click for answ er

I (meet) John in town yesterday.
6
w as shoppin Click for answ er
He (shop).

w as w aiting Click for answ er

Mary (wait) for me when I
7
arrived Click for answ er
(arrive).

w as he having Click for answ er

(he/have) a shower when I
8
called Click for answ er
(call)?

did not know Click for answ er

I (not/know) what to say
9
w hen Click for answ er
he asked that.

w hen
1 The telephone rang we
0 w ere w atchi
(watch) TV.