The Past Progressive Tense

Past Progressive Tense

The past progressive tense is used to describe an ongoing activity in the past. For example:

John was baking a cake.

They were painting the fence.

Often, the past progressive tense is used to set the scene for another action. For example:

John was baking a cake when the storm started.

They were painting the fence while I was cutting the grass.

The past progressive tense is also known as the "past continuous tense" or the "past continuing tense".

Examples of the Past Progressive Tense and Its Uses

Here are three common uses of the past progressive tense:

(1) The past progressive tense can be used to describe an activity in the past that was interrupted:

He was painting the door when a bird struck the window.

They were sleeping when the alarm went off.

(2) The past progressive tense can be used for describing an action taking place when another occurred.

While they were painting the door, I painted the windows.

While they weren't painting the door, I painted the windows.

Were they painting the door when I painted the windows?

Weren't they painting the door when I painted the windows?

(3) The past progressive tense can be used for describing an action that was taking place at the same time as another:

While they were painting the door, I was painting the windows.