Past continuous: what were you doing at 9 p.m.? Past continuous exercises for actions in progress

This A2 drill lesson gives past continuous exercises for actions in progress at a past moment: was / were + -ing, while, negatives, questions and short answers.

Grammar: Was / were + -ing for every person, -ing spelling, wasn't and weren't, What were you doing?, while for two actions, and state verbs like know without -ing.
Topic: A fire drill at a hotel in Denver: the manager's report on where everyone was at 9 p.m., a guest's review, Ben's chat with his sister and the manager's questions.
Activities: Sorting, was / were choices, -ing spelling, gap-fills, drag-and-drop, word order, matching, a table, quizzes, a memory game and a chat.

What's inside

Chapter 1The rule
- PictureUnlock
- Study the scheme: past continuousGrammar schemeTry it
- Is the sentence correct? Mark true or falseTrue or falseUnlock
- Sort the sentences: was or were?Sort into columnsTry it
- Choose was or wereChoose the optionUnlock
- Write the -ing formFill in the gapsUnlock
Chapter 2What was happening?
- Fill in the gaps: was / were + -ingFill in the gapsTry it
- Fill in the gaps: subject + was / were + -ingFill in the gapsUnlock
- Drag the words into the gapsDrag and dropUnlock
- Put the words in the right orderUnjumbleUnlock
- Choose the right formChoose the optionUnlock
- Match the beginnings and the endingsMatchUnlock
- Read about Maple Street and fill in the gaps: was / were + -ingFill in the gapsUnlock
Chapter 3Negatives and questions
- Fill in the gaps: wasn't / weren't + -ingFill in the gapsUnlock
- Fill in the table: positive, negative, questionFill in the tableTry it
- Fill in the gaps: make questionsFill in the gapsUnlock
- Put the words in order to make questionsUnjumbleUnlock
- Choose the right short answerChoose the optionUnlock
- Choose the right question for each answerQuizUnlock
- Write the question for the answer: was / were + -ingFill in the gapsUnlock
Chapter 4While, and verbs without -ing
- Fill in the gaps with was / were + -ing: two things at onceFill in the gapsUnlock
- Put the words in the right order: while sentencesUnjumbleUnlock
- Read Ana's message and drag the words into the gapsDrag and dropTry it
- Sort the verbs: can they take -ing?Sort into columnsUnlock
- Choose the right form: verbs without -ingChoose the optionUnlock
- Find the mistake and choose the right wordsQuizUnlock
Chapter 5Real life: The fire drill
- Read the fire drill reportReal-life documentUnlock
- Read the report again: true or false?True or falseUnlock
- Read Aiko's review and fill in the gaps: was / were + -ingFill in the gapsUnlock
- Read Ben's chat and drag the words into the gapsDrag and dropUnlock
- Choose the right replies: the manager asks youChatTry it
- Test yourself: choose the right answerQuizUnlock
Chapter 6Homework
- Choose was or were: at the caféChoose the optionUnlock
- Write the -ing form of the verbFill in the gapsUnlock
- Fill in the gaps with was / were + -ing: at the airportFill in the gapsUnlock
- Put the words in the right order: sentencesUnjumbleUnlock
- Fill in the gaps: wasn't / weren't + -ing at the beachFill in the gapsUnlock
- Sort the sentences: positive, negative or question?Sort into columnsUnlock
- Put the words in the right order: questionsUnjumbleUnlock
- Choose the right short answer: after the partyChoose the optionUnlock
- Write the past continuous questionsFill in the gapsUnlock
- Match the questions and the answersMatchUnlock
- Find the matching pairs: question and short answerMemory gameUnlock
- Choose the correct sentenceQuizUnlock
- Read Nadia's post and fill in the gaps: was / were + -ingFill in the gapsUnlock
- Read Paul's note and drag the words into the gapsDrag and dropUnlock
- Read the text messages and fill in the gaps: was / were + -ingFill in the gapsUnlock

Grammar: the past continuous: was / were + -ing

The past continuous shows an action in progress at a moment in the past, often with a time phrase: At 9 p.m., I was reading a book. Was or were, then the -ing form, and with while it shows two actions going on at once.

Past continuous: what were you doing?

Say what was in progress at a time in the past: was / were + verb-ing.

Was or were + verb-ing

I, he, she and it take was; you, we and they take were: It was raining all evening. They were watching a movie. Negatives just add not: He wasn't working. We weren't working.

was / were + verb-ing

subjectwas / wereverb + -ing

At 9 p.m., I was reading a book.

It was raining all evening.

They were watching a movie.

Every person: + − ?

Who	Positive (+)	Negative (−)	Question (?)
I	I was working.	I was not working. · I wasn't working.	Was I working?
you	You were working.	You were not working. · You weren't working.	Were you working?
he	He was working.	He was not working. · He wasn't working.	Was he working?
she	She was working.	She was not working. · She wasn't working.	Was she working?
it	It was raining.	It was not raining. · It wasn't raining.	Was it raining?
we	We were working.	We were not working. · We weren't working.	Were we working?
they	They were working.	They were not working. · They weren't working.	Were they working?

Questions and short answers

Was or were moves before the subject: Were you sleeping? Short answers use was or were, never did: Yes, I was. No, they weren't. The same pattern works for every person: Was Tom driving? – No, he wasn't.

Question	Yes	No
Was I snoring?	Yes, you were.	No, you weren't.
Were you sleeping?	Yes, I was.	No, I wasn't.
Was Tom driving?	Yes, he was.	No, he wasn't.
Was Mia cooking?	Yes, she was.	No, she wasn't.
Was it getting dark?	Yes, it was.	No, it wasn't.
Were you and Ana working?	Yes, we were.	No, we weren't.
Were they playing?	Yes, they were.	No, they weren't.

At a time in the past, or with while

Use it for something in progress at a time, with phrases like at midnight or this time yesterday: This time yesterday, we were flying to Rome. While joins two actions happening at the same time: While I was cooking, Tom was watching TV.

In progress at a time in the past

at 9 p.m. yesterday · at midnight · at that moment · this time yesterday · all evening
At 9 p.m. yesterday, I was reading.
This time yesterday, we were flying to Rome.

Two actions at the same time: while

while + was / were + -ing
While I was cooking, Tom was watching TV.
The kids were playing while we were talking.

Verbs without -ing

State verbs such as know, believe, own and want take no -ing. They stay in the past simple: This bike belonged to my dad, and I knew the answer, not I was knowing.

know → knew
understand → understood
believe → believed
belong → belonged
seem → seemed
own → owned
want → wanted
need → needed
prefer → preferred

Wh- questions and common mistakes

Wh- questions keep was / were before the subject: What were you reading?, not What you were reading? Also watch for At 9 p.m. I was read, Was you dreaming? and did in place of was or were: She didn't sleeping.

Examples

At midnight, the baby was sleeping.in progress at a time
I wasn't working. I was having lunch.negative and positive
Were you working at 8 p.m.? Yes, I was.question and short answer
What were you doing at 10 o'clock?What … doing?
While I was working, my cat was sleeping on my desk.two actions at the same time
This bike belonged to my dad. (Not: was belonging)state verb: past simple

Common mistakes

At 9 p.m. I was read.
At 9 p.m. I was reading.
was / were + verb-ing
They was watching TV.
They were watching TV.
I, he, she, it was · you, we, they were
Was you dreaming?
Were you dreaming?
you always takes were
I was knowing the answer.
I knew the answer.
state verbs: no -ing

Negatives, questions and short answers

Negative: wasn't / weren't + -ing: She wasn't sleeping. (Not: She didn't sleeping.) Questions: was / were comes first: Were you working? What were you reading? (Not: What you were reading?) Short answers: Yes, I was. No, they weren't. (Not: Yes, I did.) Spelling: the same -ing rules: make → making, sit → sitting.

More lessons on this grammar: Past continuous lessons and exercises

Try the past continuous exercises

Try them yourself: these are the same exercises your students do in edio.

What's in the lesson

38 auto-checked exercises
6 games
1 real-life document
1 grammar scheme
1 picture

The main objectives of this lesson are to:

say what was in progress at a past time: At midnight, I was studying for my test. They were watching a movie.
choose was or were and spell the -ing form: They were watching TV, not They was watching TV; We were swimming in the sea.
make negatives and questions with short answers: We weren't watching the game. Were you listening? – No, I wasn't.
join two actions with while and use the past simple for state verbs: While you were sleeping, I was cleaning the whole apartment! I knew all my neighbors.

Grammar:: past continuous · was / were + -ing · while · state verbs · short answers
Topic:: grammar practice · past events · hotel · fire drill

Teaching tips

Hold a pretend fire drill: call out "Freeze!" in the middle of pair work, wait a minute, then ask each student What were you doing at that moment? and Was your partner talking?
Play the alibi game: two students agree on where they were at 9 p.m. last night, then the class questions them one at a time (What were you wearing?) and looks for answers that don't match.
Stand up for -ing verbs: before the state-verb drills, say verbs aloud; students stand for verbs that can take -ing (cook, run) and stay seated for know, own or need.

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The whole course: English Grammar Practice · A2

English Grammar Practice · A2 has 28 drill lessons, one grammar point each: the past simple and continuous, used to, comparatives, going to and will, the present perfect, modals, the zero and first conditionals and questions. Each has the rule as a scheme, 43 to 47 exercises that check themselves, 15 of them for homework, and no new words.See the course

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