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When the pager beeps: the past continuous with was and were + -ing

This A2 ESL lesson plan teaches the past continuous, also called the past progressive, for actions in progress at a moment in the past.

Grammar
Was or were + verb-ing (At nine, I was cooking dinner.), negatives with wasn't and weren't, questions with short answers, -ing spelling, and the past simple for know and want.
Topic
America's volunteer firefighters, about six in ten of all US firefighters, at a small-town station's open house, with words such as pager, siren, hose and drill night.
Activities
A fire station's open-house notice to read, a volunteer's dialogue and a viewer's message to hear, drills that check themselves, a drill-night chat and open-box questions.

What's inside

  1. Chapter 1The pager is beeping!

    • PictureUnlock
    • Spin the wheel and answerSpin the wheelUnlock
    • Study the words: at the fire stationVocabularyTry it
    • Look at the pictures and chooseChoose by pictureUnlock

  2. Chapter 2Let's read: open house!

    • Look at the photo: a small-town fire stationPictureUnlock
    • Read the notice: an open houseReal-life documentTry it
    • Read and mark true or falseTrue or falseUnlock
    • Read again and choose the right answerQuizUnlock

  3. Chapter 3Let's listen: what were you doing?

    • Listen to Marco and BonnieListeningTry it
    • Transcript, for the teacherUnlock
    • Listen and choose the right answerQuizUnlock
    • Listen to the Viewer's QuestionListeningUnlock
    • Transcript, for the teacherUnlock
    • Listen and mark true or falseTrue or falseUnlock

  4. Chapter 4Grammar: I was cooking dinner

    • Study the scheme: the past continuousGrammar schemeTry it
    • Choose the correct optionChoose the optionUnlock
    • Fill in the gaps: write the past continuousFill in the gapsTry it
    • Fill in the table: at midnight last nightFill in the tableUnlock
    • Choose the right sentenceQuizUnlock

  5. Chapter 5Let's talk: drill night

    • Choose the right replies: drill nightChatTry it
    • Open a box and answer: what were you doing?Open the boxUnlock

  6. Chapter 6Homework

    • Match the words and the meaningsMatchUnlock
    • Unscramble the wordsAnagramUnlock
    • Fill in the gaps with the lesson's wordsFill in the gapsUnlock
    • Choose the correct optionChoose the optionUnlock
    • Fill in the gaps: the past continuous, negatives and questionsFill in the gapsUnlock
    • Put the words in the correct orderUnjumbleUnlock
    • Choose the correct answer: short answersQuizUnlock
    • Choose the correct option: the station's postChoose the optionUnlock
    • Drag the words into the gaps: Nora's message to VinceDrag and dropUnlock

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Vocabulary

10 words and phrases from the lesson, each with a picture and audio in edio.

+7 more with pictures and audio in the lessonMore words

  • siren
  • helmet
  • hose
  • bucket
  • drill night
  • open house
  • junior firefighter

Grammar: the past continuous with was and were

The past continuous tense shows an action in progress at a moment in the past: At nine o'clock, I was cooking dinner. Volunteer firefighters get calls at any hour, so What were you doing when the pager beeped? always has an answer. Learners build the tense from was or were and verb-ing, then add negatives, questions and short answers.

At nine o'clock, I was cooking dinner.

The past continuous: was / were + verb + -ing. An action in the middle, at a time in the past.

In the middle of an action

On the timeline, a movie runs from eight to ten, so at nine, I was watching a movie, halfway through. The past simple gives the whole action instead. We ate breakfast at eight means we started then; At eight, we were eating breakfast means we started earlier.

Last night: in the middle of a movie

pastnow
  • 8:00 to 10:00: I watched a movie.
  • At 9:00, I was watching a movie. (in the middle)
  • now

In the middle, or the whole action?

Past continuous: in the middle

  • At eight, we were eating breakfast. (We started at 7:30.)
  • At nine, my cat was sleeping.

Past simple: the whole action

  • We ate breakfast at eight. (We started at eight.)
  • My cat slept for ten hours.

Was or were for every person

The subject picks the helping verb: I was, he was, it was, but you were, we were, they were. The negative adds n't to was or were: He wasn't cooking. We weren't walking. Nouns count the same way: Her kids were doing their homework.

I, he, she, it: was · you, we, they: were (not: I were)

WhoYes (+)Not (–): wasn't / weren'tQuestion (?)
II was cooking.I wasn't sleeping.Was I cooking?
youYou were cooking.You weren't sleeping.Were you cooking?
heHe was sleeping.He wasn't cooking.Was he sleeping?
sheShe was watching TV.She wasn't sleeping.Was she watching TV?
itIt (the pager) was beeping.It wasn't working.Was it beeping?
weWe were rushing.We weren't walking.Were we rushing?
theyThey were rushing.They weren't sleeping.Were they rushing?

At the fire station

  • At nine, Bonnie was cooking dinner.
  • Her kids were doing their homework.
  • Luke was sleeping on his couch.
  • Opal and Rachel were watching a movie.
  • The pagers were beeping!
  • What were you doing at nine? – I was reading.

Questions and short answers

For a question, was or were moves in front of the subject: Were you sleeping? Was Luke sleeping? The short answer stops at the helping verb: Yes, I was. No, he wasn't. To ask about any activity, start with What: What were you doing at nine?

QuestionAnswer
Were you sleeping?Yes, I was. / No, I wasn't.
Was Luke sleeping?Yes, he was. / No, he wasn't.
Were they watching a movie?Yes, they were. / No, they weren't.
What were you doing at nine?I was cooking dinner.

Spelling the -ing form

Most verbs simply add -ing: rushing, cooking, beeping. A final -e drops (making, riding), and a short verb with one vowel before its last consonant doubles that consonant: sitting, putting, shopping. Verbs ending in w, x or y never double: showing, fixing, playing.

The verbWhat to doExamples
most verbsadd -ingrush → rushing, cook → cooking, beep → beeping, sleep → sleeping
ends in -edrop the e, add -ingmake → making, ride → riding, drive → driving
a short verb (one syllable) with one vowel + one consonant at the enddouble the consonant, add -ingsit → sitting, run → running, put → putting, swim → swimming, shop → shopping
ends in w, x or ynever double: just add -ingshow → showing, fix → fixing, play → playing

Know, want and need: no -ing

Some verbs name a state, not an action: know, want, need, like, love, understand. They stay in the past simple, even at a past moment: I knew the answer, not I was knowing; The dog wanted the sandwich, not was wanting.

No -ing with these verbs

know, want, need, like, love and understand are not actions. Don't use them with was / were + -ing. Use the past simple: I knew the answer (not: I was knowing). Biscuit wanted the sandwich (not: Biscuit was wanting).

Common mistakes

  • We was eating dinner.

    We were eating dinner.

    we, you, they: were

  • She eating dinner.

    She was eating dinner.

    don't forget was / were

  • Was you sleeping?

    Were you sleeping?

    you: were, in questions too

  • I was knowing the answer.

    I knew the answer.

    know: no -ing

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.

More exercises

What's in the lesson

  • 17 auto-checked exercises
  • 4 games
  • 1 real-life document
  • 1 grammar scheme
  • 1 set of word cards
  • 2 audio clips
  • 2 pictures
  • 2 transcripts

The main objectives of this lesson are to:

  • say what was in progress at a past time with was or were + -ing: At nine, I was cooking dinner. The pagers were beeping.
  • make negatives and questions and give short answers: He wasn't sleeping. Were you sleeping? Yes, I was.
  • ask and answer What were you doing at seven last night? about themselves, their family and a partner
  • spell the -ing form and keep know and want in the past simple: sitting, making; I knew the answer.

Lesson 9 opens Everyday heroes, the third unit of English A2.2 · Curious Minds. It joins two earlier points: was and were in full from A2.1 lesson 5, with wasn't and Were they…?, and the present continuous of A1.2 lesson 7, am, is or are + -ing. Lesson 10 then pairs the new tense with the past simple through when and while. Volunteers answer calls at any hour, day or night, so each of them can say what they were doing when the pager beeped.

A spin-the-wheel warm-up asks about helpers in town and sounds that wake students up; ten illustrated words with audio follow, from beep and rush to bucket and junior firefighter. The reading is a notice for a fire station's open house, with facts about volunteers and the Union Fire Company of Philadelphia, started in 1736 with help from Benjamin Franklin. Students hear Marco talk to Bonnie, a volunteer firefighter, in an AI-voiced dialogue, then a voice message from a viewer with a question and a challenge. The scheme leads into four self-checking exercises, among them a table for every person at midnight. To speak, students chat with a volunteer about drill night and open boxes that ask what they were doing at a given time.

The nine homework tasks all check themselves: word games, a choice of forms, gap-fills of negatives and questions, word order, short answers, options in the station's thank-you post and words to drag into a message.

Grammar:
past continuous · was / were + -ing · wasn't / weren't + -ing · Was / Were …? · -ing spelling
Topic:
volunteer firefighters · fire station · open house · drill night · junior firefighters · Philadelphia, 1736 · Curious Minds

Teaching tips

  • Start with nine o'clock last night: ask five students what they were doing then, write each answer on the board, and underline was or were and the -ing verb.
  • Ask who fights fires in a small town before the notice: paid firefighters or volunteers? Students vote, then find the answer in the text: about six in ten American firefighters are volunteers.
  • Play the open-house dialogue twice: first for who was doing what at nine, then for each was and were, so students hear both forms in one conversation.
  • Run a what-were-you-doing survey: pairs ask What were you doing at seven this morning?, take notes and report one answer with he or she: At seven, she was sleeping.

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The whole course: English A2.2 · Curious Minds

32 lessons that pick up where English A2.1 ends, in simple American English, from the present perfect to used to, have to and relative clauses. Eight units cover nature, tech at home, heroes, healthy habits, fashion, school, animals and traditions. Pictures and definitions replace translations, and the practice exercises check themselves.See the course

  1. Unit 1 Wonders of nature

    the present perfect with ever and never, been to, superlatives with I've ever, articles with place names

    1. Lesson 1Have you ever seen the sky dance?The present perfect for experiences
    2. Lesson 2Have you been to the Grand Canyon?Present perfect vs past simple
    3. Lesson 3The longest cave in the worldSuperlatives with the present perfect
    4. Lesson 4The first national parkArticles with place names

  2. Unit 2 Clever tech at home

    the present perfect with just, already and yet, phrasal verbs, subject and object questions

    1. Lesson 5The chocolate bar that meltedThe present perfect with just
    2. Lesson 6Has my lunch arrived yet?Already and yet with the present perfect
    3. Lesson 7Turn it on, turn it offPhrasal verbs with it and them
    4. Lesson 8The girl who tests waterSubject and object questions

  3. Unit 3 Everyday heroes

    the past continuous, when and while, adjective order, story linkers

    1. Lesson 9 · you're hereWhen the pager beepsThe past continuous with was and were
    2. Lesson 10The man who planted apple treesPast continuous and past simple with when and while
    3. Lesson 11What's in the lost and found?The order of adjectives
    4. Lesson 12The dogs who saved NomeStory linkers

  4. Unit 4 Healthy and happy habits

    will for predictions, the zero and first conditionals, so do I and neither do I

    1. Lesson 13Why does school start later in California?Will and won't for predictions, decisions and offers
    2. Lesson 14Brain freeze!The zero conditional for facts
    3. Lesson 15Doctor's orders: go to the park!The first conditional with if and will
    4. Lesson 16Walking in the mall at 7 a.m.Agreeing with So do I and Neither do I

  5. Unit 5 Style through time

    used to, didn't use to, made of and made from, still and not anymore

    1. Lesson 17Why did everyone use to wear a hat?Used to for past habits and states
    2. Lesson 18Jeans used to be work clothesUsed to in negatives and questions
    3. Lesson 19Quilts made from old clothesMade of, made from and made by
    4. Lesson 20Cowboy boots, still made by handStill, not anymore and no longer

  6. Unit 6 School in America

    have to, must and mustn't, be allowed to, had to

    1. Lesson 21Do you have to wear a uniform?Have to and don't have to for rules
    2. Lesson 22Stop for the yellow bus!Must, mustn't and don't have to
    3. Lesson 23A class trip to the SmithsonianBe allowed to and can for permission
    4. Lesson 24One room, one teacher, every gradeHad to and didn't have to for past duties

  7. Unit 7 Amazing animals

    relative clauses with which, that, who and where, look and sound + adjective, adjectives with prepositions

    1. Lesson 25The bird that copies car alarmsRelative clauses with which and that
    2. Lesson 26Alligators and crocodiles togetherWho, which, that and where in relative clauses
    3. Lesson 27Sailors thought it was a mermaidLook, sound and feel as linking verbs
    4. Lesson 28Beagles at the airportAdjectives with prepositions

  8. Unit 8 Traditions we love

    invitations, will vs going to, so and such, one and ones

    1. Lesson 29Come to our cookout!Making, accepting and refusing invitations
    2. Lesson 30Is spring going to come early?Will vs going to for the future
    3. Lesson 31From turnips to pumpkinsSo and such for emphasis
    4. Lesson 32Giant balloons over ManhattanOne and ones in place of a noun

Questions about this lesson

What is the past continuous?
The past continuous is the tense for an action in progress in the past: was or were plus a verb with -ing. At nine o'clock, I was cooking dinner. The pagers were beeping. It shows the middle of an action, often at a clock time, while the past simple tells the whole action. The A2 lesson When the pager beeps on edio.ai introduces it at a small-town fire station's open house.
How do you form the past continuous tense?
Form the past continuous tense with was or were, then the verb + -ing. Singular subjects other than you get was (She was watching TV.); you and plural subjects get were (They were rushing to the station.). For the negative, add n't (He wasn't sleeping.); for a question, put was or were first: Were you cooking?
Is the past progressive the same as the past continuous?
Yes: past progressive and past continuous name one tense, was or were plus verb-ing. Grammar books pick one term or the other, but the sentences stay the same: I was reading. We were shopping for snacks. Was it raining? Either way, the tense shows an action that was still going on at a moment in the past, such as at this time yesterday.
What are some examples of the past continuous?
Clear examples pair a past time with was or were + -ing: At nine last night, the pager was beeping. At six yesterday evening, the kids were swimming in the lake. At this time yesterday, we were shopping for snacks. Negatives and questions follow the same pattern: I wasn't sleeping. Was it raining at six? Each sentence needs a past time, said or understood.
How do you ask questions in the past continuous?
Move was or were before the subject and keep the -ing verb after it: Were you sleeping? Was the pager beeping? Short answers keep just was or were: Yes, I was. No, it wasn't. A question word goes first: What were you doing at nine? In the A2 lesson When the pager beeps on edio.ai, a volunteer firefighter asks What were you doing at seven last night? in a chat.
Is it "we was" or "we were"?
It's we were: we, you and they always take were. We were eating dinner. You were sleeping. They were practicing with the hose. Was is only for I, he, she and it, or any single person or thing. Plural nouns take were as well (My parents were cooking.), and so do questions: Were you sleeping?, never Was you sleeping?
Is it "I was knowing" or "I knew"?
Say I knew: know isn't used with was + -ing. Verbs for states, not actions, stay in the past simple: know, want, need, like, love and understand. I knew the answer. The dog wanted the sandwich. So the natural reply to news is I didn't know that!, not I wasn't knowing that!, even in a story about one moment in the past.
Is it "At nine, I read" or "At nine, I was reading"?
If the reading began before nine and went on after it, say At nine, I was reading. The past continuous puts you in the middle: At eight, we were eating breakfast (we started at 7:30). The past simple tells the whole action, or one that starts at that time: We ate breakfast at eight. A quiz in When the pager beeps on edio.ai sets this trap with a book started at 8:30.
What firefighter vocabulary do English learners need?
Start with the gear, the sounds and the station's own words: a helmet, a hose (a long tube for water), a pager that beeps and a loud siren. Volunteers rush to the station when a call comes, and some departments say a run or a job for an emergency. A drill night is an evening of training, and a junior firefighter is a teen learning the job.
How do I teach the past continuous to A2 students?
Begin with a clock time students can picture, such as nine last night, and draw it on a timeline with an action running through it: At nine, I was watching a movie. Then fill a table for every person, add negatives and questions, and contrast the whole action in the past simple. When the pager beeps, an A2 lesson on edio.ai, takes the same path, starting with a movie-night timeline and ending with a table about midnight.
What's a good game for practicing the past continuous?
Open-the-box questions about past moments make a good game: each box hides a prompt such as What were you doing at this time yesterday? or Your family: what were they doing at six yesterday evening?, and the student who opens it answers. A partner then reports one answer to the class: At eight last night, she was watching a movie. The speaking chapter of this lesson has eight such boxes.
Are there interactive exercises for the past continuous?
Yes: a gap-fill and a chat role-play on this page give instant feedback on the past continuous, with no account needed. Four parts of When the pager beeps, an A2 lesson on edio.ai, play here: the open-house notice from a volunteer fire station, a dialogue with a firefighter who teaches math, a gap-fill of was or were + -ing after clock times, and a chat about drill night. The rest is locked.
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