Past continuous: ESL lesson plans and exercises

Q: When do we use the past continuous?

For something already going on at a past time. At ten last night, I was watching a movie tells what was happening then, not when it started or ended. It often gives the background to a shorter event: We were having lunch when the power went out . Two actions in progress together can both take it: While I was cooking, my son was doing his homework .

Q: How do you form the past continuous?

Was or were, then the verb + -ing. I was working , you were working , she was working , they were working . The negative uses wasn't or weren't ( He wasn't listening ), and questions start with Was or Were : Were you sleeping? – No, I wasn't. The usual -ing spelling rules apply: ride → riding , run → running .

Q: What's the difference between the past continuous and the past simple?

An action in progress versus a whole, finished action. I was having lunch at one means lunch had started before one; I had lunch at one means it started at one. In one sentence, the long background action takes the past continuous and the short event takes the past simple: She was driving home when she saw the accident .

Q: When do you use when and while?

While marks the long action; when usually marks the short. While we were walking, it started to snow and We were walking when it started to snow mean the same. When can also go with the long action ( When I was living in Boston, I met Ana ), but while never introduces the short one. Use a comma only when when or while starts the sentence.

Q: Is the past continuous the same as the past progressive?

Yes: past progressive is another name for it. Some grammar books say past progressive and others past continuous, but the tense is the same, was or were + -ing : They were waiting for the bus . The lessons on this page call it the past continuous.

Q: Which verbs don't take the past continuous?

State verbs such as know, want, need, like and understand. They describe states rather than actions, so they stay in the past simple even in the background of a story: I knew the answer , not I was knowing ; She wanted a dog , not She was wanting a dog .

Q: How do I teach the past continuous to A2 students?

Start with one past moment, then add the interruption. In English A2.2, lesson 9 practices was and were + -ing for what people were doing at one time, and lesson 10 adds the short action with when and while . A timeline helps: draw the long action as a line and the event as a cross. At B1, English for IT uses both tenses to tell the story of a bug.

Q: What are good past continuous activities?

Alibi games and picture stories work well. In an alibi game, two students agree on what they were doing last night at eight, and the class questions them separately to find differences. With a busy street picture, students say what everyone was doing when a car alarm went off. Each lesson's speaking chapter then gives students a chat and a game, Spin the wheel or Open the box.

Q: Are there interactive past continuous exercises?

Yes: some are on this page, free to try. Every one comes from a lesson below, and the drills there range from was / were + -ing forms to choosing between the past continuous and the past simple: drag-and-drop, gap-fills, tables to complete and quizzes. Students answer in their own accounts and see each answer checked straight away. Start a free trial to teach the full lessons, or any other in the library.

Q: Can I teach these lessons one-to-one?

Yes, and they suit homework too. In a live lesson, the student follows along in their own account in sync with you, and the speaking game works with just two people. As homework, the exercises check themselves, and any writing or recording comes back to you to review.

Levels A2 to B2 4 lesson plans · 3 drill lessons Exercises that check themselves

The past continuous, was or were + -ing, describes an action in progress at a past moment: At nine, we were watching a movie. This page collects 4 ready-made past continuous lessons from the edio.ai library, levels A2 to B2, interactive and in American English. Try exercises from them, see how their grammar schemes set it against the past simple, with when and while for interrupted actions, and choose a lesson for your class by level. Their practice exercises check every answer as students go.

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Past continuous lesson plans and drills

4 lesson plans and 3 drill lessons, A2 to B2. Lesson plans are whole lessons with reading, listening and speaking; drill lessons are 44 to 46 self-checking exercises with no new words.

Try the past continuous exercises

One exercise from each of 6 lessons. These are the same exercises your students do in edio.

Past continuous explained

We use the past continuous for an action in progress at a past time, often the background of a story: I was reading when the phone rang. The event that interrupts it takes the past simple. Two longer actions that happen side by side can both be continuous: She was cooking while he was working.

Was or were + -ing

I, he, she and it take was; you, we and they take were, so never I were. The negatives are wasn't and weren't, and questions start with Was or Were. The second table covers -ing spelling: make → making, sit → sitting.

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

Who	Yes (+)	Not (–): wasn't / weren't	Question (?)
I	I was cooking.	I wasn't sleeping.	Was I cooking?
you	You were cooking.	You weren't sleeping.	Were you cooking?
he	He was sleeping.	He wasn't cooking.	Was he sleeping?
she	She was watching TV.	She wasn't sleeping.	Was she watching TV?
it	It (the pager) was beeping.	It wasn't working.	Was it beeping?
we	We were rushing.	We weren't walking.	Were we rushing?
they	They were rushing.	They weren't sleeping.	Were they rushing?

-ing spelling

The verb	What to do	Examples
most verbs	add -ing	rush → rushing, cook → cooking, beep → beeping, sleep → sleeping
ends in -e	drop the e, add -ing	make → making, ride → riding, drive → driving
a short verb (one syllable) with one vowel + one consonant at the end	double the consonant, add -ing	sit → sitting, run → running, put → putting, swim → swimming, shop → shopping
ends in w, x or y	never double: just add -ing	show → showing, fix → fixing, play → playing

From the lesson When the pager beeps (English A2.2)

In the middle of an action, or all of it

The past continuous drops us into the middle of an action: At eight, we were eating breakfast means breakfast had already begun. The past simple sees the whole action, so We ate breakfast at eight means it started at eight.

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.

From the lesson When the pager beeps (English A2.2)

When and while: a long action and a short one

While introduces the long action in the past continuous; when usually introduces the short one in the past simple: While we were walking, Biscuit found an apple. Either part can come first; if the sentence opens with when or while, a comma ends the first part.

The pattern	Example
long action + when + short action	I was picking apples when it started to rain.
When + short action, long action	When it started to rain, I was picking apples.
When + long action, short action	When I was picking apples, it started to rain.
While + long action, short action	While we were walking, Biscuit found an apple.
short action + while + long action	Biscuit found an apple while we were walking.

From the lesson The man who planted apple trees (English A2.2)

Questions: What were you doing when…?

To ask about the background, put was or were before the subject: What were you doing when the bell rang? Yes/no questions take short answers with the same verb, Yes, I was or No, I wasn't, and What happened? asks about the short event.

Question	Answer
What were you doing when Biscuit took the apple?	I was stirring the apple butter.
What was Marco doing when you saw him?	He was buying pie.
Were you picking apples when it started to rain?	Yes, I was. / No, I wasn't.
What happened while you were walking?	Biscuit found an apple.

From the lesson The man who planted apple trees (English A2.2)

Background, events and state verbs

In a story, the past continuous sets the scene and the past simple moves through the events, one after another: The app froze, so I closed it. State verbs such as know, need and want keep the past simple: I knew the password, not I was knowing.

Use	Tense	Example
a longer action in progress (the background)	past continuous	I was uploading a photo…
a short event that interrupts it	past simple	…when the app froze.
two longer actions at the same time	past continuous + past continuous	While I was testing, Diego was updating the server.
short events, one after another	past simple	The app froze, so I closed it and tried again.
state verbs: know, need, want, like	past simple	I knew the password.

From the lesson The first actual bug (English for IT B1)

Questions about the past continuous

When do we use the past continuous?

For something already going on at a past time. At ten last night, I was watching a movie tells what was happening then, not when it started or ended. It often gives the background to a shorter event: We were having lunch when the power went out. Two actions in progress together can both take it: While I was cooking, my son was doing his homework.

How do you form the past continuous?

Was or were, then the verb + -ing. I was working, you were working, she was working, they were working. The negative uses wasn't or weren't (He wasn't listening), and questions start with Was or Were: Were you sleeping? – No, I wasn't. The usual -ing spelling rules apply: ride → riding, run → running.

What's the difference between the past continuous and the past simple?

An action in progress versus a whole, finished action. I was having lunch at one means lunch had started before one; I had lunch at one means it started at one. In one sentence, the long background action takes the past continuous and the short event takes the past simple: She was driving home when she saw the accident.

When do you use when and while?

While marks the long action; when usually marks the short. While we were walking, it started to snow and We were walking when it started to snow mean the same. When can also go with the long action (When I was living in Boston, I met Ana), but while never introduces the short one. Use a comma only when when or while starts the sentence.

Is the past continuous the same as the past progressive?

Yes: past progressive is another name for it. Some grammar books say past progressive and others past continuous, but the tense is the same, was or were + -ing: They were waiting for the bus. The lessons on this page call it the past continuous.

Which verbs don't take the past continuous?

State verbs such as know, want, need, like and understand. They describe states rather than actions, so they stay in the past simple even in the background of a story: I knew the answer, not I was knowing; She wanted a dog, not She was wanting a dog.

How do I teach the past continuous to A2 students?

Start with one past moment, then add the interruption. In English A2.2, lesson 9 practices was and were + -ing for what people were doing at one time, and lesson 10 adds the short action with when and while. A timeline helps: draw the long action as a line and the event as a cross. At B1, English for IT uses both tenses to tell the story of a bug.

What are good past continuous activities?

Alibi games and picture stories work well. In an alibi game, two students agree on what they were doing last night at eight, and the class questions them separately to find differences. With a busy street picture, students say what everyone was doing when a car alarm went off. Each lesson's speaking chapter then gives students a chat and a game, Spin the wheel or Open the box.

Are there interactive past continuous exercises?

Yes: some are on this page, free to try. Every one comes from a lesson below, and the drills there range from was / were + -ing forms to choosing between the past continuous and the past simple: drag-and-drop, gap-fills, tables to complete and quizzes. Students answer in their own accounts and see each answer checked straight away. Start a free trial to teach the full lessons, or any other in the library.

Can I teach these lessons one-to-one?

Yes, and they suit homework too. In a live lesson, the student follows along in their own account in sync with you, and the speaking game works with just two people. As homework, the exercises check themselves, and any writing or recording comes back to you to review.

More English grammar

Lessons for every grammar point, from the verb to be to reported speech. All grammar points

Past continuous: ESL lesson plans and exercises

Past continuous lesson plans and drills

When the pager beeps

The man who planted apple trees

Past continuous: what were you doing at 9 p.m.?

Past simple or past continuous: what were you doing when it happened?

The first actual bug

Narrative tenses: telling a great story

Checkmate: the day a computer beat the champion

Try the past continuous exercises

Past continuous explained

Was or were + -ing

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

-ing spelling

In the middle of an action, or all of it

When and while: a long action and a short one

Questions: What were you doing when…?

Background, events and state verbs

Questions about the past continuous

More English grammar

Tenses

Verbs

Sentences

Words

Teach the past continuous with ready-made lessons