The Past Continuous

We use the past continuous to talk about an action which was happening at an exact time in the past.

I was sleeping at 6 o’clock this morning.

The construction is the same as the present continuous except the verb to be is in the past. The present continous refers to a specific moment in the present -now- while the past continuous refers to a specific moment in the past.

They were working at 11 o’clock this morning.

Because it is a continuous tense, there is the idea that the action is long and started before the time started and will continue.

Look at the construction:

Subject	to be (past)	-ing form of verb
I	was	having lunch	at 1 o’clock this afternoon.
They	were	sleeping	at 3 o’clock this morning.

It is not always necessary to specify the time if you use the past simple to specify the moment in the past.

I was working when she called.

I was sleeping when she went out to work.

 

Differences between past continuous and past simple

The past continuous is used for a specific moment in the past:

I was having breakfast at 7 o’clock this morning.

The past simple is used for a period in the past:

I had breakfast this morning.

I was having a shower when the phone rang.

I had a shower last night.

Note that when we talk about an action which lasted a long time in the past we can use either the past simple or the past continuous.

Examples:

I was working in Massachussetts in 1990.

 

I worked in Massachussetts in 1990.

 

She was living here last summer.

 

She lived here last summer.