00:01Now, let's move on to the past continuous.
00:05The past continuous is also called the past progressive.
00:09Here's how to form it.
00:11First, you need the auxiliary verb be at the past tense.
00:15So I was, you were, he was, and so on.
00:18And then you add a base verb plus ing.
00:22For example, work plus ing working.
00:25So, all put together, it becomes, I was working, you were working, he was working.
00:32The main use of the past continuous or progressive is quite simple.
00:37Here it is.
00:38It is used to show an action in progress at a specific time in the past.
00:44Okay.
00:45For example, I was working.
00:48And here's your diagram.
00:49In the past, the action started, but the action is an ongoing action.
00:56So it's a long action.
00:58I was working.
01:00It's not a short action.
01:02Working takes a long time.
01:03I was working.
01:05And then at a specific time in the past, I was in the middle of doing that action.
01:13The past continuous or progressive has many other uses too.
01:17The past continuous has five different uses.
01:20So here they are.
01:22And let's take each one of those one by one and let's take a look at them.
01:28The first one, we have already studied it a little bit, but here's an example.
01:32We were watching a movie at 8 p.m. last night.
01:36We were watching.
01:38That is the ongoing situation at 8 p.m. last night.
01:44So 8 p.m. is a definite time.
01:47It's a specific time.
01:48And at that time, I started watching before and I'm still watching at 8 p.m.
01:54and I continue watching after 8 p.m.
01:56So we were watching a movie.
02:00Here's another example.
02:02What were you doing yesterday at 7 p.m.?
02:05Ah, so you can use it also in a question form.
02:08What were you doing yesterday at 7 p.m.?
02:12I was making dinner.
02:14So I was making dinner.
02:15I started making dinner at 6.45 and I finished at 7.15.
02:21So at 7 p.m., I was making dinner.
02:25I was in the middle of making dinner.
02:29Number two, interrupted actions.
02:31We have talked about this before.
02:34Here's an example.
02:35I was taking a shower when the phone rang.
02:39Ah, it was my mom.
02:41Haha, right there.
02:42I was taking a shower, so this is the ongoing action, the long action.
02:48And then the phone rang.
02:50The phone rang is the simple past.
02:53So that's why I said we have studied it before.
02:55Because when we studied the simple past, we studied that exact pattern.
03:01So remember, the long action is the past continuous action.
03:06And the short action is that the simple past tense.
03:10Another example, she was going downstairs when she tripped and fell.
03:17Once again, the long action.
03:20She was going, ing, very long.
03:24She was going downstairs when she tripped and fell.
03:28These two short actions are both at the simple past because they come and they interrupt
03:34the long continuous action.
03:37Number three, simultaneous actions.
03:40She was listening to music while she was cleaning the house.
03:45Ah, you see what it means now.
03:48It means that both actions are happening at the same time.
03:53And you see also that both actions are long actions.
03:58She was listening to music.
04:01Listening to music takes a lot of time.
04:04And she was cleaning the house at the same time.
04:07And that is also a long action.
04:10So you put both of them at the past continuous or the past progressive.
04:16Another example, can you make the sentence?
04:19This one is pretty easy.
04:21You see, the girl is eating and then the dogs are watching.
04:26You ready?
04:27What would you say?
04:28You would say, I was having lunch while my dogs were watching me.
04:32I was having lunch, long action.
04:36And my dogs were watching me, also long action happening at the same time.
04:42Number four, repeated annoying actions.
04:46This one is funny.
04:48Okay.
04:49I'm not surprised Joe and Tara broke up.
04:52They were constantly arguing.
04:55Ah, they argued many, many, many, many times.
05:00So many times that it seemed to me like it was a continuous argument.
05:07So that's why they were constantly arguing.
05:11Another example.
05:13Linda was always gossiping about her co-workers.
05:17I'm glad she got fired.
05:19So she was gossiping many, many times in the past.
05:24So many times that it was annoying.
05:27And then it became like a continuous action.
05:31So that's why Linda was always gossiping.
05:34Number five, polite requests.
05:38I was wondering if you could lend me $2,000.
05:43We have studied something similar for the simple past, right?
05:47But the first part of the sentence here was wondering is at the past continuous.
05:54But there is no graph because it doesn't really apply.
05:57Here's another one.
05:58I was thinking you might have some advice for me.
06:02Very polite.
06:03I was thinking you might.
06:06Very nice.
06:07Past progressive.
06:09The most common use of the past progressive is for an ongoing action in the past.
06:14So you see in the diagram, it's very, very clear.
06:17Now, let me give you an example.
06:20I was sleeping at 10 p.m.
06:22Aha.
06:23So here you see the sleeping started in the past and it's ongoing.
06:27And the blue arrow right here, the light blue arrow is 10 p.m. at night.
06:34So I was sleeping at 10 p.m.
06:37What is the negative form?
06:39I was not sleeping at 10 p.m.
06:43You can also use the contraction.
06:45Can you guess?
06:45Yes.
06:46I wasn't sleeping at 10 p.m.
06:49Question form.
06:52Was I sleeping at 10 p.m.?
06:55It's a little strange once again that you're asking that about yourself, but sometimes it
07:00happens.
07:01Maybe you didn't check the time and you're like, what?
07:03Was I sleeping at 10 p.m.?
07:05I can't believe it.
07:07Let's go with an example with the second person.
07:11You were sleeping at 10 p.m.
07:13So for the verb to be here, I'm going to help you out a little bit more here.
07:17I didn't mention it for the present progressive, but here it is.
07:21I was sleeping at 10 p.m.
07:23You were sleeping.
07:24He was.
07:25She was.
07:25He was.
07:26You were.
07:27We were.
07:28They were sleeping at 10 p.m.
07:30So this should help you a lot.
07:33Now the negative form.
07:35What would you say?
07:36You were not sleeping at 10 p.m.
07:39The contraction is, you weren't sleeping at 10 p.m.
07:44How about the question form?
07:47Were you sleeping at 10 p.m.?
07:50Great question.
07:52Why was I sleeping at 10 p.m.?
07:55Where were you sleeping at 10 p.m.?
07:57We can make the negative question.
08:00Weren't you sleeping at 10 p.m.?
08:03Weren't you sleeping at 10 p.m. means,
08:06I think you should have been sleeping,
08:10but you were not sleeping at that time.
08:13What is wrong with you?
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