The past progressive puts emphasis on the course of an action in the past.
Form
| | Positive | Negative | Question |
|---|
| I / he / she / it | I was speaking. | I was not speaking. | Was I speaking? |
| you / we / they | You were speaking. | You were not speaking. | Were you speaking? |
Exceptions in Spelling
| Exceptions in spelling when adding ing | Example |
|---|
| final e is dropped (but: ee is not changed) | come – coming
(but: agree – agreeing) |
| after a short, stressed vowel, the final consonant is doubled | sit – sitting |
| l as final consonant after a vowel is doubled (in British English) | travel – travelling |
| final ie becomes y | lie – lying |
Use of Past Progressive
- puts emphasis on the course of an action in the past
Example: He was playing football.
- two actions happening at the same time (in the past)
Example: While she was preparing dinner, he was washing the dishes.
- action going on at a certain time in the past
Example: When I was having breakfast, the phone suddenly rang.
Signal Words of Past Progressive
