100 Sentences of Past Continuous Tense with Examples

The Past Continuous Tense is one of the most useful tenses in English. It describes an action that was ongoing at a specific time in the past. Unlike the Simple Past Tense, which simply tells what happened, the Past Continuous provides background actions, ongoing events, and temporary actions, making your sentences more expressive and story-like. In this article, we’ve compiled 100 sentences of Past Continuous Tense to help you learn and practice easily. You will also learn commonly used abbreviations, such as the welcome short form, to make your English writing and conversation more natural.

In this guide, we’ll explore 100 sentences of Past Continuous Tense, including positive, negative, interrogative, and negative interrogative forms. We’ll also provide tables, mini-stories, comparisons with other tenses, common mistakes, and exercises to help you learn, practice, and master the tense.

Table of Contents

1. What is Past Continuous Tense?
2. Structure of Past Continuous Tense
3. Positive Sentences – 25+ Examples
4. Negative Sentences – 25+ Examples
5. Interrogative Sentences – 25+ Examples
6. Negative Interrogative Sentences – 25+ Examples
7. Mini-Stories Using Past Continuous Tense
8. Comparison: Past Continuous vs Past Simple vs Present Continuous
9. Common Mistakes in Past Continuous Tense
10. Exercises for Practice
11. FAQs

1. What is Past Continuous Tense?

The Past Continuous Tense is used to describe actions that were happening at a specific time in the past. It is formed with:

Was/Were + Verb-ing

Examples:

• “She was reading a book.”
• “They were playing football in the park.”

This tense is commonly used for:

• Actions happening at a particular time in the past
• Background actions in a story
• Temporary or ongoing actions
• Actions happening simultaneously

2. Structure of Past Continuous Tense

Sentence Type	Structure	Example
Positive	Subject + was/were + verb-ing	I was eating dinner.
Negative	Subject + was/were + not + verb-ing	She wasn’t playing basketball.
Interrogative	Was/Were + subject + verb-ing?	Were they watching TV?
Negative Interrogative	Was/Were + subject + not + verb-ing?	Wasn’t he running late?

Tip: Rotate between pronouns (I, you, he, she, we, they) for variety in examples.

3. Positive Sentences – 25+ Examples

Here are 25 practical sentences to understand and use the Past Continuous Tense naturally:

1. I was reading a book.
2. She was cooking dinner for her family.
3. They were playing soccer in the park.
4. He was watching TV in the living room.
5. We were dancing at the party last night.
6. You were studying for the exam yesterday.
7. The dog was barking loudly outside.
8. It was raining heavily all morning.
9. The kids were swimming in the pool.
10. I was writing a letter to my friend.
11. She was singing beautifully in the school competition.
12. They were laughing at a joke together.
13. He was driving to work during the storm.
14. We were jogging in the park early in the morning.
15. You were listening to music while cleaning your room.
16. The baby was crying all night.
17. It was snowing outside during the winter festival.
18. The students were taking notes in the classroom.
19. I was painting a picture of the mountains.
20. She was knitting a scarf for her grandmother.
21. They were hiking in the mountains last weekend.
22. He was fixing the car in the garage.
23. We were shopping at the mall before sunset.
24. You were sleeping peacefully after a long day.
25. The teacher was explaining the lesson carefully.

Pro Tip: Add scenario context to each example for storytelling:

While I was reading a book, the kids were playing loudly outside.”

4. Negative Sentences – 25+ Examples

Negative sentences are formed with was/were + not + verb-ing.

1. I wasn’t eating dinner when you called.
2. She wasn’t playing basketball yesterday.
3. They weren’t watching a movie at 8 PM.
4. He wasn’t running late for school.
5. We weren’t studying for the exam last night.
6. The cat wasn’t sleeping on the couch.
7. You weren’t writing a letter to your friend.
8. The children weren’t laughing loudly.
9. My mom wasn’t cooking dinner while I was reading.
10. The dog wasn’t chasing its tail.
11. The birds weren’t singing in the morning.
12. She wasn’t dancing in the rain.
13. He wasn’t painting a picture yesterday.
14. They weren’t building a sandcastle at the beach.
15. I wasn’t driving to work when it started raining.
16. We weren’t waiting for the bus on time.
17. You weren’t talking on the phone during class.
18. The students weren’t taking notes in the lecture.
19. She wasn’t reading a book last night.
20. He wasn’t fixing his car in the garage.
21. We weren’t playing cards after school.
22. You weren’t painting the fence last weekend.
23. The dog wasn’t digging a hole in the garden.
24. The kids weren’t drawing pictures in class.
25. I wasn’t packing my suitcase yesterday.

5. Interrogative Sentences – 25+ Examples

Formed with Was/Were + subject + verb-ing?

1. Was I eating dinner when you arrived?
2. Was she playing basketball yesterday?
3. Were they watching a movie at 7 PM?
4. Was he running late for work?
5. Were we studying for the exam yesterday?
6. Was the cat sleeping on the couch?
7. Were you writing a letter to your friend?
8. Were the children laughing loudly?
9. Was my mom cooking dinner while I was studying?
10. Was the dog chasing its tail outside?
11. Were the birds singing in the trees this morning?
12. Was she dancing in the rain?
13. Was he painting a picture yesterday?
14. Were they building a sandcastle at the beach?
15. Was I driving to work during the rainstorm?
16. Were we waiting for the bus on time?
17. Were you talking on the phone during class?
18. Were the students taking notes in the lecture?
19. Was she reading a book last night?
20. Was he fixing his car in the garage?
21. Were we playing cards after school?
22. Were you painting the fence yesterday?
23. Was the dog digging a hole in the garden?
24. Were the kids drawing pictures in class?
25. Was I packing my suitcase yesterday?

6. Negative Interrogative Sentences – 25+ Examples

Formed with Was/Were + subject + not + verb-ing?

1. Wasn’t I eating dinner when you called?
2. Wasn’t she playing basketball yesterday?
3. Weren’t they watching a movie at 8 PM?
4. Wasn’t he running late for school?
5. Weren’t we studying for the exam last night?
6. Wasn’t the cat sleeping on the couch?
7. Weren’t you writing a letter to your friend?
8. Weren’t the children laughing loudly?
9. Wasn’t my mom cooking dinner while I was reading?
10. Wasn’t the dog chasing its tail?
11. Weren’t the birds singing in the morning?
12. Wasn’t she dancing in the rain?
13. Wasn’t he painting a picture yesterday?
14. Weren’t they building a sandcastle at the beach?
15. Wasn’t I driving to work during the rainstorm?
16. Weren’t we waiting for the bus on time?
17. Weren’t you talking on the phone during class?
18. Weren’t the students taking notes in the lecture?
19. Wasn’t she reading a book last night?
20. Wasn’t he fixing his car in the garage?
21. Weren’t we playing cards after school?
22. Weren’t you painting the fence yesterday?
23. Wasn’t the dog digging a hole in the garden?
24. Weren’t the kids drawing pictures in class?
25. Wasn’t I packing my suitcase yesterday?

7. Mini-Stories Using Past Continuous Tense

Storytelling helps learners understand how the tense works in context.

Example 1 – Morning Routine:

“I was drinking coffee when my brother was reading the newspaper. The dog was barking outside, and my mom was cooking breakfast in the kitchen. Meanwhile, my sister was doing her homework in her room.”

Example 2 – At the Park:

“While we were playing football, the children were running around the garden. Some people were jogging, and the birds were singing in the trees. It was a beautiful sunny morning.”

Example 3 – Travel Scenario:

“They were traveling to Paris last summer. I was waiting for the train at the station, and the workers were fixing the road near the platform. It was raining lightly, but everyone was excited for the trip.”

8. Comparison: Past Continuous vs Past Simple vs Present Continuous

Tense	Structure	Example	Usage
Past Continuous	was/were + verb-ing	I was reading a book.	Action in progress in past
Past Simple	subject + verb-ed	I read a book yesterday.	Completed past action
Present Continuous	am/is/are + verb-ing	I am reading a book now.	Action happening now or temporary

Tip: Comparisons improve topical depth and SEO by targeting related queries.

9. Common Mistakes in Past Continuous Tense

• Using Past Continuous for completed actions: ❌ “I was eating dinner yesterday” (without context)
• Forgetting was/were: ❌ “I eating dinner”
• Using wrong pronoun with was/were: ❌ “They was playing”

Tip: Always match was with singular subjects and were with plural subjects.

10. Exercises for Practice

Fill in the blanks:

1. I _______ (watch) TV when you called.
2. She _______ (cook) dinner while he _______ (read) the newspaper.
3. The children _______ (play) in the garden yesterday evening.
4. We _______ (study) for the exam when the lights went out.

Convert to negative sentences:

• Positive: “He was singing a song.”
• Negative: “He wasn’t singing a song.”

Conclusion:

Mastering the Past Continuous Tense is essential for telling stories, explaining ongoing actions, and giving detailed context about events in the past. By practicing these 100 sentences of Past Continuous Tense, including positive, negative, interrogative, and negative interrogative examples, you can enhance your English fluency and communication skills. Use mini-stories, daily life scenarios, exercises, and even an identify the tense worksheet to make your practice more structured and effective. This approach will help you confidently use the tense in both writing and conversation, making your English more natural and expressive.

FAQs on 100 sentences of Past Continuous Tense