"Past Contius": rules, examples

"Past Kontinius" - the past a long time. This is an analytical form that is formed with the help of the auxiliary verb to be in the past tense (was / were) and adding the ending -ing to the semantic verb.

When native speakers use Past Continuous

English speakers often use this time in their speech to express a long process that took place in the past. The beginning and the end of the action do not matter, because they are not known. It is important only that the action is in the process, i.e. continues.

/ Hour ago I was watching TV.

Unlike Russian, where it is customary to allocateonly three times (present, future and past), the English language contains as many as 12. But in the initial stage of learning a foreign language it is important to understand that in it, too, in fact, three times. However, they have their grammatical varieties, which foreigners try very hard to understand. In principle, in understanding the English language, nothing is complicated. The main thing to remember is that, for example, the times of the category Simple are aimed at the expression of constant and regularly recurring actions, the times of the category Continuous show duration, the category of Perfect focuses on the final result.

The English system of times is more complex thanRussian, but it is more informative. English as a whole has a very clear and consistent structure. After all, in this language a clear order of words, unlike the Russian. And as for times, then for the English there is a suitable time for each case. They convey the semantic load of the sentence, using a certain time. Russian language in this regard is less informative.

In which cases is Past Continuous used?

There are four cases of the use of "PastesFrequently, English learners make a lot of mistakes when using time, often forget about auxiliary verbs, endings, etc. Errors with endings occur in Present Simple Tense when students forget to add endings to the verb in the third person.

To avoid such errors, you do not have to memorize these rules by heart, but only to understand the logic of use. In this scenario, the theme of English times will be mastered quickly and qualitatively.

The first rule of Past Continuous Tense

First, Past Continuous is used to show actions that have lasted at some point or period in the past.

We wrote for one hour.

It is important to note that, as a rule, in suchoffers there are indications on the time of what is happening or the whole period. For example, you can find in the sentences of the past long time such time-indicating words as: at 6 a.m. (at 6 am), at 3 o'clock (at three o'clock), etc. Also, in sentences, there may be words indicating a period, such as while, whole day, during morning or some time (during the morning or some time), etc.

It is important to note that the state verbs are not used in Past and Present Continuous.

The second rule of use

Secondly, "Past Containus" is used toto express the actions that took place at a certain period in the past, those. a situation that lasted a short time in the past. This time interval, as a rule, is specified in the sentences.

He studied literature in the winter.

The third rule of use

Thirdly, "Past Containus", examples of whichcan be found in this article, also applies in situations that express individual plans of a person in the past, but for some reason they did not occur.

I was hoping to go to Canada.

The fourth rule of use

Fourthly, Pastus Continius is used toexpress negative attitude towards the habits of other people, etc. As a rule, such proposals are often called emotionally colored. They can be accompanied by words such as always, often, constantly.

All the additional subtleties of using "Past Containus": sentences with examples

In addition to clear rules for using this time, there are still some situations where it should be used. When can we still use "Past Kontinius"?

This time is used if a person talks abouttwo parallel actions, i. which took place simultaneously in the past. As a rule, such actions are joined by unions: and (and) and while (while). It should be noted thatand one of the parallel actions of the sentence is not background for the others.

I was sleeping while my mother was preparing breakfast with my father.

An interesting fact is that Past Continuous and Past Simple are often used together to express interruptions to others. Unclear? Then we give a very vivid example.

I was reading a book when someone called at the door.

As a rule, such actions are joined by unions when, before, while, untill (not yet). In the situation of informal conversation, sometimes while is used when.

It is also important to note that Past Continuous inMost cases are used in fiction: in stories and stories. This time is used to describe completely the atmosphere and atmosphere in the story.