These past continuous exercises and worksheet help you distinguish between actions in progress and short events that interrupted them. Pay attention to stative verbs, which are not normally used in the progressive tense. After you complete each exercise, click the check answers button to see your score.
1. Past continuous or past simple
Choose the past continuous or the past simple tense of the verbs in parentheses to fill in the blanks.
1. When Sara (arrive) at the café, Liam (read) a newspaper.
2. I (brush) my hair when the lights suddenly (go) out. It (come) back on a minute later.
3. It (be) windy when we (get) to the beach. The waves (crash) loudly onto the shore.
4. Your cousin who (visit) us last weekend (seem) really friendly. I (like) chatting with her.
5. When I (see) the cyclist, he (ride) down the hill fast. He (wear) a red helmet and sunglasses.
6. When I (open) the freezer, a bag of peas (fall) on my foot.
7. I (walk) through the park when a dog (run) past me. I (not / know) where it came from.
8. We (drive) to the mountains yesterday, but halfway there we (hear) that the road was closed. So we (turn) back.
9. Something unusual (happen) to me last night. I (work) on my laptop when I suddenly (faint).
2. Past continuous form, usage and structure
Which answer reflects the proper use and structure of the past continuous tense?
1. What is the correct structure of the past continuous tense?
2. Which sentence correctly uses the past continuous tense?
3. What is the past continuous tense used for?
4. Which sentence shows two actions happening at the same time in the past?
3. Gap-filling test
Put the verbs in brackets into the past continuous tense.
1. I (drive) to work when I got a flat tire.
2. We (dance) at the party when the power went out.
3. They (paint) the room when the ladder broke.
4. He (always break) his promises.
5. They (constantly fight) over the remote control.
6. She (continually yawn) in the office.
7. He (hum) to himself all the time.
8. While I (dig) the soil, my wife (plant) the seeds.
9. My grandpa (repair) the fence while I (shape) the topiary.
4. Sentence construction challenge
Put the verbs into the sentences and write them in the past simple or past continuous form.
| be | drive | cry | cross | drink |
| hurt | queue | come in | fly | play |
1. They when the police .
2. I when a dog suddenly the road.
3. We to Perth last year. It a long flight. We for eleven hours.
4. I my fingers while I basketball.
5. After breaking up with her boyfriend, she the whole afternoon.
6. We for hours to buy tickets for the World Cup.
5. PDF worksheet
Click the link below to download the past continuous worksheet in PDF format for more exercises; the answers are provided on this page.
6. Answers to the worksheet
1. I was working all day yesterday.
2. I lost my phone last night.
3. They were playing football in the garden the whole afternoon.
4. We visited my grandparents last weekend.
5. I knew your father.
6. I meant what I said.
7. He was talking on the phone for hours.
8. They arrived at the airport at 6 p.m.
9. She was crying all night after hearing the bad news.
10. We went to the cinema yesterday evening.
11. I heard you.
12. I recognised her face.
13. They were smoking weed when the police arrived.
14. I was on the phone when my battery died.
15. The box contained letters from World War II.
16. His response appeared correct.
17. We were having lunch when the earthquake erupted.
If you have made mistakes, I suggest you take a look at these past continuous tense examples and rules to review your understanding.