- •The verb
- •§ 1. The General Notion
- •§ 2. The Classification of Verbs
- •§ 3. The Grammatical Categories of the Verb
- •§ 1. The Formation of the Present Indefinite
- •§ 2. The Use of the Present Indefinite
- •In demonstrations, instructions, commentaries and itineraries.
- •§ 1. The Formation of the Present Continuous
- •§ 2. The Use of the Present Continuous
- •An action in progress
- •A temporary characteristic of a person
- •§ 1. The Formation of the Present Perfect
- •§ 2. The Use of the Present Perfect
- •A series of actions which have happened up to now and can be continued
- •An action completed before a definite moment in the future
- •An action which began in the past and is still in progress
- •§ 1. The Formation of the Present Perfect Continuous
- •§ 2. The Use of the Present Perfect Continuous
- •§ 1. The Formation of the Past Indefinite
- •§ 2. The Use of the Past Indefinite
- •An action performed in the past
- •A general characteristic of a person in the past
- •An action in progress at a definite moment in the past or a past state
- •A succession of past actions
- •A repeated action in the past
- •§ 1. The Formation of the Past Continuous
- •§ 2. The Use of the Past Continuous
- •An action in progress at a definite moment in the past
- •§ 1. The Formation of the Past Perfect
- •§ 2. The Use of the Past Perfect
- •An action completed before a definite moment in the past
- •An action prior to another past action
- •An action which began before a definite moment in the past, continued up to that moment and was still in progress at that moment
- •§ 1. The Formation of the Past Perfect Continuous
- •§ 2. The Use of the Past Perfect Continuous
- •§ 1. The Formation of the Future Indefinite
- •§ 2. The Use of the Future Indefinite
- •A future action or an official arrangement
- •A prediction based on our opinion or past experience
- •A polite inquiry
- •§ 1. The Formation of the Future Continuous
- •§ 2. The Use of the Future Continuous
- •An action in progress at a definite moment in the future
- •A fixed arrangement seen as a part of routine
- •An anticipated future action
- •§ 1. The Formation of the Future Perfect
- •§ 2. The Use of the Future Perfect
- •An action completed before a definite moment in the future
- •An action which begins before a definite moment in the future, will continue up to that moment and will still be in progress at that moment
- •§ 1. The Formation of the Future Perfect Continuous
- •§ 2. The Use of the Future Perfect Continuous
- •An action which begins before a definite moment in the future, will continue up to that moment and will still be in progress at that moment
- •§ 1. The Formation of the Future Indefinite in the Past
- •§ 2. The Use of the Future Indefinite in the Past
- •§ 1. The Formation of the Future Continuous in the Past
- •§ 2. The Use of the Future Continuous in the Past
- •§ 1. The Formation of the Future Perfect in the Past
- •§ 2. The Use of the Future Perfect in the Past
- •§ 1. The Formation of the Future Perfect Continuous in the Past
- •§ 2. The Use of the Future Perfect Continuous in the Past
- •§ 1. The General Notion
- •§ 2. The Formation of the Passive Voice
- •§ 3. The Ways of Translation of the Passive Voice into Ukrainian
- •Combinations of the verb бути with the Past Participle Passive
- •§ 4. The Use of the Passive Voice
- •Informal English
- •Formal notices and announcements
- •Press reports
- •§ 1. The General Notion
- •§ 2. The Rules of the Sequence of Tenses
- •§ 3. The Exceptions to the Rules of the Sequence of Tenses
- •§ 1. The General Notion
- •§ 2. Tense, Time, Pronoun and Place Changes
- •§ 3. Indirect Statements
- •§ 4. Indirect Questions
- •§ 5. Indirect Orders and Requests
- •§ 6. Indirect Offers, Suggestions and Advice
- •§ 7. Indirect Exclamations
- •§ 8. Greetings and Leave-taking
- •§ 9. Modal Verbs
- •§ 10. The Subjunctive Mood in Indirect Speech
- •Exercises the verb
- •The present indefinite
- •The present continuous
- •The present perfect
- •The present perfect continuous
- •The past indefinite
- •The past continuous
- •The past perfect
- •The past perfect continuous
- •The future tenses
- •The passive voice
- •The sequence of tenses direct and indirect speech
- •Revision exercises
- •The table of irregular verbs
- •Bibliography
§ 1. The Formation of the Past Continuous
We form the Past Continuous by means of the auxiliary verb TO BE in the Past Indefinite (was/were) and Participle I of the main verb.
WAS + PARTICIPLE I (Ving) WERE |
E.g. I was writing a letter then.
She was still reading the book.
They were making a report at that time.
In negative sentences we place the negative particle NOT after the auxiliary verb TO BE (was/were). In informal English we use short negative forms.
E.g. I was not/wasn’t writing a letter then.
She was not/wasn’t reading the book.
They were not/weren’t making a report at that time.
Full negative forms |
Short negative forms |
I (he, she, it) was not working. |
I (he, she, it) wasn’t working. |
We (you, they) were not working. |
We (you, they) weren’t working. |
In interrogative sentences (questions) we place the auxiliary verb TO BE (was/were) before the subject.
E.g. Was I writing a letter then?
Was she reading the book?
Were they making a report at that time?
In negative-interrogative sentences (negative questions) we place the auxiliary verb TO BE (was/were) before the subject and the negative particle NOT after the subject. In informal English we place short negative forms before the subject.
E.g. Was I not/Wasn’t I writing a letter then?
Was she not/Wasn’t she reading the book?
Were they not/Weren’t they making a report at that time?
Full negative-interrogative forms |
Short negative-interrogative forms |
Was I (he, she, it) not working? Were we (you, they) not working? |
Wasn’t I (he, she, it) working? Weren’t we (you, they) working? |
§ 2. The Use of the Past Continuous
We use the Past Continuous to denote:
An action in progress at a definite moment in the past
with adverbials: then, at that moment, at that time, the whole day (yesterday), all day long, all through that winter, from 6 till 7 (yesterday), etc.
E.g. She was reading a rule at that time.
We were playing chess from 5 till 6 yesterday.
Sometimes the definite moment can be understood from the context or indicated by another past action.
E.g. When we went to the Crimea our children were staying with Granny.
a temporary characteristic of a person in the past
E.g. Usually he was an obedient boy, but that day he was being naughty.
an action regarded as a continual process in the past (criticism)
with the adverbs: always, constantly, continually, ever, etc.
with an element of irritation or exaggeration.
E.g. She was always helping people.
two simultaneous actions in progress in the past
connected by the conjunctions while and when
E.g. He was sleeping while she was washing up.
Tom Brown was working in the hospital when we were living in London.
a future action viewed from the past
E.g. At the end of the week she wrote she was coming back next Monday.
a polite inquiry or suggestion (more hesitant than the Past Indefinite)
with the verbs hope, think, wonder
E.g. I was wondering if you could give me a lift.
THE PAST PERFECT TENSE |
(THE PAST PERFECT SIMPLE) |