How is the past continuous tense formed? Past Continuous Tense - past continuous tense in English

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In this article we will look at the past long time V English language. We call all past tenses in English Past Tenses, the difference of which lies only in their duration or quality: whether it will be a simple past - Past Simple, a long past - Past Continuous or a past perfect - Past Perfect. In this article we will stop and look at Past Continuous Tense.

Past Continuous is a tense used to describe a continuous action in the past. Basically it is a process that lasted at a certain point or period in the past. The moment of action must be clearly defined or understandable in the context of the sentence.

Formation of affirmative sentences in the Past Continuous Tense

When I came to London, it was raining.

It was raining when I arrived in London.

Martin was studying history from three till eight o’clock.

From three to eight o'clock Martin studied history.

Lisa was cooking the pancakes, when I entered the kitchen.

Lisa was preparing pancakes when I entered the kitchen.

Examples of negative sentences in the past continuous tense

All the time all day long all day at seven o’clock yesterday at seven o’clock the whole Friday during the film from three till eight o’clock from three to eight o’clock

Examples of using sentences in the Past Continuous Tense

I was reading an interesting article at 6 pm yesterday evening.

I was reading an interesting article at 6pm yesterday.

My parents were staying in Rome for three months. My parents stayed in Rome for three months. We went to the country. The sun was shining, the birds were singing.

We left for the countryside. The sun was shining, the birds were singing.

Watch video on Past Continuous tense

When meeting English grammar There is no way to ignore the Past Continuous (Progressive). After all, this is the time that keeps a few little secrets that will take you to a new level and enrich your speech. Among all the variety of tense forms, to master English it is simply necessary to master the past continuous tense. Its whole point is to focus attention on an event that happened and lasted in the past. Where to start and what nuances need to be remembered? Education Past Continuous (Progressive) If you carefully study the forms of continuus pastes, you will not encounter any difficulties in using them. You need to remember to be

, namely its forms Past Continuous

was/were. The verb in this tense is used in one form, which coincides with participle 1 - Ving.

Although this is not without exceptions. Rules for the past continuous about the peculiarities of writing a predicate with this ending can be read in the article “Tenses of the Continuous group”. It is very important to learn how to correctly translate this shade. Each verb emphasizes the duration of the action, its duration in the situation indicated in the sentence. For example, he worked, read, swam, wrote, drew.

We were not watching Were we watching? They were watching They were not watching Were they watching?

All this is quite easy to remember and understand. IN

Like everything in our life, including the use of tenses in English, it is subject to rules. Let's look at the main cases of using the past continuous (progressive):

1. The name itself - long, continuous - indicates that the action took place and lasted in some specified moment in the past. This moment can either be clear from the context, or indicated by some clues or indicators of time.

• at 6 o’clock yesterday, at that moment, at that time

We were drawing at 7 o’clock yesterday. — Yesterday at seven o’clock we were drawing.
At that time I was writing a letter to my friend. — At that time I was writing a letter to a friend.

• Past Progressive used in situations where one action happened, lasted, and suddenly another happened, which is expressed by Past Simple. When words are used to help convey such situations. These may be parallel actions that lasted in the past. For expression, the best helper is the word while. Do not confuse it with the Past Simple, which describes actions occurring one after another, and not simultaneously.

They were reading when the teacher came in. — They were reading when the teacher entered.
I was sleeping while he was watching TV. — I slept while he watched TV.

2. Both in the present and in the past tense of this group, you can express phrases reproach, disapproval, irritation, too often repeated habit. And again, the adverbs always, constantly, too often serve as indicators.

He was always borrowing money and fogetting to pay it back. “He always borrowed money and forgot to pay it back.”

3. We use Past Progressive tense if the exact one is specified period of time in the past not necessarily an exact time, but perhaps some kind of framework. You can recognize it in a sentence using the clues all day long yeaterday, the whole evening (yesterday), from 10 till 11, during.

We were sleeping the whole day yesterday. — We slept all day yesterday.

4. To express actions that gradually developed and changed. All this will be clear from the meaning of the sentence and the context, so look deep into the text.

The sun was rising. — The sun was rising.
It was getting dark. - It was getting dark.

5. Remember that the British are very polite people, which is why they have so many ways to show their respect. Even the rule for the past continuous has its own notes. Paste continuus is used instead of simple tense. to express a polite question or answer. Moreover, the meaning in Russian is almost the same, but in English there are two different ones.

What was he doing in our absence? - What did he do in our absence?

But Past Continuous grammar puts another spoke in the wheels of language learning. Namely, you still have to remember verbs that are not used in any of the Continuous tenses. All this can be learned from the article “Non Continuous verbs”.

So, to master this tense well, you not only need to become familiar with the formation, but also remember the usages. It is very important that the action lasts and is not interrupted in the past. It is better to practice all this in exercises and tests.

In this lesson we will look at the topic “Past continuous in English”. For most, this topic causes certain difficulties, however, if you study it in detail, it turns out that there is nothing complicated about it. You just need to carefully read the material presented and learn the basic rules. The British language is rich in tense forms; knowing each one is necessary to master grammar. Together with you, we will go over topics such as the meaning of the past continuous in speech and the basic rules of formation, as well as the main differences from other tense forms. So here we go.

This part of speech is one of the tenses from the Continuous group. Means past continuous tense. In principle, both in oral and written speech, it is not used very often, as a rule, in indirect speech , however, you should study it. But, thanks to the past continuous, the story or description of an action in the past becomes deeper and more effective.

Past continuous tense describes an action that has already happened in the past. Distinctive feature of a given tense is that it expresses an action that has a long interval of time in the past. A process that lasted a certain period of time, and it may not be over yet.

I was taking a bath when the phone rang. - I was taking a bath when the phone rang. IN in this case I was taking a bath is an action that happened in the past while the phone was ringing (when the phone rang). We don't know when actor started taking a bath and how long it took, however, we received information that it was at the moment of taking a bath that the phone rang. The first part of the sentence is used in the Past Continuous, the second part in the Past Simple (simple past tense).

Many native speakers use the Past Simple form.

Eg,

• when I returned - when I returned; when the phone rang - when the phone rang.

Or with the help of pointer words that indicate the exact time.

For example,

• yesterday at this time - yesterday at this time, last night at 8 p.m.

- last evening at 8 o'clock.

It is necessary to examine in more detail the differences between these temporary forms.

What is the difference between Past Continuous and Past Simple?

Translated into Russian, Past means “past” and shows us that the action was performed in the past. Continuous is translated as “long-term”. In the past tense, this tells us that some action began a long time ago, lasted a certain period of time, and by now has already been completed. This tense form is often used in indirect speech.

• Using the past continuous tense we emphasize the duration of an action in the past. We use the Past Simple in the case when we should talk about something as a fact that took place in the past. You should look at examples to better understand the material. Past Continuous: I was talking to her for 3 hours
• . – I talked to her for three hours.

Past Simple: I talked to her. – I talked to her.

In the first case, we built a construction that speaks of a process that lasted a certain period of time (in this case, 3 hours). In other words, we place emphasis on exactly how long the action took place. In addition, emotion is embedded in the structure we have built, and not just a list of actions.

In the second example we are just talking about a fact. It can be used to describe any other actions: I ate, I slept, I had breakfast, I lay down, I studied a foreign language, and so on.

How is the past continuous tense formed?

The past continuous is formed using several verbs. Formula: the verb to be and the main verb ending in ing (present participle). It should be noted that in this case only the verb to be changes. It is put in the past tense form were or was. The table below shows the designs.

• A construction that is formed using the Past Continuous:
• She was working on this article from 8 to 11 - She worked on this article from 8 to 11.
• I was thinking of you, when you came in - I was thinking about you when you came in.

My boss was yelling at me this morning - My boss yelled at me this morning.

Formation of the interrogative form in the past continuous tense When composing questions in the past continuous, the auxiliary comes first verb was

Some interrogative sentences, including in indirect speech, with this tense form:

• Were they playing chess this morning? - Did they play chess this morning?
• Was you cooking when I called? - Were you cooking (food) when I called?

Formation of the negative form in the past continuous

During education negative sentences in the past continuous and progressive formations, the particle not is placed between the auxiliary and main verbs.

When used in colloquial speech, was and were can be combined with not, resulting in the formation of abbreviated forms.

For example, You weren't talking. She wasn't writing.

Variants of negative sentences with past continuous tense:

We weren't trying to insult you, we were just discussing your opinion.- We weren't trying to insult you, we were just discussing your point of view.

Don't interrupt me, I wasn't talking to you. - Don't interrupt me, I wasn't talking to you.

The question and a positive answer to it will look like this:

The question and the negative answer to it in the resulting group of continuous past progressive forms will look like this:

Words indicating a long time

The past continuous tense in English is often used with common phrases:

• all day long - all day;
• all the time - all the time;
• all day yesterday - all day yesterday;
• the whole morning - the whole morning;
• from 5 till 7 p.m. – from 5 to 7.

They help us understand that we have an extended period of time ahead of us.

Eg,

• I was painting all day yesterday. – I painted all day yesterday.
• They were reading from 5 till 9 p.m. “They read from five to nine in the evening.
• He was working the whole morning. - He worked all morning.

Please note that in all examples the special indicator words come last.

Using special question words

If we use the following interrogative words in a question, they require that the past continuous form be formed after them:

• What - what;
• Where - where;
• Who – who;
• Which – which one;
• Why - why.

These words must be placed in a certain order. Then the word order is the same as in a regular question.

Scheme: question word+ was/were + the one in question + verb + -ing.

For example:

• What were they reading? What were they reading?
• Why was he studying whole morning? Why did he study all morning?

Using When and While

When and While are translated into Russian as “when”. When we talk about the past, when is followed by a verb in the Past Simple form. After while there is a past continuous form. While is used in the meaning of “while”, “while”.

Eg:

• While I was studying, she called. – While I was studying, she called. (It emphasizes what I was doing.)
• I was studying when she called. “I was studying when she called.” (It is emphasized that she called).

Mixed verbs/non-continuous verbs

Remember that non-continuous verbs are not used in Continuous tenses. In addition, some meanings of verbs from the mixed group are also not used in the long tense. Past Simple is used with them.

Eg:

Incorrect option: Jane was being at my house when you arrived.

Correct option: Jane was at my house when you arrived.“Jane was at my house when you came.”

All verbs that are not used in this tense form

Verbs that express states, emotions and mental processes are not used not only in the past form, but in all forms of the continuous group. These include:

• to know - to know (I don`t know - I don’t know);
• to fit - to fit, to fit (The coat fits her well - the coat is just right for her);
• to astonish - to amaze, amaze;
• to disagree - disagree with you, disagree (I disagree with you = I don’t agree with you);
• to impress - to make an impression;
• to promise - promise (I promise I`ll do it = I promise I will do it);
• to understand - to understand;
• to want - to want;
• to believe - to believe;
• to love - to love;
• to like - to like;
• to hate - to hate;
• to forget - to forget;
• to remember - remember;
• to possess - to possess;
• to seem - to seem;
• to appear - to appear;
• to notice - to notice;
• to wish - to wish;
• to desire - to desire;
• to adore - to adore;
• to envy - to envy;
• to fear - to be afraid;
• to forgive - to forgive;
• to hear - to hear;
• to see - to see;
• to taste - to have taste;
• to smell - to smell;
• to feel - to feel;
• to consist - consist;
• to contain - contain;
• to need - to need;
• to prefer - to prefer;
• to belong - to belong;
• to realize - to realize, understand;
• to suppose - to believe, think, assume;
• to mean - mean, mean (What do you mean? - What do you mean?);
• to have - to have;
• to think - to count, to believe;
• to recognize - recognize (by sight);
• to agree - to agree;
• to refuse - to refuse;
• to doubt - to doubt;
• to satisfy - to satisfy;
• to deny - to deny;
• to resemble - have a resemblance, resemble, be similar;
• to depend - depend;
• to involve - include (It involves a lot of work - you will have to work here);
• to include - include (The price includes breakfast - the price includes breakfast);
• to own - to possess;
• to owe - to owe, to be in debt;
• to look - to look;
• to miss - to miss;
• to matter - matter (It doesn`t matter - doesn’t matter);
• to deserve - deserve (He deserves a pat on the back - he deserves praise/approval);
• to respect - to respect.

Some of the verbs in the list above are sometimes used in the Continuous tense, however, they have a certain connotation.

For example, I’m loving it. - I love it. She is appearing at the club tonight.

— She is performing at the club today.

Verb to have. The meaning of “to have” is not used in this tense form, however, it is used to denote an action. For example, I am having a bath.

- I am taking a bath.

Verb to think. Meaning “to be in thought.” For example, I was thinking to myself - I was thinking.

Verb to smell. In Continuous it only means “to smell”. For example, I am smelling the rose now - I smell the rose.

Verb to taste. Continuous meaning “to taste”. For example, I am tasting the pizza - I try pizza.

They were not singing.

Were they singing?

Please note that the rules for forming “-ing” - verb forms and the changes that occur in writing are discussed in the section on present participles.

Using the past continuous tense Let's look at the main cases of using the past continuous. Often such a construction can be found in the indirect speech of the interlocutor. or no longer. As a rule, such constructions contain words that indicate time.

There are 2 options:

• The constructed structure indicates the specific time when the event occurred. For this purpose, the following expressions are used:
  — at 8 a.m. (at 8 am),
  — at 4 o’clock yesterday (yesterday at 4 o’clock),
  - at noon (at noon),
  - this morning at 5.10 (this morning at 5:10), etc.
  For example, At midnight I was reading a book.– At midnight I was reading a book. In this construction, we say that we started reading the book before midnight, probably continued after, and are currently continuing to do so.
  We were reading newspapers at 7 o’clock (yesterday). At seven o'clock (yesterday) we were reading newspapers.
• The design indicates the period of time when the described events occurred. In this case the following applies:
  - all day (all day),
  - this afternoon (this afternoon),
  - this time last month/year (at this time last month/year), etc.
  For example, This time last year they were living in Argentina.– This time last year they were living in Argentina.

2. The temporary form in question is used when the conversation is about a temporary situation in the past, and the actions did not last long. A specific time period is indicated in the design.

For example,

• They were living in China for 3 months. – They lived in China for 3 months.

3. The past continuous tense in English is used when we're talking about about 2 actions occurring simultaneously in the past. These actions can be combined in a construction with the unions while (while, while) and and (and, a).

For example,

• My girlfriend and I were watching a film and my baby sister was playing with her new doll. – My girlfriend and I were watching a movie, and my sister was playing with her new doll.

4. Often the simple past tense and the past continuous tense are used together. In this combination, Past Simple takes on the role of denoting a short single action, and Past Continuous - a long action. In such constructions, a long action is interrupted by a single action. The following conjunctions are used here to combine parts - after (after), when (when), before (before), until (not yet).

For example,

• I was reading a book when my friend was knocked at the door. I was reading a book when my friend knocked on the door. (reading is a long activity, my friend knocked and interrupted him, but that’s all in the past).

5. In English, the past continuous is formed when the interlocutor tells a story. With its help you can describe the atmosphere, time.

For example,

• She came to her friend on Thanksgiving. The guests were sitting on the sofa. They were laughing and chatting. The smell of the roasted turkey was filling the room. Everyone was waiting for the dinner. – She came to a friend’s house for Thanksgiving. The guests were sitting on the sofa. They talked and laughed. The aroma of roasting turkey filled the room. Everyone was waiting for dinner.
• A girl was playing the piano and (was) singing softly to herself. Suddenly there was a knock at the door. The girl stopped playing. The cat woke up... - The girl played the piano and hummed quietly. Suddenly there was a knock on the door. The girl stopped playing. The cat woke up...

6. The past continuous tense is used in cases where we are talking about habits that the subject of the story had in the past. Such habits can be unpleasant for us, causing irritation and indignation. In such constructions you can find the adverbs constantly (constantly), often (often), always (always, constantly).

For example,

• We were often being late because of you! – Because of you, we were often late!

7. Also with always, this tense form is used to express repeatedly repeated actions that the speaker is tired of.

For example,

• Wasn't always ringing me up after his work. He always called me after work. (I'm sick of you.)

For comparison: Don't always rank me up after his work. In this case, we used the Past Simple, thereby changing the emotional coloring. Now the speaker’s attitude to what is happening is perceived by him as something that goes without saying, as a normal phenomenon. Translation - He always called me after work.

8. The past continuous is used in conditional sentences of the second type. It is worth noting that it is used much less frequently than the Past Simple. The past continuous tense is used when we want to highlight the fact that the action in the past in the condition is continuous. The situation in this construction refers to the future or present time.

For example,

• If the wind were not blowing hard, we would go yachting. – If the wind had not blown strongly, we would have gone sailing on a yacht.

9. The time form under consideration is used to express gradually developing events. Nothing is said about the time of development of events, but everything is clear from the context.

For example,

• It was getting dark. It was getting dark.
  The wind was rising. The wind was rising.

10. The continuous past tense is used in cases where we describe events that were planned but did not occur. In the construction you can find the following verbs - to plan (plan), to mean to (get together, intend), to expect to (expect), to intend to (intend).

For example,

• They were thinking of buying a house, but then he lost his job and they had to put off their plans.“They were thinking of buying a house, but he lost his job and they had to put their plans on hold.

11. The form in question is used in questions when the interlocutor is interested in the time spent. This is a more polite form of answer or question than Past Indefinite.

For example,

• What were you doing during your summer vacation? What did you do during your summer holidays? And for comparison - What did you do during your summer vacation?

12. With the verb to wonder, the construction in question can be used to create a polite form.

For example,

• I was wondering if you could give me your e-mail address.

This is all we would like to say on the topic of past continuous tense. Learn the theory and come up with your own designs to reinforce the material you have learned. You can also test yourself by completing the past continuous exercises on our website. Knowing the past continuous tense is necessary to master the English language at a high level. Use the tips we give you in the form of tables - print them out and hang them in a visible place.

The rules for using the Past Continuous (Past Progressive Tense, or past continuous tense) seem quite complicated to many. Actually this is not true. Today's lesson will help you understand once and for all in which cases we use the past continuous tense in English.

The Past Continuous form is formed in almost the same way as the Present Continuous, with the only difference being that the verb to be is in the past tense form.

Education Past Progressive

The Past Continuous formation scheme is as follows:

Let's take the verb to work as an example and conjugate it into the Past Continuous:

The conjugation of any verb will look the same. The only difference is in the formation of the gerund (ing form). In some cases it will be different.

The past continuous tense describes unfinished (unfinished) actions or events in the past. It’s not entirely clear yet, so let’s take a closer look.

Use Past Continuous (Past Progressive)

1. Interrupted actions in the past

Past Continuous Tense is used to show that some continuous action in the past was interrupted. Since interruption is a relatively short action, it is conveyed using the Past Simple form. The word “interruption” does not always mean the actual termination of an action. Sometimes this means simply the superposition of one event (action) in time on another, when a short action, expressed in the Past Simple, seems to break into a long unfinished action.

When the phone rang, I was writing a letter.- When the phone rang, I was writing a letter.

While Kate was sleeping, someone stole her car.— While Kate was sleeping, someone stole her car.

I was waiting for her when she got off the plane.— I was waiting for her (meeting her) when she got off the plane.

When the fire started I was watching television.— When the fire started, I was watching TV.

IN similar cases It is also possible to specify a specific time:

At six o'clock, I was working.— I was working at six o’clock.

Yesterday at 8 PM, we were eating dinner.— Yesterday at 8 o’clock in the evening we had dinner.

At midnight, we were still watching TV.— At midnight we were still watching TV.

IMPORTANT:

The Simple Past is used when specifying a specific time to show when an action began or ended, but with the Past Continuous the situation is slightly different. Let's see an example:

Last night at 6 PM, I ate dinner. (I started dinner at 6 o'clock.)
Last night at 6 PM, I was eating dinner. (I started dinner earlier and was in the process by 6 o'clock.)

2. Parallel events

She was reading while he was making dinner. - She read while I was preparing dinner.

What were you doing while you were waiting?- What did you do while you were waiting?

When two actions or events in the Past Continuous are indicated in one sentence, this means that these actions (events) occur simultaneously (in parallel).

3. Story in the past tense

The Past Continuous can be found in stories written in the past tense. In this case, any background events are described using this time. Let's see an example:

In the example, you will notice several situations where the Past Continuous is used. As you can see, these are events that have a certain duration (extension): the sun was shining, the birds were singing, she was looking for her child, and so on. If you decide to write your own story in English, then this lesson will help you a lot. Note, however, that in such cases Past Continuous is used in conjunction with Past Simple.

We can also say that the past continuous tense describes the so-called atmosphere that reigned in a certain place at a certain time.

4.Past habits

Past Progressive is also used when describing any habits (most often annoying) in the past. Indicators of such sentences can be words always, constantly, forever, at that time, in those days. In the Present Continuous there is also such a rule, but for the present tense.

He was constantly talking.- He talked constantly.

She was always coming to class late. — She was always late for classes.

I didn’t like his friend because he was always complaining.— I didn’t like his friend because he constantly complained.

5. Finally, we use the past continuous tense when we want to emphasize that some event or action lasted for a long time. This is often indicated by expressions such as all day, all night, for hours and so on.

We were working all day.— We worked all day.

I was preparing for the exam all evening.— I spent the whole evening preparing for the exam.

A few more specific uses of Past Progressive Tense

1. When a person changed his mind and changed plans (in the construction was/were going to):

I was going to spend the day at the beach but I’ve decided to get my homework done instead.— I wanted to spend the whole day on the beach, but I decided to do my homework instead.

2. With a verb to wonder to form polite requests:

I was wondering if you could give me your e-mail address.

While and when

When we talk about the past using when and while, when is usually followed by the Past Simple, while while is followed by the Past Continuos form, because while translates as “during the time as”, “while”, that is, it implies long process. The next two examples have absolutely identical translations, but pay attention to the use of past tense forms - they are different from each other.

He was studying when his mother called.
While he was studying, his mother called.

Remember that some verbs are not used in the continuous form. That is, instead of Past Continuous, such verbs are used in Past Simple:

I was being at my house when she came. Wrong!
I was at my house when she came. Right

Active and passive form:

Assets: The salesman was helping the customer when the thief came into the store.- The seller was helping the buyer when a thief entered the store.

Passive: The customer was being helped by the salesman when the thief came into the store.

A brief diagram of the use of Past Progressive:

These were all the rules for using the past continuous tense. Don't forget to practice using English tenses and come up with your own examples to reinforce the material.

"Past Continius" is the past continuous tense. This is an analytical form that is formed by using the auxiliary verb to be in the past tense (was / were) and adding the ending -ing to the semantic verb.

When native speakers use the Past Continuous

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

An hour ago I was watching TV/ An hour ago I was watching TV.

Unlike Russian, where it is customary to allocate only three tenses (present, future and past), English contains as many as 12. But at the initial stage of learning a foreign language, it is important to understand that it also, in fact, has three tenses. However, they have their own grammatical variations, which foreigners spend a very long time and painstakingly trying to understand. In principle, there is nothing difficult in understanding the tenses of the English language. The main thing to remember is that, for example, tenses of the Simple category are aimed at expressing constant and regularly repeated actions, tenses of the Continuous category show duration, and the Perfect category focuses on the final result.

The English tense system is more complex than the Russian one, but it is more informative. The English language in general has a very clear and consistent structure. After all, this language has a clear word order, unlike Russian. As for times, the British have a suitable time for every occasion. They convey the meaning of a sentence by using a certain tense. The Russian language is less informative in this regard.

In what cases is the Past Continuous used?

There are four cases of using “Paste Continius”, the rules for its use must be clearly known and understood. Often, English language learners make a lot of mistakes when using tenses; they often forget about auxiliary verbs, endings, etc. Errors with endings occur in the Present Simple Tense when students forget to add endings to a verb in the third person.

To avoid such mistakes, you do not need to cram these rules by heart, but just understand the logic of use. In this situation, the topic of English times will be mastered quite quickly and efficiently.

The first rule for using Past Continuous Tense

First, the Past Continuous is used to show actions that lasted at a specific moment or period in the past.

We were writing for one hour/We wrote for an hour.

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

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

Second rule of use

Secondly, "Past Continius" is used to express actions that took place at a certain period in the past, those. a situation that lasted a short period of time in the past. This period of time is usually specified in proposals.

He was studying literature in winter/ He studied literature in winter.

Third rule of use

Thirdly, "Past Continius", examples of which can be found in this article, is also used in situations that express individual plans of a person in the past, but for some reason they did not happen.

I was hoping to go to Canada/I was hoping to go to Canada.

The fourth rule of use

Fourthly, "Past Continius" is used to express a negative attitude towards other people's habits, etc. As a rule, such sentences are most often called emotionally charged. They can be accompanied by words such as always (always), often (often), constantly (constantly).

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

In addition to clear rules for using this tense, there are some other situations where it should be used. When else can we use Past Continius?

This tense is used if a person talks about two parallel actions, i.e. happening simultaneously in the past. As a rule, such actions are connected by conjunctions: and (and) and while (while). It should be noted that and one of the parallel actions of the sentence is not background to the others.

I was sleeping while my mother was cooking breakfast for me and my father/While I was sleeping, my mother was preparing breakfast for my father and me.

An interesting fact is that the Past Continuous and Past Simple are often used together to express the interruption of an action by another. Unclear? Then let's give a very striking example.

I was reading the book, when somebody knocked in the door/I was reading a book when someone rang the doorbell.

As a rule, such actions are connected by the conjunctions when (when), before (before), while (while), untill (not yet). In an informal conversation, sometimes instead of while is used when.

It is also important to note that the Past Continuous is most often used in fiction: in stories and stories. This tense is used to fully describe the atmosphere and setting of the story.