Past Continuous Tense - Story, Grammar and Free Worksheet
- Rose Sensei
- Jul 4, 2022
- 3 min read
Updated: Oct 13
1. What is the Past Continuous Tense?
The Past Continuous helps us describe what was happening at a specific time in the past, set the scene, and show actions in progress.
Form 🟰 (was / were + verb -ing)
e.g. was eating, were watching, was running, etc.
In this short story, you’ll travel to romantic Paris on a rainy morning, where two friends meet by surprise. As you read, notice how verbs like was sitting, were laughing, and was checking bring the moment to life.
☕ Ready to experience English in action? Read the story below and look out for the Past Continuous sentences!
🌧 Story: “A Rainy Morning in Paris”
It was a rainy Tuesday morning in Paris. Emma was sitting in a small café near the River Seine. She was sipping her coffee and watching people hurry past with umbrellas.
Across the street, a man was trying to open his umbrella, but the wind was blowing too hard. A street musician was playing the accordion near the bridge, and a group of tourists were taking pictures, laughing loudly.
While Emma was checking her phone, she suddenly saw a message from her best friend, Mia:“I’m in Paris too! Where are you?”
At that exact moment, Mia was standing just a few metres away, also taking shelter from the rain. They both were looking around—until their eyes met!
They were laughing and hugging when the waiter came with two croissants and said, “Looks like you both needed some sunshine today!”
✏️ Grammar Focus: Past Continuous in Action
We use the Past Continuous to:
Describe actions that were in progress at a specific time in the past.
Emma was sipping her coffee at 9 a.m.
Set the background scene in a story.
The wind was blowing and the rain was falling.
Show two actions happening at the same time.
Mia was standing nearby while Emma was checking her phone.
💬 Practice Questions
What was Emma doing when the story began?
What were the tourists doing near the bridge?
What happened while Emma was checking her phone?
What was the weather like?
What were you doing at 9 a.m. this morning? (Use Past Continuous!)
Wasn’t that a lovely rainy day in Paris?
Through this story, you’ve seen how the Past Continuous Tense helps describe actions happening at the same time and creates a vivid picture of the past.
🎯Now it’s your turn — think about what you were doing at this time yesterday. Write a few sentences using the Past Continuous, and share them in the comments below!
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“Want to review grammar rules? Read: The 12 Basic Tenses in English
If you’d like more practice, download the free worksheet at the end of this post or explore another Past Continuous story:👉 The Missing Necklace – A Past Continuous Passive Story
Keep reading, keep practising, and soon you’ll be describing your own moments as beautifully as Emma and Mia did! 💕
🎯TIP!
Be creative. Make & practise as many sentences & times as you can.
Use the sentence pattern to make your own sentences.
Write them down in your notebook.
🎥 Related Videos: YouTube Channel Playlist
🔗Learn Grammar Through Engaging Stories https://tinyurl.com/bvwvckfu
🔗Quick and Easy Vocabulary https://tinyurl.com/44chnrb9
🔗Learn Vocabulary Through Fun Stories https://tinyurl.com/567brdfr
🔔 Practice More:Want to improve your listening and speaking skills?
🎥 Check out our YouTube Channel Playlist:
🔗English Tenses Made Simple: Lessons & Stories https://tinyurl.com/5n6s4zp5
🔗Learn Grammar Through Engaging Stories https://tinyurl.com/bvwvckfu
🔗ESL Listening Practice With Engaging Stories https://tinyurl.com/37rf8e23
Watch and Learn! For more ESL reading and listening practice video lessons, subscribe to our YouTube channel.
🔗Related Posts
Learn more about related Tenses below ⬇️
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Thank you for reading & Happy Speaking!
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