Grammar Analysis: Past Continuous:
Form: to be (in the past simple: was/were)+v+ing
Spelling rules:
Silent "e", drop the "e"+ing:
Become Take Have Practice |
Becoming Taking Having Practicing |
Exceptions: | |
Singe Dye Age Shoe |
Singeing Dyeing Ageing Shoeing |
Short verbs: 1 vowel+1 consonant: 2 vowels
Swim Dig Sit |
Swimming Digging Sitting |
Exceptions: verbs ending in: “x” and “w” | |
Fix Box Snow |
Fixing Boxing Snowing |
Short verbs: 1 vowel+2 consonants: no change
Help Talk Work |
Helping Talking Working |
Short verbs: 2 vowel+1 consonant: no change
Look Eat Heat |
Looking Eating Heating |
Exceptions: | |
Dial Fuel |
Dialling Fuelling |
Long verbs: When the last consonant is stressed, the last letter is doubled
Upset /ʌpˈset/ Admit /ədˈmɪt/ Deter /dɪˈtɜːr/ Forget /fəˈɡet/ |
Upsetting Admitting Deterring forgetting |
Long verbs: When the first consonant is stressed, the last letter is not doubled: no change
enter /ˈen.tər/ budget /ˈbʌdʒ.ɪt/ Whisper /ˈwɪs.pər/ Visit /ˈvɪz.ɪt/ Benefit /ˈben.ɪ.fɪt/ |
Entering Budgeting Whispering Visiting Benefiting |
Exceptions: | |
Travel /ˈtræv.əl/ Label /ˈleɪ.bəl/ Cancel /ˈkæn.səl/ Worship /ˈwɜː.ʃɪp/ Kidnap /ˈkɪd.næp/ |
Travelling Labelling Cancelling Worshipping Kidnapping |
Verbs ending in "c"+k+ing:
Picnic Traffic Mimic |
Picnicking Trafficking Mimicking |
Verbs ending in "ie", change "ie" into "y"+ing:
Die Lie |
Dying Lying |
Use:
Indicate a precise time in the past:
Last night at 9 p.m. she was chatting with her friend.
At midnight, we were still driving through the desert.
Yesterday at this time, I was sitting at my desk at work
When the light went off, I was watching TV.
While/When I was watching TV, the light went off.
The light went off while/when I was watching TV .
She was reading while her brother was drawing.
My friends were playing football while I was waiting in the locker room.
While/As they were having dinner, their neighbours were flying to Paris.