Past Continuous · Exercises
A2Elementary practice
Negatives, questions, short answers and “What were you doing?”.
Play
- Practice10 exercises at your own pace
- Time Attack60 seconds, as many as you can
- Survival3 lives, harder as you go
- Tense SortDrag sentences into their tense — 60 seconds
- Timelines10 sentences to match to their timelines
- A2 Boss12 hits before you lose 3 lives
- Irregular MatchPair verbs with their past forms — 60 seconds
Want to mix tenses, go endless or pick exercise types? Set up your own session.
What you’ll practise at A2
- was / were + -ing
- Spelling: making, running, lying
- Negatives: wasn’t / weren’t
- Questions: Were you…?
- Short answers: Yes, I was / No, they weren’t
- What were you doing? (wh- questions)
- At a time in the past (at 8 pm yesterday)
- Interrupted actions: when + past simple
- Timelines: what the tense means
Need a refresher? Learn the past continuous: rules, tables and audio examples.
Sample exercises
A taste of what’s inside. In practice mode every exercise is freshly generated.
Choose the correct form.
My cousin _____ (drive) home when the dog started barking.
Show answer
My cousin was driving home when the dog started barking.
The longer action in progress uses the past continuous (was / were + -ing); the short action that interrupts it uses the past simple, often after “when”.
Which sentence matches the timeline?
(Timeline: In progress at a moment in the past)
Show answer
My sister was writing a long email.
“was writing” is the past continuous (was / were + -ing): in progress at a moment in the past.
Choose the correct question.
Which sentence is correct?
Show answer
What was Rosa watching?
Wh- questions: question word + was / were + subject + -ing? What were you doing?
Find the word that is wrong.
My cousin weren't taking a break.
Show answer
My cousin wasn't taking a break.
Negative: was not (wasn't) + -ing. My cousin wasn't taking a break.
Is this sentence correct?
Were the students cleaning the bathroom? No, they weren't.
Show answer
Were the students cleaning the bathroom? No, they weren't.
Yes, it’s correct. Short answers to Was / Were…? questions repeat was / were (not did): Yes, I was. / No, they weren’t.
Find the word that is wrong.
Sofia were shopping at the market.
Show answer
Sofia was shopping at the market.
Use was with I, he, she, it (or one person): Sofia was shopping at the market.