---
id: 656bc3bd0a323317d4117a49
title: Task 20
challengeType: 19
dashedName: task-20
lang: en-US
---

# --description--

The past continuous tense is used to talk about actions that were ongoing in the past. 

It is formed using `was`  for the pronouns `I`, `he`, `she`, `it`, or `were` for the pronouns `you`, `we`, `they` followed by a verb ending in `-ing`. For example:

`I was reading` means the work was happening over a period of time in the past. 

Past continuous is often used when an action is interrupted by another, as in `I was reading when the phone rang.` The reading was interrupted by the phone ringing.

# --questions--

## --text--

Which of the following sentences correctly uses the past continuous tense?

## --answers--

`She was cook dinner when her friend called.`

### --feedback--

Remember, the verb should be in its `-ing` form. The correct form should be `was cooking`.

---

`They were watching a movie last night.`

---

`He were studying for the exam when it started to rain.`

### --feedback--

The correct form is `was studying` for the singular pronoun `he`.

---

`I was play the piano when the lights went out.`

### --feedback--

The verb should be in its `-ing` form. The correct sentence is `I was playing the piano when the lights went out.`

## --video-solution--

2
