MAPEL : BAHASA INGGRIS

KLS : IX
MATERI : PAST CONT. TENSE
Definisi Past Continuous Tense

Past continuous tense adalah bentuk tense yang digunakan

untuk menyatakan bahwa suatu aksi sedang berlangsung
selama waktu tertentu pada waktu lampau (past).

Bentuk ini menunjukkan bahwa aksi tersebut terjadi sebelum

(began before), selama (was in progress during), dan mungkin
berlanjut setelah (continued after) waktu atau aksi lainnya
yang terjadi pada masa lampau.

Rumus Past Continuous Tense

Sebelum masuk ke dalam rumusnya, mari kita bedah sedikit

lagi mengenai tense ini dengan melihat poin-poin di bawah ini:

 Past continuous tense dibentuk dengan auxiliary verb

“be”, berupa was atau were. Hal ini dikarenakan
past tense (terjadi di masa lalu), dan present participle.
 Was untuk singular subject berupa singular noun (seperti:
Andi, book, dan cat) dan singular pronoun (seperti: I, she,
he, dan it) kecuali “you”.
 Sebaliknya were yang merupakan plural verb digunakan
pada plural subject seperti plural noun (seperti: cats,
people, books) dan plural pronoun (seperti: you, they, we,
dan cats), dan you.
 
Kalimat di dalam past continuous tense dibagi menjadi tiga,
yaitu: kalimat postif, kalimat negatif, dan kalimat interogatif.

Untuk setiap jenis kalimatnya, tense ini memiliki rumus yang

berbeda, yaitu:

Kalimat positif

S + be (was/were) + present participle (-ing). Contoh kalimat:

 He was sleeping
 The people were waiting

Kalimat negatif

S + be (was/were) + not + present participle (-ing). Contoh

kalimat:

 He wasn’t sleeping
 The people weren’t waiting

Kalimat interogatif

be (was/were) + S + present participle (-ing)? Contoh kalimat:

 Was he sleeping?
 Were the people waiting?
Dilansir dari Grammarly, ada beberapa fungsi past continuous
tense yang perlu kamu ketahui. Di antaranya adalah:

 Untuk mengindikasikan suatu aksi yang terjadi selama

momen tertentu di masa lampau. Adapun keterangan
 waktu atau time expression yang dapat digunakan
adalah: at this time yesterday, at 5 am this morning, all
day yesterday, in July. Bagaimana jika kita ingin
mengaplikasikannya dalam kalimat?
o I was having dinner at this time yesterday. (Saya
sedang makan malam pada jam ini kemarin.)
o What was she doing at 7 am this morning? (Apa
yang sedang dia lakukan jam tujuh pagi ini?)
o They were making a toast at this time last
night. (Mereka sedang membuat roti panggang pada
jam ini kemarin malam.)
o I was doing physically exercises all day
yesterday. (Saya sedang melakukan latihan-latihan
fisik sepanjang hari kemarin.)
o In July she was working as a waitress in a well-
known restaurant. (Di bulan Juli dia bekerja sebagai
pelayan di sebuah restoran terkenal.)
 Untuk menunjukkan bahwa ada aksi berdurasi pendek
(simple past tense) yang terjadi ketika suatu aksi
berdurasi panjang (past continuous tense) sedang
berlangsung. Subordinate conjunction
while dan when dapat digunakan dengan
formulasi simple past tense + while + past continuous
tense dan past continuous tense + when + simple past
tense. Bagaimana contoh kalimatnya?
 o The door was knocked while I was reading a
book. (Pintu diketuk ketika saya sedang membaca
buku.)
o My mother was cleaning the carpet when I got
home. (Ibu saya sedang membersihkan karpet ketika
saya tiba di rumah.)
o She was sleeping when you called her. (Dia sedang
tidur ketika kamu meneleponnya.)
 Past continuous tense juga bisa berfungsi untuk
membahas sesuatu yang terjadi berulang-ulang. Interval
kejadiannya acak namun sesungguhnya merupakan
kebiasaan alami. Tense ini terkadang digunakan untuk
mengkritik suatu aksi. Contoh:
o I was repeatedly checking things. (Saya dulu
berulang kali memeriksa sesuatu.)
o The girl was always yelling out loud. (Anak itu selalu
menjerit keras-keras.)
o My neighbor was always chasing stray cats off with
his broom. (Tetangga saya selalu mengusir kucing-
kucing liar dengan sapunya.)
 Terakhir, tense ini juga bisa digunakan bersamaan
dengan verb yang menunjukkan
perubahan (change) atau
perkembangan (growth), seperti: grow up, improve, go,
dan change. Contoh kalimat:
 o His hair was going so thin. (Rambutnya menjadi
sangat tipis.)
o My life was changing rapidly. (Hidup saya berubah
dengan cepat.)

Rumus yang digunakan pada tenses ini adalah sebagai berikut :

Kalimat positif : Positif: Subjek + was/ were + Ving

Kalimat negatif : Subjek + was/ were + not + Ving
Kalimat tanya : Was/ were + Subjek + Ving

Perhatikan contoh kalimat yang menggunakan past continuous tense berikut ini :
He was studying when she called
Was she studying when she called?
She was not studying when she called

he past continuous (also called past progressive) is a verb tense which is

used to show that an ongoing past action was happening at a specific
moment of interruption, or that two ongoing actions were happening at the
same time. Read on for detailed descriptions, examples, and past
continuous exercises.

Past Continuous Forms

The past continuous is formed using was/were + present participle.
Questions are indicated by inverting the subject and was/were. Negatives
are made with not.

 Statement: You were studying when she called.

 Question: Were you studying when she called?
 Negative: You were not studying when she called.

Complete List of Past Continuous Forms

Past Continuous Uses

USE 1 Interrupted Action in the Past

Use the past continuous to indicate that a longer action in the past was
interrupted. The interruption is usually a shorter action in the simple past.
Remember this can be a real interruption or just an interruption in time.

Examples:

 I was watching TV when she called.

 When the phone rang, she was writing a letter.
 While we were having the picnic, it started to rain.
 What were you doing when the earthquake started?
 I was listening to my iPod, so I didn't hear the fire alarm.
 You were not listening to me when I told you to turn the oven off.
 While John was sleeping last night, someone stole his car.
 Sammy was waiting for us when we got off the plane.
 While I was writing the email, the computer suddenly went off.
 A: What were you doing when you broke your leg?
B: I was snowboarding.
USE 2 Specific Time as an Interruption
In USE 1, described above, the past continuous is interrupted by a shorter
action in the simple past. However, you can also use a specific time as an
interruption.

Examples:

 Last night at 6 PM, I was eating dinner.

 At midnight, we were still driving through the desert.
 Yesterday at this time, I was sitting at my desk at work.

IMPORTANT

In the simple past, a specific time is used to show when an action began or
finished. In the past continuous, a specific time only interrupts the action.

Examples:

 Last night at 6 PM, I ate dinner.

I started eating at 6 PM.
 Last night at 6 PM, I was eating dinner.
I started earlier; and at 6 PM, I was in the process of eating dinner.
USE 3 Parallel Actions

When you use the past continuous with two actions in the same sentence,
it expresses the idea that both actions were happening at the same time.
The actions are parallel.

Examples:

 I was studying while he was making dinner.

 While Ellen was reading, Tim was watching television.
 Were you listening while he was talking?
 I wasn't paying attention while I was writing the letter, so I made
several mistakes.
 What were you doing while you were waiting?
 Thomas wasn't working, and I wasn't working either.
 They were eating dinner, discussing their plans, and having a good
time.
USE 4 Atmosphere

In English, we often use a series of parallel actions to describe the

atmosphere at a particular time in the past.

Example:
  When I walked into the office, several people were busily typing,
some were talking on the phones, the boss was yelling directions,
and customers were waiting to be helped. One customer was
yelling at a secretary and waving his hands. Others were
complaining to each other about the bad service.
USE 5 Repetition and Irritation with "Always"

The past continuous with words such as "always" or "constantly"

expresses the idea that something irritating or shocking often happened in
the past. The concept is very similar to the expression used to but with
negative emotion. Remember to put the words "always" or "constantly"
between "be" and "verb+ing."

Examples:

 She was always coming to class late.

 He was constantly talking. He annoyed everyone.
 I didn't like them because they were always complaining.

Past Continuous Tips

While vs. When

Clauses are groups of words which have meaning, but are often not
complete sentences. Some clauses begin with the word "when" such as
"when she called" or "when it bit me." Other clauses begin with "while"
such as "while she was sleeping" and "while he was surfing." When you
talk about things in the past, "when" is most often followed by the verb
tense simple past, whereas "while" is usually followed by past continuous.
"While" expresses the idea of "during that time." Study the examples
below. They have similar meanings, but they emphasize different parts of
the sentence.

Examples:

 I was studying when she called.

 While I was studying, she called.

REMEMBER Non-Continuous Verbs / Mixed Verbs

It is important to remember that Non-continuous verbs cannot be used in

any continuous tenses. Also, certain non-continuous meanings for mixed
verbs cannot be used in continuous tenses. Instead of using past
continuous with these verbs, you must use simple past.
Examples:

 Jane was being at my house when you arrived. Not Correct

 Jane was at my house when you arrived. Correct

ADVERB PLACEMENT

The examples below show the placement for grammar adverbs such as:
always, only, never, ever, still, just, etc.

Examples:

 You were just studying when she called.

 Were you just studying when she called?

ACTIVE / PASSIVE

Examples:

 The salesman was helping the customer when the thief came into

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

Verb Tense Exercise Simple Past and Past Continuous

Using the words in parentheses, complete the text below with the appropriate
tenses, then click the "Check" button to check your answers.

1. A: What (you, do)   when the accident occurred?

B: I (try)   to change a light bulb that had burnt out.

2. After I (find)   the wallet full of money, I (go, immediately)   

to the police and (turn)   it in.

3. The doctor (say)   that Tom (be)   too sick to go to work and
that he (need)   to stay at home for a couple of days.

4. Sebastian (arrive)   at Susan's house a little before 9:00 PM, but she
(be, not)   there. She (study, at the library)   for her
final examination in French.
5. Sandy is in the living room watching television. At this time yesterday, she
(watch, also)   television. That's all she ever does!

6. A: I (call)   you last night after dinner, but you (be, not)   
there. Where were you?
B: I (work)   out at the fitness center.

7. When I (walk)   into the busy office, the secretary (talk)   on
the phone with a customer, several clerks (work, busily)   at their
desks, and two managers (discuss, quietly)   methods to improve
customer service.

8. I (watch)   a mystery movie on TV when the electricity went out. Now I

am never going to find out how the movie ends.

9. Sharon (be)   in the room when John told me what happened, but she
didn't hear anything because she (listen, not)  .

10. It's strange that you (call)   because I (think, just)   about
you.

11. The Titanic (cross)   the Atlantic when it (strike)   an

iceberg.

12. When I entered the bazaar, a couple of merchants (bargain,

busily)   and (try)   to sell their goods to naive tourists who
(hunt)   for souvenirs. Some young boys (lead)   their donkeys
through the narrow streets on their way home. A couple of men (argue)   
over the price of a leather belt. I (walk)   over to a man who
(sell)   fruit and (buy)   a banana.

13. The firemen (rescue)   the old woman who (be)   trapped
on the third floor of the burning building.
14. She was so annoying! She (leave, always)   her dirty dishes in the
sink. I think she (expect, actually)   me to do them for her.

15. Samantha (live)   in Berlin for more than two years. In fact, she
(live)   there when the Berlin Wall came down.