Past continuous worksheets for ESL
26 worksheets, 1 lesson and 1 shadowing script · Tenses
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Past continuous worksheets
26 printable worksheets with answer keys; the 24 most used, easiest level first.
Past continuous lessons
1 ready lesson for the four skills: teach on the board, set online or print.
Past continuous shadowing
Listen, repeat, record and compare: short scripts for pronunciation and fluency.
About Past continuous
The past continuous (was/were + -ing) describes an action in progress at a particular moment in the past: At eight o'clock I was having dinner. It often combines with the past simple, where a shorter action interrupts a longer one: I was walking home when it started to rain. It also sets the scene in stories: The sun was shining and people were sitting outside.
It is typically introduced at A2 and consolidated at B1 as part of narrative tenses. Learners tend to overuse it for completed events (*Yesterday I was going to the movies), mix up when and while, and use it with state verbs (*I was knowing her).
This page offers printable past continuous worksheets with answer keys, ready to print as PDFs or complete online using a class link.
Teaching tips: Past continuous
- Draw a timeline with a long wavy line for the continuous action and a cross for the interrupting past simple action.
- Play 'alibi': pairs of suspects say what they were doing at set times last night while the class looks for inconsistencies.
- Teach the typical pattern: while + past continuous for the long action (While I was cooking…) and when + past simple for the short one (…the phone rang).
- Watch for the past continuous used for single completed events; ask 'Was it in progress, or did it simply happen?'
Questions teachers ask
What's the difference between the past continuous and the past simple?
The past simple presents an action as complete (I read a book last night), while the past continuous presents it as in progress at a moment, often as background: I was reading when you called.
Can two past continuous actions happen at the same time?
Yes, for two longer actions in progress in parallel, usually linked with while: While I was cooking, my brother was doing his homework.
Should I use when or while?
While is typical before the longer, continuous action (While I was sleeping…), and when before the short, interrupting action (…when the alarm went off). When can also introduce the continuous clause.