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How to Use Was to Tell About Continuous Action

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Now, we shall learn how to use ‘was’ to describe continuous action. We use ‘was’ to describe the past tense. So, these are the sentences in the past continuous tense.

In this sentence, we use ‘was’ with another verb.

In these sentences, we use ‘was’ as a helping verb with the main verb. We should use the present participle of a verb, which is the ‘-ing’ form of a verb.

Construction of a sentence using ‘was’

We can construct a sentence as follows:

  • I/he/she/it/any singular subject + was + present participle (-ing form) of the main verb + other words + full stop (.)

Examples of ‘was’ in a sentence about continuous action

Let’s see how to use ‘was’ in continuous sentences with some examples.

Here are some examples. The formation is as above.

Have a look-

  1. Sarika was going to her home town.
    An HTTP error occurred during file retrieval. Error Code: 429
     (main verb go + ing)
  2. He was reaching the airport to receive his parents.
    An HTTP error occurred during file retrieval. Error Code: 429
    (main verb come + ing)
  3. She was studying in a college library.
    An HTTP error occurred during file retrieval. Error Code: 429
    (main verb study + ing)
  4. He was teaching philosophy.
    An HTTP error occurred during file retrieval. Error Code: 429
    (main verb teach + ing)
  5. It was eating fruit under a tree.
    An HTTP error occurred during file retrieval. Error Code: 429
    (main verb eat + ing)
  6. Shalaka was observing the painting.
    An HTTP error occurred during file retrieval. Error Code: 429
    (main verb observe + ing)
  7. Saurabh was carrying his tiffin.
    An HTTP error occurred during file retrieval. Error Code: 429
    (main verb carry + ing)
  8. A cat was playing on the roof.
    An HTTP error occurred during file retrieval. Error Code: 429
    (main verb play + ing)
  9. She was stitching a gown.
    An HTTP error occurred during file retrieval. Error Code: 429
    (main verb stitch + ing)
  10. He was collecting postage stamps.
    An HTTP error occurred during file retrieval. Error Code: 429
    (main verb collect + ing)
  11. She was fixing a gas cylinder.
    An HTTP error occurred during file retrieval. Error Code: 429
    (main verb fix + ing)
  12. He was fetching water from a water tanker.
    An HTTP error occurred during file retrieval. Error Code: 429
    (main verb fetch + ing)
  13. She was solving an example of mathematics.
    An HTTP error occurred during file retrieval. Error Code: 429
    (main verb solve + ing)
  14. He was calling you yesterday.
    An HTTP error occurred during file retrieval. Error Code: 429
    (main verb call + ing)
  15. Dr. Sarika was diagnosing the patient’s condition.
    An HTTP error occurred during file retrieval. Error Code: 429
    (main verb diagnose + ing)
  16. She was examining the types of plants.
    An HTTP error occurred during file retrieval. Error Code: 429
    (main examine + ing)
  17. A dog was waiting for food.
    An HTTP error occurred during file retrieval. Error Code: 429
    (main verb wait + ing)
  18. Rati was inquiring about a psychiatrist.
    An HTTP error occurred during file retrieval. Error Code: 429
    (main verb inquire + ing)
  19. She was classifying vegetables.
    An HTTP error occurred during file retrieval. Error Code: 429
    (main verb classify + ing)
  20. A monkey was chasing the dog.
    An HTTP error occurred during file retrieval. Error Code: 429
    (main verb drink + ing)
  21. The maid was asking about her salary.
    An HTTP error occurred during file retrieval. Error Code: 429
    (main verb chase + ing)
  22. A lion was licking its wound.
    An HTTP error occurred during file retrieval. Error Code: 429
    (main verb lick + ing)
  23. A parrot was speaking with us.
    An HTTP error occurred during file retrieval. Error Code: 429
    (main verb speak + ing)
  24. She was painting her house.
    An HTTP error occurred during file retrieval. Error Code: 429
    (main verb paint + ing)
  25. He was choosing a dress for his son.
    An HTTP error occurred during file retrieval. Error Code: 429
    (main verb choose + ing)
  26. Rati was clarifying the issue.
    An HTTP error occurred during file retrieval. Error Code: 429
    (main verb clarify + ing)
  27. Soham was thinking of joining the party.
    An HTTP error occurred during file retrieval. Error Code: 429
    (main verb think + ing)
  28. Parth was deciding to work from Monday.
    An HTTP error occurred during file retrieval. Error Code: 429
    (main verb decide + ing)
  29. Rashi was developing an educational website.
    An HTTP error occurred during file retrieval. Error Code: 429
    (main verb develop + ing)
  30. She was packing a gift for her brother.
    An HTTP error occurred during file retrieval. Error Code: 429
    (main verb pack + ing)

Related Lessons-

  1. Use of were
  2. Were- negative sentences
  3. Use of was: continuous
  4.                           questions
  5.                        affirmative answers
  6.                       negative answers 

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Hi, I am Madhuri Kherde, an educator, ex-principal of a secondary school in Mumbai, and founder of EnglishLamp.com. I have been teaching English and mathematics for the last thirty-seven years. I like to share my knowledge and experience with others. So I hope you enjoy my posts on this website.