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How to Use Was in Negative Answers about Continuous Action

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In the previous chapter, you learned how to form affirmative answers about continuous action using ‘was’. In this lesson, we shall learn to form negative answers about continuous action using ‘was’.

In this sentence, ‘was’ is used with another verb.

Construction of a negative answer using ‘was’

The structure of a negative answer is as follows:

  • No, + he/she/it/singular subject + was + not + present participle (-ing form) of the main verb + other words + full stop (.)

In brief, we can say:

No, + subject + isn’t.

  • No, he wasn’t.
  • No, she wasn’t.
  • No, it wasn’t.

Examples of ‘was’ in negative answers

Let’s see how to use ‘was’ in negative answers about continuous action with some examples.

Here are some examples. The formation is as above.

Have a look-

  1. No, Sarika was not going to her home town.
    (No, she wasn’t.)
  2. No, he was not reaching the airport to receive his parents.
    (No, he wasn’t.)
  3. No, she was not studying in the college library.
    (No, she wasn’t.)
  4. No, he was not teaching philosophy.
     (No, he wasn’t.)
  5. No, it was not eating fruit under a tree.
    (No, he wasn’t.)
  6. No, Shalaka was not observing the painting.
    (No, she wasn’t.)
  7. No, Saurabh was not carrying his tiffin.
    (No, he wasn’t.)
  8. No, a cat was not playing on the roof.
    (No, it wasn’t.)
  9. No, she was not stitching a gown.
    (No, she wasn’t.)
  10. No, he was not collecting postage stamps.
    (No, he wasn’t.)
  11. No, she was not fixing a gas cylinder.
    (No, she wasn’t.)
  12. No, he was not fetching water from a water tanker.
    (No, he wasn’t.)
  13. No, she was not solving an example of mathematics.
    (No, she wasn’t.)
  14. No, he was not calling you yesterday.
    (No, he wasn’t.)
  15. No, Dr. Sarika was not diagnosing the patient’s condition.
    (No, she wasn’t.)
  16. No, she was not examining the types of plants.
    (No, she wasn’t.)
  17. No, a dog was not waiting for food.
    (No, it wasn’t.)
  18. No, Rati was not inquiring about a psychiatrist.
    (No, she wasn’t.)
  19. No, she was not classifying vegetables.
    (No, she wasn’t.)
  20. No, a monkey was not chasing the dog.
    (No, it wasn’t.)
  21. No, the maid was not asking about her salary.
    (No, she wasn’t.)
  22. No, a lion was not licking its wound.
    (No, it wasn’t.)
  23. No, a parrot was not speaking with us.
    (No, it wasn’t.)
  24. No, she was not painting her house.
    (No, she wasn’t.)
  25. No, he was not choosing a dress for his son.
    (No, he wasn’t.)
  26. No, Rati was not clarifying the issue.
    (No, she wasn’t.)
  27. No, Soham was not thinking of joining the party.
    (No, he wasn’t.)
  28. No, Parth was not deciding to work from Monday.
    (No, he wasn’t.)
  29. No, Rashi was not developing an educational website.
    (No, she wasn’t.)
  30. No, she was not packing a gift for her brother.
    (No, she wasn’t.)

Related Lessons-

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

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