When to Use The Past Continuous Tense
to “setting the scene” in stories
- James Bond was driving through town. It was raining.
Describing the background situation at the moment when the action begins
- The wind was blowing hard. Nobody was walking in the streets. Suddenly, …
Joining two actions in the past
- when + short action (Past Simple)
- while + long action (Past Continuous)
Example:
- I was walking past the car when it exploded.
- When the car exploded I was walking past it.
- The car exploded while I was walking past it.
