Past Continuous (negative)

General rule (quick reminder)

Past Continuous (Negative)

• Structure: was / were + not + verb-ing
• Examples: She wasn’t paying attention when the teacher asked the question.

Present Continuous (Negative)

• Structure: am / is / are + not + verb-ing
• Examples: She isn’t working today because she feels unwell.

Tips for doing this exercise

 1. Look for time words

• Past time words → yesterday, last night, at 8 p.m., when, while
  →Use was / were + verb-ing
• Present time words → now, right now, today, listen!, look!
  →Use am / is / are + verb-ing

 2. Check if the action is happening now

If the sentence shows something happening at this moment, use present continuous (negative).

 3. Check if the action was in progress in the past

If the action was happening at a specific time in the past, use past continuous (negative).

Example:

• At 8 p.m. last night, they were not watching a movie.

 4. Look for when / while

• When → one action interrupts another
• While → two actions happen at the same time