All English 4U

English Grammar in Use · Murphy

Intermediate Grammar

Master English grammar one unit at a time. Clear notes, then 40+ interactive exercises with instant feedback — based on the topics in English Grammar in Use (Intermediate).

Continuous or simple?

Present perfect cont.

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UNIT 10

Perfect: cont. or simple?

UNIT 6 · Intermediate · B1–B2

Past Continuous“I was doing” — 44 interactive questions

Correct answers

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📖 Grammar Reference — Past Continuous

Study the notes, then work through the six exercises.

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What you’ll learnActions in progress in the past

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~15 minNotes + 6 exercises

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44 questionsInstant feedback

A How we form it

SubjectI/he/she/it · we/you/they

was / werewas · were

verb + -ingdoing

+ I/he/she/it was doing · we/you/they were doing

– I wasn’t doing · they weren’t doing

? Was he doing? · Were you doing?

B What it really means

It was in progress at a moment in the past — it had already started but had not finished.

💡 The longer action = past continuous; the short action that interrupts it = past simple. While I was cooking, the phone rang.

C Past continuous vs past simple

⚡ At 9pm I was watching a film. (in progress)

✓ Last night I watched a film. (finished)

⚡ When you called, I was sleeping. (already in progress)

✓ When you called, I woke up. (then it happened)

D Signal words

whilewhenasat 8 o’clockall dayat that moment

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Remember — was/were + -ing for an action in progress in the past. Pair it with the past simple for the action that interrupts: was doing + did.

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Original practice material inspired by the English Grammar in Use syllabus (Cambridge University Press). Example sentences and exercises are written by All English 4U.