The Past Continuous Tense

6. The Past Continuous Tense            

 Pada intinya The Past Continuous Tense mengandung suatu pengertian dari 2 bentuk kata past (= waktu lampau) dan continuous (= sedang berlangsung/ terjadi). Jadi tenses ini menyatakan kegiatan yang sedang berlangsung di waktu lampau. Lebih dari itu, di dalam praktek penggunaanya sehari-hari ternyata belum cukup menyampaikan informasi jika tidak diikuti kalimat lain, baik dalam bentuk Simple Past atau Past Continuous itu sendiri. Dengan kata lain, adanya suatu kegiatan atau peristiwa yang sedang berlangsung di waktu lampau ketika kegiatan atau peristiwa lain menyusul.  

Catatan: 
Setelah when biasanya diikuti The Simple Past Tense, sedangkan while diikuti The Past Continuous Tense. 




 
Pola Kalimat dengan linking verbs (be):  

(+) S + be (was/were) + V1 + ing + O/Adv. 

(-)  S + be + not + V1 + ing + O/Adv. 

(?) Be + S + V1 + ing + O/Adv. 

Fungsi dan Contoh: 

i. The Past Continuous Tense untuk melukiskan suatu  peristiwa sedang berlaku pada masa lampau.
 

• We were watching televisison the whole night.
• He was always a little mad. He. was always trying to to prove                                                 that the earth was flat.
• What were you doing at 10.00 last night?
• I was studying.
• The storm was getting worse and worse.
• The rain was falling down heavily in Depok. 

ii. menyatakan suatu peristiwa yang sedang dan terus berlangsung bersamaan dengan terjadinya peristiwa lain pada waktu lampau. 
 

• I was sleeping when the phone rang.
• When the telephone rang, I was taking a shower.
• While I was studying, I fell asleep.
• When I first met him, he was working in a bar.
• They were eating in the restaurant on the corner when.
• He was just ordering breakfast when I went to his hotel.
• While John was talking his English lesson, his friend arrived.

iii. menyatakan bahwa dua kegiatan sedang berlangsung pada saat yang sama.

• I was studying while he was reading.
• While they were coming toward us, we were eating intently.
• My mother was cooking rice in the kitchen while my father was trimming the grasses in the garden.
• Were you watching television while your parents were doing the houseworks?
• We weren’t staying at home while the burglars were breaking into our house.

iv. menyatakan kalimat tidak langsung.
 

• He said he was living in London.
• You told me that they were playing tennis.
• Charlie said that Nora and Jim were getting married next month.
• Charlie said that he was thinking of going to live in Canada.
• Tom said (that) he was going away for a few days and would phone me when he got back.
• My friend Samsudin asked me if I was still teaching at school and the English course.

v. menyatakan suatu kegiatan yang sedang berlangsung antara dua titik waktu pada masa lampau. 
  

• Between June 1965 and December 1966, he was writing a novel.
• I was studying at IKIP Bandung between June 1988 and 1991.
• Between one and two I was doing the shopping and walking the dog.

vi. menyatakan rencana pada saat mendatang di waktu lampau. 
 

• He was busy packing, for he was leaving that night.
• The people were crowded at the terminal. The bus was arriving at 11:30
• Her birthday was coming soon. She had invited her friends to come.
• She was having the party on Saturday. That was why her father had bought a present for her.   

 
EXERCISES 
 
I. Choose A, B, C, D, or E as the best answer by crossing (X) it. (Pililah A, B, C, D, atau E jawaban yang paling benar dengan memberi tanda silang.)    

1. I … home when it started to rain.        
A. walking        B. walks      C. was walking      D. walk     E. am walking     

2. Devie’s mother wasn’t at home, when she came home from school yesterday morning. She … to the market.         
A. was going       B. is going      C. has gone      D. had gone     E. goes     

3. When I talked to hom last, he … English.         
A. studies       B. study     C. was studying    D. studied    E. was studied        

4. I … when the doorbell rang.         
A. was slepping     B. sleep      C. slept      D. sleeps     E. to sleep            

5. The phone … when he stepped into my room.         
A. rings      B. is ringing      C. is rung      D. was ringing     E. has rung     

6. All … home when I got there.         
A. goes     B. are going     C. has gone    D. were going    E. have gone    

7. What were you … about?         
A. to talking      B. talked     C. talks    D. to talk    E. talking     

8. I thought he … us while we were doing the job.     
A. is expecting        C. has been expecting      E. expecting     
B. was expecting    D. expects     

9. Was he … a new house when you lived there?         
A. building     B. to build    C. was building   D. builds   E. built       

10. I … when he came in.          
A. is talking   B. was talking   C. are talking   D. am talking   E. talk     

11. … when it started to rain .           
A. I have worked in the garden       D. I begun worked in the garden           
B. I was working in the garden        E. I am worked in the garden           
C. I begins work in the garden     

12. What was Riky doing … Rinie was studying?           
A. if                 B. when           C. while           D. and            E. or     

13. Mr. Rachmat (the late) was sitting with her … I saw.           
A. if       B. and      C. or       D. when       E. while     

14. Who was eating when you came?           
A. Tini is.    B. Tini was.    C. Tini will.    D. Tini has.   E. Tini does.     

15. Was not he … his father when you visited him?           
A. help    B. helping    C. helped     D. helps    E. to help     

16. We … books while the postman was coming.           
A. are reading                 C. were reading                     E. reading           
B. was reading                D. is reading     
     
17. … wasn’t … television when her mother slept.           
A. They - watched   C. Roy and Marten - turning on    E. he - to came           
B. Michael - sell       D. Nia - watching       

18. I was reading a book when … .           
A. he come               C. he comes                    E. he to came           
B. he came               D. he is coming
       
19. When it … they were sitting under the big tree.           
A. to rain    B. rain    C. raining    D. rains    E. rained     

20. Did you … the television while father was sitting in the living?           
A. watch    B. watches   C. watching    D. watched   E. was watching

 
II. Make sentences. Use The Past Progressive Tense. What were    they doing when Kathy arrived? (Buat kalimat dengan The Past Progressive Tense. What were they doing when Kathy arrived?)

1. Margie, take, pictures        ………………………………………….     
2. Ann, tie, rope         ………………………………………….     
3. Lisa, lie, down         ………………………………………….     
4. Gina, write, diary         ………………………………………….     
5. Irene, not, feel, well         ………………………………………….     
6. She, heat, water         ………………………………………….     
7. She, talk, friend         ………………………………………….     
8. They, listen, to radio         ………………………………………….     
9. Irene, Lisa, look, at, snow         ………………………………………….     
10. Judy, read, map            ………………………………………….  



 
III. Supply the correct Past Continuous Tense form of the verb in the parenthesis. (Berikan bentuk Past Continuous Tense yang tepat dari kata kerja di dalam kurung.)     

1. It … (rain) when I left home.     
2. When you telephone, I … (have) dinner.     
3. The baby … (sleep) soundly when I went to wake him.     
4. I got sick while we … (drive) to mexico.     
5. The accident happened while they … (travel) in mexico.     
6. She … (talk) with Mr. Smith when I saw her in the hall.     
7. When I got up this morning, the sun … (shine) brightly.     
8. She fell as she … (get) into a taxi.     
9. While I … (come) to work this morning, I met an old friend.     
10. At seven o’clock, when you telephoned, I … (read) the newspaper.
           

This is the end of The Simple Past Tense tutorial. Good luck.