Past Continuous Tense - Worksheets, Questions and Revision

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KS3 · Grammar

Y7.8 Past Continuous Tense

Calculators not allowed · about 50 minutes
Name: _______________________________    Date: ____ / ____ / ______
Answer ALL questions. Show all your working.

Blackout at Riverside Market

Source written for Revision Library (original, copyright-free). Written for Year 7 grammar practice, July 2026.

The stallholders were packing away the last of the strawberries when the first generator spluttered and died. Overhead, strings of fairy lights were still glowing faintly, flickering now and then like a failing heartbeat. Yusuf had been serving customers for nearly an hour when the lights above his stall suddenly went out completely, plunging his stall into darkness. Somewhere near the bridge, a busker was singing an old folk song, her guitar case scattered with coins, and for a moment nobody noticed the darkness spreading across the square. Two stallholders were arguing about whose generator had failed first when a voice on a loudspeaker asked everyone to stay calm. Meanwhile, several students were filming the chaos on their phones, more curious than afraid. By the time the emergency lighting flickered on, the market had fallen almost silent, and only the busker's guitar was still playing, quietly, into the dark.

1
Tick the sentence in each pair that is written in the past continuous tense.
(a)(1)
  • A) The crowd cheered as the referee blew the final whistle.
  • B) The crowd was cheering as the referee blew the final whistle.
(b)(1)
  • A) Two engineers were repairing the lift when the alarm sounded.
  • B) Two engineers repaired the lift when the alarm sounded.
(c)(1)
  • A) The tide crept steadily up the beach.
  • B) The tide was creeping steadily up the beach.
(d)(1)
  • A) I was revising for my exam when my phone buzzed.
  • B) I revised for my exam when my phone buzzed.
2
Underline the past continuous verb phrase in each sentence below. Some of these subjects are trickier than the ones you may have met before, so read each sentence carefully before deciding on was or were.
(a)Everybody in the queue was grumbling about the delay.(1)
(b)The committee was arguing about the budget when the fire alarm rang.(1)
(c)Either the manager or her assistants were dealing with the complaint.(1)
(d)Neither of the twins was listening properly.(1)
(e)The students, along with their teacher, were waiting for the coach.(1)
3
These sentences are taken from the source text above. Underline the past continuous verb phrase in each one, then state whether its subject is singular or plural.
(a)The stallholders were packing away the last of the strawberries when the first generator spluttered and died.(2)
(b)Overhead, strings of fairy lights were still glowing faintly, flickering now and then like a failing heartbeat.(2)
(c)Somewhere near the bridge, a busker was singing an old folk song, her guitar case scattered with coins.(2)
(d)Meanwhile, several students were filming the chaos on their phones, more curious than afraid.(2)
4
Some verbs describe states, feelings or qualities rather than actions with a clear 'in progress' stage, so English speakers do not usually put them into the continuous ('-ing') form, even to describe a specific moment in the past. Tick the THREE verbs below that are not usually used in the continuous form.
  • A) know
  • B) run
  • C) believe
  • D) jump
  • E) own
  • F) shout
5
Explain why the three verbs you did NOT tick in Question 4 (run, jump, shout) can be used in the continuous form, but the three you did tick (know, believe, own) usually cannot.
(2)
6
Complete each sentence with the correct past continuous form of the verb in brackets. Take care with the spelling of the -ing ending.
(a)The generator ___ (splutter) ominously before it finally died.(1)
(b)The children ___ (lie) on the grass, watching the fireworks.(1)
(c)The dog ___ (run) circles around the picnic blanket.(1)
(d)Two engineers ___ (fit) new cables along the corridor.(1)
(e)The market ___ (die) down for the evening when the storm broke.(1)
7
Combine each pair of sentences into one sentence, using the connective shown and the past continuous tense, to show that one action was already in progress when something else happened.
(a)The teacher wrote on the board. The fire alarm rang. (Use: when)(2)
(b)The rain grew heavier. We walked home. (Use: as, with the rain clause fronted)(2)
(c)Priya packed her rucksack. Her brother shouted up the stairs. (Use: just as)(2)
8
Look at these two versions of the same moment.

A) The lights went out.
B) The lights were flickering, dimming, then finally, they went out.

Explain the difference in effect between version A and version B.
(3)
9
Look again at the opening sentence of the source text: 'The stallholders were packing away the last of the strawberries when the first generator spluttered and died.' Explain the effect of the writer's use of the past continuous tense here.
(2)
10
Each sentence below has an incorrect helping verb or a missing -ing ending. Find and correct the error in each sentence.
(a)Everybody were waiting anxiously for the announcement.(1)
(b)The stallholders was arguing about the generator.(1)
(c)Neither of the students were filming the chaos.(1)
(d)The lights was flicker on and off.(1)
11
The paragraph below has four errors: two incorrect helping verbs and two missing -ing endings. Rewrite the paragraph, correcting all four errors.

'Just before the blackout, the twins was helping their mother carry crates to the van, while their little sister was watch the stall. Somewhere behind them, the generator were humming loudly, and a stray cat was sleep under a table, undisturbed by the chaos around it.'
(4)
12
The paragraph below has four errors affecting the past continuous tense: two incorrect helping verbs, one missing -ing ending, and one verb left wrongly in the present tense. Rewrite the paragraph, correcting all four errors.

'Backstage, the youngest performers was practising their lines nervously while the stage manager checked the lighting rig. Two students was arguing quietly about who had forgotten the props box, and the lead actor were pace up and down, muttering her opening speech under her breath. Meanwhile, the audience settle into their seats, unaware that the curtain nearly did not rise at all.'
(6)
13
Look again at this sentence from the source text: 'Yusuf had been serving customers for nearly an hour when the lights above his stall suddenly went out completely.'
(a)Which tense is used in 'had been serving'?(1)
  • A) Past continuous
  • B) Past perfect continuous
  • C) Present perfect
(b)Explain what this tense choice adds to the sentence that the simple past continuous ('Yusuf was serving customers') would not.(2)
14
Rewrite each active sentence in the passive voice, keeping the past continuous tense.
(a)Firefighters were checking the wiring when the alarm sounded.(2)
(b)Engineers were repairing the generator all afternoon.(2)
(c)The council were monitoring the situation closely.(2)
15
The sentence below incorrectly uses the passive past continuous. Identify and correct the error.

'The stalls was being pack away when the rain started.'
(2)
16
Write the opening paragraph (approximately 90-120 words) of a short story. Your paragraph must describe a busy, ordinary scene that is suddenly interrupted by a dramatic event of your choice (for example, a power cut, a fire alarm, a sudden storm or an unexpected announcement).

Your paragraph must include:
- at least THREE different subjects, each correctly matched with was or were in the past continuous tense
- one sentence that uses when or as to show an ongoing action interrupted by a sudden event
- at least one deliberate use of the past continuous tense to build tension or atmosphere before the interruption

Underline every example of the past continuous tense in your answer.
(10)
Mark scheme · Y7.8 Past Continuous Tense

Question 1

Question 2

Question 3

Question 4

Question 5

Question 6

Question 7

Question 8

Question 9

Question 10

Question 11

Question 12

Question 13

Question 14

Question 15

Question 16