Lesson
There are several ways to use this tense but in this paragraph we can see two ways.
1) To describe an action that happens in the past and is interrupted by another action. (I was watching TV when the phone rang).
2) To describe an action that takes place at the same time as another action. (I was eating my dinner while she read a book).
Another way to use this grammar tense is to establish atmosphere. (The sun was shining all day).
Try to identify the past continuous in the following paragraph.
Yesterday I was watching TV when the phone rang. It was Shannon. She was watching Oprah, who was talking to Peter Walsh about cleaning out the clutter from your home. My mother was sitting at the table with me but she was reading a book while I ate my dinner.
Look closely. was watching...was watching...was talking...was sitting. Do you see a pattern?
[was/were + present participle]