Past continuous: what was happening
Use was/were + -ing for an action already in progress at a past moment — often interrupted by a shorter one: "When the lights went off, I was studying." Link it with when or while.
Read the sentences below, then practice the whole lesson with audio.
- 1I was studying English at my desk when the lights went off last night
- 2He was finishing a report at his office until late last night
- 3The kids next door were laughing really loudly
- 4When she came in, I was mopping the floor
- 5When she opened the door, I was wiping the table
- 6When she ran into an old friend, she was buying ingredients at the market
- 7When the guest arrived, the cook was preparing a special soup
- 8When the manager joined us, we were talking about the plan
- 9When she noticed the crash, she was jogging in the park
- 10The birds were chirping at dawn today
- 11This morning at sunrise, birds were making soft songs
- 12The screen froze while she was typing an email
- 13When I walked into the room, they were watching a drama
- 14When the bell rang, the teacher was explaining the homework
- 15What were you doing when I texted you around nine?
FAQ
- How does this dictation practice work?
- Play a sentence, type exactly what you hear, then press check — Dictation Trainer shows word-level feedback: which words you misheard, misspelled, confused for a homophone, or missed.
- Do I need an account, and is it free?
- You can read the sentences here without signing up. To practice with audio and save progress, create a free account — practice runs on Echoes you earn for free, starting with 100.
- What level is this lesson?
- This lesson is graded A2 on the CEFR scale and has 15 sentences. Dictation Trainer lessons currently run from A1 to B2, with more lessons on the way.