THE PAST CONTINUOUS TENSE: A COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS OF FORM, FUNCTION, AND USAGE

Abstract

The past continuous tense, also known as the past progressive tense, is a crucial grammatical tool for describing actions that were in progress at a specific time in the past. This paper provides a comprehensive analysis of the past continuous tense, encompassing its formation, diverse functions, and nuanced usage within various contexts. The study explores the structural components of the tense, its role in expressing ongoing actions, interrupting actions, and describing background situations. Furthermore, the paper examines the past continuous in conjunction with other tenses, such as the simple past, to illustrate its significance in creating temporal contrasts and expressing nuanced past events. The paper also delves into common errors and difficulties encountered by English language learners and offers pedagogical implications for effective teaching and learning of the past continuous tense.