Past Continuous Tense – Corrections

Day 4 – WH-Question Corrections (In-Depth Practice)

🎯 Objective of Day 4

Form correct WH-questions in Past Continuous
Use proper word order
Avoid Simple Past patterns
Gain confidence for exams & spoken English

Correct WH-Question Structure

WH-word + was / were + subject + verb + ing ?

👉 WH-word comes first (what, where, why, when, who, how)
👉 Helping verb was / were must come before subject
👉 Main verb must be in -ing form

🔹 BIFURCATION – TYPE 1: Wrong Word Order

❌ What you were doing?
✅ What were you doing?
❌ Where she was going?
✅ Where was she going?
❌ Why they were shouting?
✅ Why were they shouting?

Rule: WH-word → was/were → subject → verb-ing

🔹 BIFURCATION – TYPE 2: Using Simple Past Pattern

❌ What did you doing yesterday?
✅ What were you doing yesterday?
❌ Where did she working?
✅ Where was she working?
❌ Why did they playing there?
✅ Why were they playing there?

Remember:
❌ did + verb → Simple Past
✅ was/were + verb-ing → Past Continuous

🔹 BIFURCATION – TYPE 3: Wrong Verb Form

❌ What was he do?
✅ What was he doing?
❌ Where were they ~~play~~?
✅ Where were they playing?
❌ Why was she ~~cry~~?
✅ Why was she crying?

Rule: Always use verb + ing.

🔹 BIFURCATION – TYPE 4: Wrong Helping Verb

❌ Where were he going?
✅ Where was he going?
❌ Why was they laughing?
✅ Why were they laughing?
❌ When were she studying?
✅ When was she studying?

Quick Tip:
I / He / She / It → was
We / You / They → were

🔹 BIFURCATION – TYPE 5: Time-Related WH-Questions

❌ What you were doing at 8 PM?
✅ What were you doing at 8 PM?
❌ Where she was working yesterday evening?
✅ Where was she working yesterday evening?
❌ Why they were running at that time?
✅ Why were they running at that time?

Practice – Correct the Questions

What you were reading?
Where was they playing?
Why did she crying?
When were he sleeping?
How they were preparing for exam?

(Answers will be discussed in Day 5)

Key Takeaway

WH-questions in Past Continuous become easy when you remember:

WH-word + was / were + subject + verb-ing

Avoid these common traps:
❌ did + verb
❌ missing -ing
❌ wrong word order

— Shaktimatha Learning

📘 Past Continuous Tense – Complete Library

Learn Past Continuous Tense step by step with clear explanations, examples, practice lessons, corrections, and exam-style models.

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✍️ Corrections & Exam Models

🔗 Learning Resources

This Past Continuous Tense library helps learners move from basic understanding to confident usage through structured lessons and practice.