Help pupils understand and confidently use the past progressive tense (also known as the past continuous tense) with this structured English grammar worksheet pack.

The resource introduces pupils to the past progressive/past continuous tense, including how to use the correct form of was or were with different pronouns before adding an -ing verb.

For example:

I was walking
He/She was running
You were playing
We were reading
They were swimming

The activities then provide a gradual progression from identifying the correct tense to correcting errors and independently changing sentences into the past progressive tense.

What’s Included?

Information & Teaching Sheet
Clear explanation of the past progressive/past continuous tense
Examples using different pronouns
Guidance on when to use was and were
Examples showing how to form the tense using an -ing verb

Multiple Choice Questions
Pupils identify which sentence has been correctly written in the past progressive tense
Provides practice distinguishing past progressive from other verb tenses
Error Correction
Pupils identify the error in incorrectly written past progressive sentences
They then correct the sentence using the appropriate was/were + -ing verb construction

Sentence Transformation
Pupils rewrite sentences written in the simple past tense into the past progressive tense
Helps reinforce how the tense is formed and used in context

Answer Sheet
Complete answers are included for all activities, making the resource easy to mark and suitable for independent or guided practice.

Perfect For
This resource is ideal for:

• Year 5 and Year 6 English
• Grammar lessons
• Past progressive/past continuous practice
• Guided practice
• Independent work
• English intervention
• Grammar revision
• Homework
• SPaG preparation
• Reviewing verb tenses

The activities provide a clear progression from learning the grammar rule, to identifying the correct tense, spotting and correcting errors, and finally rewriting sentences independently.

A useful resource for teachers looking for past progressive worksheets, past continuous worksheets, was and were activities, verb tense practice and upper-primary grammar resources.