Question

Complete the sentence using the correct form of the verb given in brackets-
Rajiv dropped his mobile phone while he ____ the bus. (board)

Answer 1

Hint: We use the past continuous tense to indicate an action that happened or took place before and after another action in the past. It can also be used to indicate an action that took place before or after a specific time in the past.

Complete answer:
As given in the hint, the past continuous tense can also talk about repeated actions in the past.
Let’s look at the usage of the past continuous tense-
For example- I was running towards the field when the ball hit me. Here, we can understand that two actions took place simultaneously. First, the action of running took place then the second act of the ball hitting X was completed.
In the given question- We can conclude that Rajiv dropped his mobile phone while he was boarding the bus. Here, we have used ‘was boarding’ to indicate the occurrence of two actions at the same time. First, the action of dropping the mobile then the second action of boarding the bus.
Also, we use the conjunction ‘while’ to indicate two simultaneous actions taking place at the same time in the past.
Hence, the correct answer is; Rajiv dropped his mobile phone while he was boarding the bus.

Note:
 Keep in mind, the past continuous tense is also known as past progressive tense. We cannot use past progressive tense with stative verbs. For example- Promise, satisfy, impress, etc.