Question

Which tense is formed by using "was/were + verb (ing)"?
a) Past Indefinite
b) Past Continuous
c) Past Perfect
d) Present Perfect

Answer 1

Hint: The syntax indicates an action that was taking place in the past. Look for a type of tense from the given option that illustrates this meaning.

Complete answer:
 In the given question we have been given a syntax or a sentence structure for a particular kind of tense and choose the correct answer. To do this, let us first understand the meaning of tenses. A tense is a method that relies on a verb that describes time.
The given syntax is ‘was/were + verb (ing)’ and we can understand that the ‘ing’ form of the verb is always a continuous or progressive form.
Now, let us take a look at each of the given options.
Option ‘A’, for past indefinite, we use the 2nd form of the verb. It is used to express an action that took place in the past and is not happening at the present.
Option ‘B’, for past continuous, we use was/were + ing form of the verb. It is used to show an action that was ongoing at a specific moment in the past.
Option ‘C’, for past perfect, we use had. It is used to show an action that took place many times before another action in the past.
Option ‘D’, for present perfect, we use has/have. It is used to show a link between the present and the past.
From the above options, we can see that the most suitable option for the given question is past continuous because the meaning of this option matches the given syntax. Hence, the correct answer is option ‘C’.
Note:
 Both past continuous and present continuous tenses utilize the ‘ing’ form of the verbs. But we use auxiliary verbs was/were in past continuous, whereas we use auxiliary verbs is/am/are in the present continuous tense.