past continuous question – English Grammar Profiler

In the English Grammar Profile, B1 point 28 in the category of PAST is defined:

past continuous question form

Here’s an iWeb search for:

was|were _P _VVG

*not all these will lead to questions.

1 WERE YOU THINKING 2389

EXPERT EXAMPLE:

What were you thinking?

stuff.co.nz

2 WAS I GOING 2198 3 WERE THEY THINKING 1716 4 WERE YOU USING 1218 5 WERE YOU LOOKING 951 6 WERE YOU TRYING 901 7 WAS HE GOING 853

8 WAS SOMETHING MISSING 719 This is often: ‘there was…”

9 WERE YOU GOING 716 10 WERE THEY GOING 652

11 WERE YOU EXPECTING 638

It‘s Lon.
Who were you expecting?

listen

12 WAS HE THINKING 579 13 WERE WE GOING 520 14 WAS SOMETHING GOING 494 15 WAS IT GOING 469 16 WAS HE TRYING 433 17 WERE YOU PLANNING 379 18 WERE YOU HOPING 367 19 WERE WE THINKING 365 20 WAS SHE GOING 343 21 WERE YOU TALKING 328 22 WERE YOU WORKING 325 23 WERE THEY TRYING 324 24 WERE WE TALKING 302 25 WAS I SAYING 280 26 WAS SHE THINKING 277 27 WAS IT WORKING 275 28 WERE YOU TAKING 263 29 WERE YOU SAYING 252 30 WERE YOU REFERRING 244 31 WAS HE TALKING 242 32 WERE YOU FEELING 237 33 WAS I THINKING 234 34 WAS I TRYING 223 35 WERE YOU RUNNING 219 36 WERE YOU PLAYING 217 37 WAS I TALKING 208 38 WAS ME THINKING 197 39 WERE YOU WEARING 193 40 WAS NOTHING GOING 190 41 WERE YOU LISTENING 180 42 WAS ME TRYING 178 43 WERE YOU GETTING 170 44 WERE THEY LOOKING 163 45 WAS I GETTING 158 46 WERE YOU WATCHING 158 47 WAS HE SAYING 149 48 WAS SHE TRYING 149 49 WAS NOTHING STOPPING 148 50 WERE THEY USING 145 51 WAS I LOOKING 143 52 WAS HE WEARING 142 53 WAS HE LOOKING 128

54 WAS I MISSING 127

55 WERE YOU MAKING 125 56 WAS HE REFERRING 121 57 WAS I EXPECTING 118 58 WAS I GON 114 59 WAS HE USING 109 60 WERE THEY TALKING 97 61 WERE YOU LIVING 96 62 WAS SOMETHING LACKING 95 63 WAS SHE WEARING 94 64 WAS SOMETHING HAPPENING 92 65 WAS SOMEONE TRYING 90 66 WAS I KIDDING 89 67 WERE YOU READING 89 68 WAS HE TAKING 88 69 WAS IT GETTING 86

70 WAS HE PLAYING 85

71 WAS SHE TALKING 85

PELIC STUDENT:

What was she talking about?

Japanese female level 5 writing class.

72 WERE THEY EXPECTING 85 73 WERE YOU DRINKING 85 74 WAS HE MAKING 83 75 WERE YOU WAITING 82 76 WERE YOU DRIVING 81 77 WERE YOU SEEING 81 78 WAS HE GETTING 79 79 WERE THEY GETTING 79 80 WERE YOU ASKING 78 81 WERE THEY PLANNING 74 82 WERE THEY SAYING 73 83 WAS HE SPEAKING 72 84 WERE YOU SHOOTING 72 85 WAS I MAKING 71 86 WERE YOU WONDERING 71 87 WAS HE WORKING 70 88 WAS HE PLANNING 68 89 WAS ME GETTING 68 90 WAS ME GOING 67 91 WERE THEY TAKING 66 92 WAS ANYTHING GOING 64 93 WERE YOU EATING 64 94 WAS HIM SAYING 63

95 WAS HE ACTING 62

Was he acting in anger and was his anger justified?

keepbelieving.com

96 WAS I USING 62 97 WERE THEY FIGHTING 62 98 WERE THEY MAKING 62 99 WAS ME MAKING 60

100 WAS IT COMING 58

A2:

happening, hoping, missing, nothing, someone, trying

B1:
acting, expecting, fighting, planning, shooting, wondering