Home› Course› Level 1› Module 4: Past Continuous› Responding to Annoying Behavior
1 Concept
Complaining About a Repeated Past Behavior
📘 Module 4 — Past Continuous — Lesson 5 of 6

Imagine someone complains to a friend: "He was always leaving his dirty cups on the desk." This probably doesn't mean he left cups there literally every single time. Maybe it happened often enough that it stuck in the speaker's memory — and annoyed them. The speaker isn't giving an exact count. They're using "always" to show how they felt about it.

The idea:

When someone complains about, or describes, another person's repeated past behavior, they often exaggerate on purpose. Use was/were + always/constantly/continually + verb-ing, or was/were + verb-ing + all the time, to make this kind of statement.

The same word "always" can also appear with Past Simple — but the two have very different meanings.

FormMeaning
He was always forgetting his keys. (Past Continuous, this lesson)Shows the speaker's feeling — annoyance, or a sense that this defined the person.
He always forgot his keys. (Past Simple)A neutral statement of fact. No strong feeling attached.
Watch out: this is different from a temporary routine (Lesson 30) — there's no complaint there, just a normal, matter-of-fact habit. This pattern exists specifically when someone is reacting to another person's repeated behavior.
2 Four Adverbs
Always, Constantly, Continually, All the Time

These four words all signal the same pattern, but with slightly different strength — and one of them sits in a different place in the sentence.

One Adverb, One Example
  • always — the most common: He was always leaving his cups on the desk.
  • constantly — stronger, feels non-stop: She was constantly complaining about the noise.
  • continually — more formal: They were continually arguing about small things.
  • all the time — goes at the end: He was losing his keys all the time.
Word order: always, constantly, and continually go between was/were and the verb-ing — never anywhere else in the sentence. All the time is different — it goes at the end of the sentence instead.
3 Correct Use
This Use in Everyday Sentences

Read each sentence and picture the speaker rolling their eyes a little as they say it.

  • He was always knocking things over in the kitchen.
  • She was constantly asking for extra time on assignments.
  • He was changing his mind about dinner plans all the time.
  • She was continually calling to check on the delivery.
  • He was always shouting at the television during games.
Quick test: is the speaker complaining about, or characterizing, someone's repeated past behavior — using one of the four adverbs to show how they felt? If yes, this use applies.
4 Common Mistake
The Adverb, the Form, and the Word Order

This pattern has three small parts working together — "was"/"were," the adverb, and the -ing form — and it's easy to get one of them wrong.

✗ She constantly complaining about the noise.
✓ She was constantly complaining about the noise. Why: without "was," this isn't a complete Past Continuous verb at all.
✗ She was turning constantly up late.
✓ She was constantly turning up late. Why: the adverb belongs right between "was" and the -ing form, not somewhere else in the sentence.
✗ He was always forget his keys.
✓ He was always forgetting his keys. Why: the main verb after the adverb still needs its -ing ending.
5 Practice
Try It Yourself
Exercise A — Complaint, or Temporary Routine?

Click "Complaint" if the sentence uses always/constantly/continually/all the time, or "Temporary Routine" (Lesson 30) if it uses a different frequency phrase instead.

  • 1
    He was always telling the same joke at every party.
    ✓ Correct — "always" between "was" and the verb signals a complaint.
  • 2
    He was constantly breaking promises he couldn't keep.
    ✓ Correct — "constantly" between "was" and the verb signals a complaint.
  • 3
    During his internship, he was visiting the office twice a week.
    ✓ Correct — "twice a week" is a plain frequency phrase, not one of the four adverbs.
  • 4
    She was constantly catching colds that whole winter.
    ✓ Correct — "constantly" between "was" and the verb signals a complaint.
  • 5
    While she was there, she was cooking dinner for the family most nights.
    ✓ Correct — "most nights" is a plain frequency phrase, not one of the four adverbs.
  • 6
    He was continually running late to every single meeting.
    ✓ Correct — "continually" between "was" and the verb signals a complaint.
  • 7
    During her exchange year, she was teaching a class every Tuesday.
    ✓ Correct — "every Tuesday" is a plain frequency phrase, not one of the four adverbs.
  • 8
    While his car wasn't working, he was driving a rental car every day.
    ✓ Correct — "every day" is a plain frequency phrase, not one of the four adverbs.
Exercise B — Type the Correct Form

Type the whole verb phrase, including the adverb given — for example, "was always standing." The main verb keeps its -ing form.

  • 1
    He right in the doorway. (always / stand)
  • 2
    She the door open for everyone. (constantly / hold)
  • 3
    He the wrong order. (continually / serve)
  • 4
    They their bills late. (continually / pay)
  • 5
    She unwanted advice. (always / offer)
  • 6
    He quitting his job. (constantly / consider)
  • 7
    She the latest trend. (continually / follow)
  • 8
    He a new skill and then quitting. (continually / learn)
Exercise C — Correct or Incorrect?

Click your answer for each sentence.

  • 1
    He was always continuing the meeting past its scheduled end time.
    ✓ Correct — "was" plus the adverb plus the -ing form, all in the right order.
  • 2
    She constantly staying twenty minutes past closing time.
    ✓ Correct — this is wrong. Without "was," it isn't a complete Past Continuous verb: "was constantly staying."
  • 3
    They were always getting very worried over small problems.
    ✓ Correct — "were" plus the adverb plus the -ing form, all in the right order.
  • 4
    She was all the time covering her notebook with doodles.
    ✓ Correct — this is wrong. "All the time" goes at the end of the sentence: "was covering her notebook with doodles all the time."
  • 5
    She was repairing continually the same old car.
    ✓ Correct — this is wrong. The adverb belongs between "was" and the verb: "was continually repairing."
  • 6
    He was always supporting the wrong side in every argument.
    ✓ Correct — "was" plus the adverb plus the -ing form, all in the right order.
  • 7
    She was constantly building up her savings a little at a time.
    ✓ Correct — "was" plus the adverb plus the -ing form, all in the right order.
  • 8
    They were always play the same three songs at every party.
    ✓ Correct — this is wrong. The main verb still needs its -ing ending: "were always playing."
Exercise D — Negatives

Type the whole negative verb phrase, including the adverb — for example, "wasn't always reading." The negative softens the claim: it wasn't quite as constant as it might have seemed.

  • 1
    He at the dinner table — just when he was stressed. (always / read)
  • 2
    She notes — only during the important meetings. (constantly / write)
  • 3
    They the time closely — just on Fridays. (continually / watch)
  • 4
    He his hands — only after meals. (continually / wash)
  • 5
    She the shop early — just on quiet days. (always / close)
  • 6
    He the window — only when it got too warm. (constantly / open)
  • 7
    They the furniture — just once that year. (continually / move)
  • 8
    She during the meeting — only when she felt strongly. (continually / speak)
Exercise E — Questions

Type the whole opening question phrase, including the adverb — for example, "Was he always arriving." The main verb keeps its -ing form.

  • 1
    late to class? (always / he / arrive)
  • 2
    the same jacket? (constantly / she / wear)
  • 3
    that same old bag? (continually / he / carry)
  • 4
    and unpacking their bags? (continually / they / pack)
  • 5
    the same dish? (always / he / order)
  • 6
    more coffee for everyone? (constantly / she / pour)
  • 7
    the bell just to annoy the neighbors? (always / he / ring)
  • 8
    new projects and never finishing them? (continually / she / start)
6 Choose the Right Sentence
Apply What You Know

Read each question carefully. Select the sentence that matches the description.

Question 1 of 8
Select the correctly formed sentence.
Question 2 of 8
Select the sentence that describes a temporary routine (Lesson 30), not a complaint.
Question 3 of 8
Select the best description of this use.
Question 4 of 8
Select the correctly formed negative sentence.
Question 5 of 8
Select the correctly formed question.
Question 6 of 8
Select the sentence that would sound wrong to a native speaker in this context.
Question 7 of 8
Select the pair of words most typical of this use.
Question 8 of 8
Select the best test for whether this use applies.
7 Summary
Responding to Annoying Behavior A complaint about, or characterization of, someone's repeated past behavior takes was/were + always/constantly/continually + verb-ing, or was/were + verb-ing + all the time.
  • The idea: when someone reacts to a repeated past behavior, they often exaggerate on purpose using one of four adverbs.
  • The four adverbs: always (most common), constantly (stronger), continually (more formal), all the time (goes at the end of the sentence).
  • Word order: the adverb goes between "was"/"were" and the -ing form — never anywhere else.
  • Watch out: the same adverb with Past Simple ("he always forgot") is a neutral fact, not a complaint.
  • Common mistake: don't drop "was"/"were," move the adverb out of place, or drop the -ing ending.
  • Quick test: is the speaker reacting to a repeated past behavior, using one of the four adverbs?
  • Next, you'll review Past Simple vs. Past Continuous together, closing out Level 1.
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