Past Progressive Tense
The past progressive tense, also known as the past continuous tense, describes an ongoing action that was happening at a specific point in the past. It emphasizes the duration of the action and often indicates that the action was interrupted or ongoing when another action occurred.
Structure:
* Subject + was/were + Verb-ing
Examples:
* I was walking to the store when I saw a dog.
* They were playing basketball all afternoon.
* She was studying for her exam while her brother was watching TV.
Future Tense
The future tense describes an action that will happen in the future. It expresses certainty, possibility, or intention about an event yet to occur.
Structure:
* Subject + will + Verb (Simple Future)
* Subject + am/is/are + going to + Verb (Future with "going to")
Examples:
* I will go to the beach tomorrow. (Certainty)
* They might go to the concert. (Possibility)
* She is going to visit her grandparents next week. (Intention)
Key Differences:
* Past Progressive: Focuses on ongoing action in the past.
* Future Tense: Focuses on actions that will occur in the future.
Note: While the future tense is generally used to describe actions that will happen, it can also be used to express plans, promises, or predictions.