What does the past progressive tense describe?

The past progressive tense is used to indicate that an action was ongoing in a specific time in the past. This tense typically describes actions that were in progress at a particular moment or that were interrupted by another action. For example, in the sentence "I was reading when the phone rang," "was reading" is in the past progressive tense, highlighting that the reading was occurring continuously until the interruption of the phone ringing. This emphasizes the fluidity of the action over a time frame in the past, contrasting with actions that are complete, occurring in the present, or projected into the future. Understanding the nuances of this tense is crucial for conveying the correct timing and nature of past actions.