What was happening ...?
Past Continuous
Use the past continuous to express what was occurring at a precise moment in the past. The past continuous is often used together with the simple past to express an interrupted action. The action which was interrupted is expressed using the past continuous, while the action which caused the interruption takes the past simple.
Positive Form:
Subject + to be + verb + ing + objects
He was negotiating the final contract details when the computer crashed.Negative Form:
Subject + to be + not + verb + ing + objects
The company wasn't going to announce the closing date until Investments Group called us.Question Form:
Wh? + to be + subject + verb + ing?
What were you doing when the raw materials arrived?
NOTE: The past continuous is often used together with the simple past to express an interrupted action. The action which was interrupted is expressed using the past continuous, while the action which caused the interruption takes the past simple.
Company A was eyeing a hostile takeover of Company B when the government intervened.I was calculating last year's gross profit when you called. The operators were going to work on the raw materials when the alarm went off. Who was the endorser talking to while she was signing the check?