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
Tom was writing the vision statement on the computer when he had his boss come in the door.Negative Form:
Subject + to be + not + verb + ing + objects
I wasn't collecting voluntary contributions as a funding model when he first explained it to me.Question Form:
Wh? + to be + subject + verb + ing?
What was the volunteer reading when the new pamphlet was printed?