Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Gervaise, with her sleeves rolled up, showing her pretty, fair arms, was soaping a child's shirt.
From L'Assommoir by Émile Zola
"How far to Oklahoma?" he called to a man who was soaping a saddle.
From We Were There at the Oklahoma Land Run by James Arthur Kjelgaard
She had reached down and taken from the wash-bench the lump of yellow soap that lay there, and was soaping the garment on the board before her, turning it this way and that.
From Dr. Sevier by George Washington Cable
