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.
I was spading up a place for a garden in front of The Dump, and I’m not lying, this was hard work, since no one had spaded up this ground since forever.
From "Okay for Now" by Gary D. Schmidt
My goodness, to think this time last spring Hiram was spading up the potato patch!
From Susan Clegg and Her Love Affairs by Anne Warner
Farvie talked of seed catalogues, and it became evident that Jeff was spading up the old vegetable garden on the orchard's edge.
From The Prisoner by Alice Brown
Kate sat on the back steps, the sun shone, her nearest neighbour was spading an onion bed.
From A Daughter of the Land by Gene Stratton-Porter
It surprised me so it kind of throwed me off, but I pulled myself together again and says: "It was when he was spading up some ground along with you, towards sundown or along there."
From Tom Sawyer, Detective by Mark Twain
