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
I wasn't expecting the closing date to be so soon when the broker called to tell me.Question Form:
Wh? + to be + subject + verb + ing?
Who was the endorser talking to while she was signing the check?
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.
I wasn't expecting the closing date to be so soon when the broker called to tell me. What were you doing when the raw materials arrived? He was negotiating the final contract details when the computer crashed. I was calculating last year's gross profit when you called.