The phrase “I was busy + (verb-ing)” is a common structure used to indicate that the speaker was occupied with an activity in the past. This structure is formed by combining the past tense of the verb “to be” (was/were) with the adjective “busy” and the present participle of the verb (-ing form).
Structure: Subject + was/were + busy + verb-ing
Examples:
| Sentence | Meaning |
|---|---|
| I was busy cooking dinner. | I was occupied with the activity of cooking dinner. |
| We were busy preparing for the presentation. | We were occupied with the activity of preparing for the presentation. |
| She was busy studying for her exam. | She was occupied with the activity of studying for her exam. |
Examples with small sentences:
- I was busy watching a movie.
- They were busy playing video games.
- He was busy fixing his bike.
- We were busy cleaning the house.
- She was busy reading a book.
- The children were busy painting pictures.
- He was busy typing a report.
- She was busy knitting a sweater.
- They were busy practicing their dance routine.
- I was busy writing an email.