In the sentence: "The sun was setting when they left the beach to make camp," are the words "was setting" past participle, present participle, infinitive or past tense? Why? English Grammar Parts of Speech Clauses and Phrases 1 Answer Daniel L. Sep 17, 2016 Was setting is Past (Continuous) tense. Explanation: The phrase was setting is a form of Past Cotinuous (also called Past Progressive) tense. This tense is used to tell about action in the past which take some time (unlike those described in Past Simple). Word setting alone is present participle, Answer link Related questions What is the subordinate clause in the following sentence?: He opened the door after hearing the... What is the subordinate clause in the following sentence?: They were laughing because the... What is the subordinate clause in the following sentence?: That is the hospital where I was born. What is the subordinate clause in the following sentence?: He was late to school because of the... What is the subordinate clause in the following sentence?: No one understands why you need experience. What is the subordinate clause in the following sentence?: After the teams practiced in the... What is a prepositional phrase and what is a participial phrase? Can anyone help me with 10 original examples of compound sentences? What is the difference between adverb and adjective clause please help!? I'm taking my English... What is an example of an antecedent? See all questions in Clauses and Phrases Impact of this question 4034 views around the world You can reuse this answer Creative Commons License