In the English Grammar Profile, B1 point 28 in the category of PAST is defined:
past continuous question form
Here’s an iWeb search for:
was|were _P _VVG
*not all these will lead to questions.
1 WERE YOU THINKING 2389
EXPERT EXAMPLE:
2 WAS I GOING 2198
3 WERE THEY THINKING 1716
4 WERE YOU USING 1218
5 WERE YOU LOOKING 951
6 WERE YOU TRYING 901
7 WAS HE GOING 853
8 WAS SOMETHING MISSING 719 This is often: ‘there was…”
9 WERE YOU GOING 716
10 WERE THEY GOING 652
11 WERE YOU EXPECTING 638
It‘s Lon.
Who were you expecting?
12 WAS HE THINKING 579
13 WERE WE GOING 520
14 WAS SOMETHING GOING 494
15 WAS IT GOING 469
16 WAS HE TRYING 433
17 WERE YOU PLANNING 379
18 WERE YOU HOPING 367
19 WERE WE THINKING 365
20 WAS SHE GOING 343
21 WERE YOU TALKING 328
22 WERE YOU WORKING 325
23 WERE THEY TRYING 324
24 WERE WE TALKING 302
25 WAS I SAYING 280
26 WAS SHE THINKING 277
27 WAS IT WORKING 275
28 WERE YOU TAKING 263
29 WERE YOU SAYING 252
30 WERE YOU REFERRING 244
31 WAS HE TALKING 242
32 WERE YOU FEELING 237
33 WAS I THINKING 234
34 WAS I TRYING 223
35 WERE YOU RUNNING 219
36 WERE YOU PLAYING 217
37 WAS I TALKING 208
38 WAS ME THINKING 197
39 WERE YOU WEARING 193
40 WAS NOTHING GOING 190
41 WERE YOU LISTENING 180
42 WAS ME TRYING 178
43 WERE YOU GETTING 170
44 WERE THEY LOOKING 163
45 WAS I GETTING 158
46 WERE YOU WATCHING 158
47 WAS HE SAYING 149
48 WAS SHE TRYING 149
49 WAS NOTHING STOPPING 148
50 WERE THEY USING 145
51 WAS I LOOKING 143
52 WAS HE WEARING 142
53 WAS HE LOOKING 128
54 WAS I MISSING 127
55 WERE YOU MAKING 125
56 WAS HE REFERRING 121
57 WAS I EXPECTING 118
58 WAS I GON 114
59 WAS HE USING 109
60 WERE THEY TALKING 97
61 WERE YOU LIVING 96
62 WAS SOMETHING LACKING 95
63 WAS SHE WEARING 94
64 WAS SOMETHING HAPPENING 92
65 WAS SOMEONE TRYING 90
66 WAS I KIDDING 89
67 WERE YOU READING 89
68 WAS HE TAKING 88
69 WAS IT GETTING 86
70 WAS HE PLAYING 85
71 WAS SHE TALKING 85
PELIC STUDENT:
Japanese female level 5 writing class.
72 WERE THEY EXPECTING 85
73 WERE YOU DRINKING 85
74 WAS HE MAKING 83
75 WERE YOU WAITING 82
76 WERE YOU DRIVING 81
77 WERE YOU SEEING 81
78 WAS HE GETTING 79
79 WERE THEY GETTING 79
80 WERE YOU ASKING 78
81 WERE THEY PLANNING 74
82 WERE THEY SAYING 73
83 WAS HE SPEAKING 72
84 WERE YOU SHOOTING 72
85 WAS I MAKING 71
86 WERE YOU WONDERING 71
87 WAS HE WORKING 70
88 WAS HE PLANNING 68
89 WAS ME GETTING 68
90 WAS ME GOING 67
91 WERE THEY TAKING 66
92 WAS ANYTHING GOING 64
93 WERE YOU EATING 64
94 WAS HIM SAYING 63
95 WAS HE ACTING 62
Was he acting in anger and was his anger justified?
96 WAS I USING 62
97 WERE THEY FIGHTING 62
98 WERE THEY MAKING 62
99 WAS ME MAKING 60
100 WAS IT COMING 58
A2:
happening, hoping, missing, nothing, someone, trying
B1:
acting, expecting, fighting, planning, shooting, wondering