Language Practice

Upper-intermediate

Grammar reference    Intermediate 07 Holiday experiences

Past tenses
Past simple
enjoyed, picked, opened, etc.
We use the past simple for finished actions in the past. We say or
know when these actions happened.
When we visited Turkey, we really enjoyed the food.

Past continuous
was or were + a verb + -ing
We use the past continuous to talk about an unfinished action which
was in progress at a specific time in the past.
At six o’clock last night, we were eating at the restaurant.
We can also use the past continuous to talk about an action in the
past that was interrupted by another action. The second action uses
the past simple.
I was walking along the street when it started raining.
We use the past continuous at the beginning of the story to set
the scene.
It was a cold winter day and I was walking home after a long, hard
day at work.

Past perfect
had + a past participle verb
We use the past perfect when we are talking about an action
in the past that happened before another action in the past.
When I returned home, I found out that my mother had given my
books to a charity shop.

Linking words
Linking words are useful when we talk about the past. Examples of
linking words are:
after as soon as before by the time
during meanwhile once until when while
As soon as he saw me, he started running.
By the time we arrived, the party had finished.
There was a terrible storm during the night.
Janice laid the table. Meanwhile, John and I prepared the food.
We didn’t know how hot it would be until we got there.