PAST SIMPLE

I /you/he/she/it/we/they worked / made did I /you/he/she/it/we/they work / make?

I /you/he/she/it/we/they did not/ didn’t work / make

’be’ I / he/she/it/ was / was not / wasn’t ’have’ I /you/he/she/it/we/they had

you/ we/they were / were not / weren’t did I /you/he/she/it/we/they have?
was I / he/she/it / were you /we/they? I /you/he/she/it/we/they did not/ didn’t have

We use the simple past for many kinds of past events: short, quickly finished actions and
happenings, longer situations, and repeated events:
Peter broke a window last night.
I spent all my childhood in Scotland.
Regularly every summer, Janet fell in love.
The simple past is common in stories and descriptions of past events.
In general, the simple past tense is the ’normal’ one for talking about the past; we use it if we do not
have a special reason for using one of the other tenses.

The past simple is used for:

1. past actions that took place immediately one after another (in narrations, for acts of
speech as well):
He got in the car, started the engine and drove off.
It got dark and began to snow but I still had 18 miles left to walk.
Tom said … ; He answered that …
2. past habits or states which are now finished. In such cases, we can also use the
expression used to / repeated actions:
When he was young, he rode / used to ride his bike to school.
John worked here then.
I wrote emails every day.
I saw Linda very often then.
3. a complete action or event which happened at a stated time in the past (or with an
implied time reference):
She passed her exam last week. (When? ’Last week’ – stated time in the past)
They went away, but I think they’re back at home now.
She came just now.
Jim typed five letters yesterday morning.
It stopped raining for a while, but now it’s raining again.
I studied the guitar for three years at school.
They first met when they were at school.
My mother grew up in Italy.
Elvis Presley made lots of records (Elvis is dead; he won’t record anymore – period of time
now finished – implied time reference)

Other uses of past simple:

Past Simple can also be used for very recent events without a time expression:
What happened to you? Someone hit me!

PAST CONTINUOUS
was / were + -ing
The past continuous is used:
1. for an action which was in progress at a stated time in the past. We do not know
when the action started or finished:
At 1 o’clock this afternoon they were having coffee.
This time last year I was living in Brazil.
 We were walking the whole day yesterday.
What were you doing at nine o’clock yesterday evening?-I was watching TV.
When I looked out of the window it was raining.
Whenever I visited him, he was working in his garden.
2. a past action which was in progress when another action interrupted it/ happened
in the middle of it:
while / when / as +Past Cont. (longer action) – Past Simple (shorter action):
While / when / as Kim was looking out of the window, she saw Mettew.
Matt phoned while we were having dinner.
I hurt my back while I was working in the garden.
Past Cont. (longer action) – when + Past Simple (shorter action):
I was playing football when I broke my ankle. (The action in progress – was playing
(Past Cont.) was interrupted by another action – broke – Past Simple.)
It was raining when I got up.
Kim was looking out of the window when she saw Nick.
We were playing football in the garden when it started to rain.
3. two or more actions which were happening at the same time in the past
(simultaneous actions):
He was cooking while she was sleeping.
4. background description to events in a story or description /+ gradual change or
development in the past::
They were travelling to Swansea. The sun was shining, the birds were singing.
I saw you in the park yesterday. You were sitting on the grass and reading a book.
It was getting dark. The wind was rising.
It was becoming more and more difficult to find work.
Her performances were getting better and better.

5. temporary habit / state in the past:

John was working here then (=that was his temporary job)
Compare:
It happened while I was living in Eastbourne last year.
I lived in London for ten years while I was a child.

Special uses

1) Politeness The past progressive may be used to indicate:

- suggestion that another person’s ideas / wishes are more important than yours/ showing your
interest in another person::
What are you doing tonight? – I was thinking of staying at home (= but I’m sure you’ve got a better
idea);
- asking for a favour (use ’I was wondering if’):
I was wondering if you could join me to go to a party tonight.

2) The past progressive is quite often used with verbs of saying: this gives more relative
importance to the following verb – to what is said:
John was saying that he still can’t find a job.

3) The past progressive is not the normal tense for talking about repeated or habitual past
actions. The simple past is usually used with this meaning.
I rang the bell six times.
When I was a child we made our own amusements.
However, the past progressive is possible if the repeated actions form a ’background’ for the
main action:
At the time when it happened, I was travelling to New York a lot.
 4) With always, continually and similar words, the past progressive can be used for things
that happened repeatedly and unexpectedly or in an unplanned way (plus annoyance,
criticism):
Aunt Lucy was always turning up without warning and bringing us presents.
I didn’t like him – he was continually borrowing money.
At school, he was always getting into trouble.
She was forever falling in love with the wrong kind of man.
5) To emphasize that an action was still continuing:
They started producing the car in 1946 and were still producing it thirty years later.

Compare: Past Simple and Past Continuous

I was walking home when I met Den. I walked home after the party last night.
When Kate arrived, we were having dinner. When Kate arrived, we had dinner.
I was walking along the road when I saw Nick. So I stopped, and we had a chat.

Compare: Past Simple and Present Perfect

(past simple is used to give details to new information):
I’ve burnt myself.- How did you do that? – I picked up a hot dish.
Look! Somebody has split something on the sofa. – Well, it wasn’t me. I didn’t do it.
Have you heard about Ben? He broke /has broken his arm. – Really? How did that happen?- He fell off a ladder.
I’ve just seen the new boss. I was talking to Carol on the phone when he came in.

Jack lives in London. He has lived there for five years. – Jack lived in London for five years. Now
he lives in Liverpool.
Where do you live? – In Boston. How long have you lived there? – Five years.
Where did you live before that? – In Chicago.
And how long did you live in Chicago? – Two years.

(since)
I’ve known her since we were at school together.-I’ve known her since I’ve lived in this street.
You’ve drunk six cups of coffee since you arrived.-You’ve drunk six cups of coffee since you’ve been sitting here.
We visit my parents every week since we bought the car.-We visit my parents every week since
we’ve had the car.

(definite expressions of ’time up to now’ (today, this week). We prefer the present perfect if we
are thinking of the whole period up to now. We prefer the simple past if we are thinking of a
finished part of that period:
-I haven’t seen John this week (the whole week up to now – present perfect more natural);
-I saw John this week, and he said … (earlier in the week – simple past more natural)
Has Ann phoned today? (meaning ’any time up to now’)
Did Ann phone today? (meaning ’earlier, when the call was expected’)

(always, ever and never)

In an informal style, simple past tenses are sometimes possible with always, ever and never when
they refer to ’time up to now’:
I always knew I could trust you. (or I’ve always known ..)
Did you ever see anything like that before? (or Have you ever seen …?)

Past Simple:
ago, yesterday, last week, last year, then, just now, in 1992, from 2007 to 2010, long ago, When?
What time?

Past Continuous: while, when, as, the moment that, from … till /to.., all morning / day/ week, all
day long, at 3 o’clock, … when I saw him.