Past Tenses

Past Tense Simple Past Tense Continuous Past Perfect Simple Past Perfect
Continuous

Affirmative: Affirmative: Affirmative: Affirmative:

- Regular verbs

- Irregular verbs Negative: Negative: Negative:

Negative:
Interrogative: Interrogative: Interrogative:
Interrogative:

Uses: Uses: Uses: Uses:

1. Past completed actions (yesterday; last 1. Action in progress at a 1. Past action 1. Past action
…; …ago, when, in 1984, etc) certain moment in the anterior to going on for a
past (this time yesterday, another past while up to
at 5 o’clock last Friday, action or to a another past
2. Past habitual repeated actions (usually, at midnight last night past moment action or past
always, often, every…, seldom, rarely … …) (by…, by the moment (for,
etc) time…, since, how
My parents often took us sightseeing when we 2. Changing and before, after, long…)
were kids. developing situations in when, etc…)
the past She’d been writing
Note: also ‘used to’ and 2. Emphatic poems for over 10
‘would’ 3. Annoying and amusing Past perfect years before she
My parents often used to take us sightseeing when past habits (forever, with adverbs: had her first book
we were kids. always) published.
 Hardly … when ...
My parents would often take us sightseeing when 4. Background information Scarcely … when …
we were kids. in a narrative Barely … when …
No sooner … than …
3. Past states It was raining outside and the
There was a big shopping centre in front of my people were making their way Scarcely had Jim
house when I lived in Paris. home after work. delivered the parcel
when found out the
Note: also ‘used to’ 5. Two past actions in truth about its
There used to be a big shopping centre in front of progress at the same contents.
my house when I lived in Paris. time (while, as)
(Inversion Had +
4. Sequence of past actions: Subject!)
He turned on the TV and sat on the sofa.