OPEN UNIVERSITY ISCED

Faculty of Educational Sciences

Department of Educational Sciences
Degree Course in Portuguese Language Teaching

PAST SIMPLE VERSUS PAST CONTINUOUS

Germano Silva Alfredo: 81230558

Nampula, May de 2023

 OPEN UNIVERSITY ISCED
Faculty of Educational Sciences
Department of Educational Sciences
Degree Course in Portuguese Language Teaching

PAST SIMPLE VERSUS PAST CONTINUOUS

Field work of the English discipline to be

submitted in the Coordination of the
Degree Course in Portuguese Language
Teaching ISCED.

Germano Silva Alfredo: 81230558

Nampula, May de 2023

 INDEX

I. INTRODUCTION______________________________________________________ 1

1.1. Contextualize _______________________________________________________ 1

1.2. Methodology _____________________________________________________ 1

II. THEORICAL DEVELOPMENT __________________________________________ 3

2.1. Simple Past_______________________________________________________ 3

2.1.1. The structures __________________________________________________ 3
2.1.2. Use ___________________________________________________________ 4
2.1.3. Examples ______________________________________________________ 5

2.2. Past continuous tense Form __________________________________________ 5

2.2.1. Use ___________________________________________________________ 5

2.3. Past simple versus past continuous ____________________________________ 6

III. Final Considerations ____________________________________________________ 8

IV. BIBLIOGRAPHY ______________________________________________________ 9

 1

I. INTRODUCTION

1.1.Contextualize

The past simple and past continuous are two verb tenses in the English language that are
used to describe actions that happened in the past. While both tenses convey past events, they
are used in different ways and have distinct structures. Understanding the differences between
the past simple and past continuous is crucial for effective communication in English. This
task will explore the differences and similarities between these two tenses and provide
references to further reinforce your knowledge.
The past simple and past continuous are two of the most commonly used tenses in the
English language. They are essential for describing past events, actions and states, and can
help communicate an idea or story with clarity and precision.

1.2.Methodology

The methodological use in the research and construction of the work aims to delimit and
adapt to the current criteria as well as to ensure the scientific rigor required, for this they were
identified and obtained from sources such as articles and manuals, reference works, scientific
journals. As for the technical procedures, it fits in the Bibliographic Research, which
constitutes a theoretical basis for the development of work in science (Fonseca, 2012 p. 21),
which focuses on documents already with analytical treatment in the form of books or articles
(Júnior et al., 2021 p. 67). Sequentially, the process of constitution of the present work
includes the following steps:
Identification of the theme and the research question: the subject to be studied "PAST
SIMPLE VERSUS PAST CONTINUOUS" was clearly defined and delimited, considering the
five aspects to be taken into account in the research.
Information search: perform a systematic and comprehensive search in electronic
databases, journals, books, theses, among other relevant sources with the keywords: "Discuss
the differences" "Past Simple versus Past Continuous" "The structures of each" "The uses"
"The examples".
Selection of studies: evaluate the studies found and select those that will be included in
the review based on previously established inclusion and exclusion criteria (without very
specific criteria, provided that they present the established keywords and correspond to the
topic of the theme of the work. Material from the English language was used.
 2

Critical evaluation of the literature: analyze and synthesize the selected studies,
highlighting their main strengths and limitations.
Organization and synthesis of information: gather all the information collected from
the reference management software Mendeley and Word text engine (Microsoft Office)
constituted the design of the document presented. As for citations and bibliographic
references, the standards established by the APA 6th Edition required by the institution were
followed.
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II. THEORICAL DEVELOPMENT

2.1.Simple Past

The ‘simple past tense’, according to the Cambridge Dictionary, is defined as “the form of
a verb used to describe an action that happened before the present time and is no longer
happening. It is usually made by adding -ed.” The Collins Dictionary defines the ‘simple past
tense’ as “a tense used to refer to the past.” The Macmillan Dictionary defines the simple past
tense as “the tense used to talk about habitual actions, behaviour, or situations that happened
or existed before now.
The simple past indicates that an activity or situation began and ended at a particular time
in the past. If a sentence contains when and has the simple past in both clauses, the action in
the when clause happens first. In (d): 1st: The rain began. 2nd: She stood under a tree (Leki &
Azar, 1982 p. 27).

(a) I walked to school yesterday.

(b) John lived in Paris for ten years, but now he lives in Rome.
(c) I bought a new car three days ago.
(d) Rita stood under a tree when it began to rain.
(e) When Mrs. Chu heard a strange noise, she got up to investigate.
(f) When I dropped my cup, the coffee spilled on my lap (Leki & Azar, 1982 p. 27).

2.1.1. The structures

Learning the structure of the simple past tense can be made simple if you analyse how the
tense is used in the positive, negative, interrogative and negative interrogative formats. Look
at the table below to have a better understanding of the same.

Frame 1. Structure of Simple Past Tense

Positive Negative Interrogative Negative Interrogative

Subject + Verb in the past form (base Subject + Didn’t Did + Subject + Didn’t + Subject + Verb
form of the verb + ed/d for regular verbs + Verb in the base Verb in the base in the base form
or past tense form of the irregular verbs) form form
Example: You spoke really well. Example: You did Example: Did you Example: Didn’t you
I had my breakfast not speak really speak really well? speak really well?
well. Did I have my Didn’t I have my
I did not have my breakfast? breakfast?
breakfast.
 4

Affirmative
a. I was in Japan last year
b. b. She had a headache yesterday.
c. c. We did our homework last night (Hughes, 2001 p. 143).

Negative and interrogative

Note: For the negative and interrogative simple past form of "do" as an ordinary verb, use the
auxiliary "do", e.g. We didn't do our homework last night. The negative of "have" in the
simple past is usually formed using the auxiliary "do", but sometimes by simply adding not or
the contraction "n't". The interrogative form of "have" in the simple past normally uses the
auxiliary "do" (Hughes, 2001 p. 143).

Form - irregular verbs

All the irregular verbs have different forms: go - went, buy - bought, cut - cut etc. The
question and negative are made in the same way: I went - Did you go? No, I did not go
(Tenses, sem data p. 1).

2.1.2. Use

1. We use the past simple for activities or situations that were completed in the past at a
definite time.
a) The time can be given in the sentence: I came home at 6 o'clock. When he was a child,
he didn't live in a house.
b) The time is asked about: When did they get married?
c) The time is not given in the sentence, but it is clear from a context that the action or
situation finished in the past. He is 20 years old. He was born in Canada. I've been to
Iceland. (Present perfect) - Did you enjoy it? (past simple) (Tenses, sem data).
2. We use it for repeated actions in the past.
We walked to school every day. - And did you ever go by bus?
3. It is used in stories to describe events that follow each other. Charles entered the hall
and looked around. He took off his coat and put it on a chair. He was at home (Tenses,
sem data p. 2).
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2.1.3. Examples

a. Yesterday, I arrived in Geneva. b. She finished her work at seven o'clock. c. We saw a good
film last week. d. I went to the theatre last night. e. She played the piano when she was a
child. f. He sent me a letter six months ago. g. Peter left five minutes ago.

2.2.Past continuous tense Form

Positive statement:
I was watching, you were watching
Negative statement: I was not watching (I wasn't watching), You were not watching (You
weren't watching)
Question: Were you watching? Was he watching? Neg. question: Were you not watching?
(Weren't you watching?) Was he not watching? (Wasn't he watching?) The past continuous
tense is formed with the past tense of the verb to be and the present participle (-ing form).

2.2.1. Use

We use the continuous tense for actions or situations in the past that were not completed.
From 10 to 12 I was washing my car. I was in the garage.
(I did not finish my work. It was in progress. I started before 10 and finished after 12.)
The sun was setting. The beach was changing its colours.
(The sun was still in the sky when I was watching it.)

Compare this sentence with the past simple, which is used for completed activities: From
10 to 12 I washed my car. (I finished my work. I started at 10 and finished at 12.) Finally, the
sun set. It was dark and we did not see the beach anymore. (The sun completely disappeared.)
We use it for continuous, uninterrupted activities. If the action is interrupted (something is
done in more intervals or we did more things one after another), we must use the past simple.
Tom was watching TV on Sunday. Tom watched TV in the morning and in the evening.
Yesterday I was working in the garden. Yesterday I worked in the garden and on my house.

The past continuous tense is typically used

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1. Combined with the past simple tense to describe the idea that the action in the past
continuous started before the action in the past simple and continued after it. When she
saw me, I was looking at the trees. (These two activities happened at the same time. I
was looking at the trees for some time and she saw me in the middle of it.) Compare
with the past simple: When she saw me, I looked at the trees. (These two activities
happened one after another. First she saw me and then I looked at the trees.)

2. With a point in time to express an action that started before that time and continued
after it. At 8 o'clock Jane was having a bath. (At 8 o'clock she was in the middle of the
activity. She did not finish it.). Compare with the simple tense: At 8 o'clock Jane had a
bath. (She started the activity at 8 o'clock and finished it.)

4. To describe a situation, while the past simple is used to tell a story. The sun was
shining. Jack and Jill were lying on the beach. Jack was reading a book and Jill was
sleeping. All of a sudden, Jack raised his head. Jill woke up. Something happened.

5. For incomplete activities in contrast with the past simple, which is used for completed
activities. I was reading a book yesterday. And today I am going to continue. I read the
book yesterday. I can lend it to you now.

6. The past continuous can be used instead of the simple to show a more casual action: I
was talking to my neighbour yesterday. We had a nice chat. (I did not do it on purpose.
We just met in the street.) I talked to my neighbour yesterday. And he promised to help
me. (I did it on purpose. I needed to ask him for help.).

2.3.Past simple versus past continuous

The simple past and past continuous are both verb tenses used to describe actions that
happen in the past, but they have different purposes and structures. The simple past is used to
relate a completed action or event that took place in the past. It is formed by adding -ed to
regular verbs or using the second form of irregular verbs. For example, "I walked to the store
yesterday." The past continuous, on the other hand, is used to describe an action that was
ongoing and in progress during a specified time in the past. It is formed by using the past
tense of the verb "to be" plus the present participle of the main verb. For example, "I was
 7

walking to the store when it started to rain." To illustrate the difference between the two
tenses, consider the following examples: Simple past: "She traveled to Paris last week." Past
continuous: "She was traveling to Paris when she got a call from her boss." As you can see,
the simple past describes a completed action, while the past continuous describes an action
that was in progress at a specific time in the past. It's important to note that sometimes the
simple past and past continuous can be used together to give more detail and context to a
story or action in the past. For example, "I was walking to the store when I saw my friend. We
talked for a few minutes and then I continued my walk."
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III. FINAL CONSIDERATIONS

In conclusion, the past simple and past continuous are both valuable tools for describing
past events and actions. While the past simple is used to describe completed actions in the
past, the past continuous is used to describe the process or duration of an action.
Understanding the differences between the two tenses can help improve communication skills
and make English more fluent and natural sounding. With a little practice, anyone can master
the intricacies of these two important tenses and enhance their language abilities.
 9

IV. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Fonseca, R. C. V. da. (2012). Metodologia do Trabalho Científico. Em Curitiba (1a. edição).

IESDE Brasil.
Hughes, A. (2001). The OnLine English Grammar. Nucleus, 1–11.
http://www.english4today.com
Junior, E. B. L., Oliveira, G. S. de, Santos, A. C. O. dos, & Schnekenberg, G. F. (2021).
Análise documental como percurso metodológico na pesquisa qualitativa. Cadernos da
Fucamp, 22, 36–51.
Leki, I., & Azar, B. S. (1982). Understanding and Using English Grammar. Em TESOL
Quarterly (Vol. 16, Número 4). https://doi.org/10.2307/3586472
Tenses, E. (sem data). Past simple and continuous. www.e-grammar.org/english-grammar-
tenses