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Tenses > Past Tense

Past Tense - Meaning,

Definition, Structure and
Types with Examples

As human beings, we love to speak about what

goes on in our lives. In order to be able to
express what has happened, you should know
how to use the past tense. This article will help
you with what you need to know about past
tense, its meaning, definition and types. Check
out the examples and past tense verbs list to
have a clear understanding of how it works.

Table of Contents
What Is Past Tense?
Definition of Past Tense

Types of Past Tense

Structure of Past Tense

Examples of Past Tense

List of Past Tense Verbs

Frequently Asked Questions on Past

Tense in English

What Is Past Tense?

The ‘past tense’ form of a verb, as the term
suggests, can be used to speak about or
represent an event or action that already
happened in the past. One important point you
have to keep in mind is that a number of verbs,
when used in the past tense, do not follow the
general rule of adding ‘ed’ to the end of the
verb to form the past tense. Take a look at the
different definitions of past tense and the list of
past tense verbs to develop a clear idea of the
same.

Definition of Past Tense

The Oxford Learner’s Dictionary defines the
term ‘past tense’ as “the form of a verb used to
describe actions in the past.” According to the
Cambridge Dictionary, the past tense form of
the verb is “used to describe verb forms in
many languages used for actions that have
now finished.”

“A verb tense expressing action or state in or as

if in the past”, is the definition of past tense,
according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary.
The Macmillan Dictionary defines ‘past tense’
as “the forms of a verb group indicating that an
action or event happened regularly, or that a
situation existed or was true during a period
before now.”

Types of Past Tense

The past tense has four different forms to
indicate the varied nature of actions that
happened in the past. They are:

Simple Past Tense – used to indicate an

action or event that happened in the
past.

Past Continuous Tense – used to depict

an action or event that was continuing in
the past.

Past Perfect Tense – used to represent an

event or action that happened in the past
before another event or action that
happened in the past.

Past Perfect Continuous Tense – used to

denote an action or event that was taking
place in the past until another action or
event happened in the past.

Structure of Past Tense

In order to understand the structure of the past
tense, take a look at the following table.

Structure of Past Tense

Simple Past Past Perfect Past

Past Continu Tense Perfect
Tense ous Continu
Tense ous
Tense

Subjec Subject Subject + Subject

t+ + Helping Verb + Had +
Verb + Helping (had) + Past Been +
ed / Verb(w participle of Verb+in
verb in as/wer the main g + the
the e) + verb + the rest of
past Main rest of the the
tense verb+in sentence sentenc
+ the g + the along with e
rest of rest of the time
the the frame
senten sentenc
ce e

For For For example: For

examp exampl Tony had example:
le: e: It was eaten his Sharan
Natha raining. dinner had
n met before we been
me at reached the practisin
the venue. g the
park. guitar
when
the
teacher
called
for him.

It would be even better if you also learn how

the structure of a sentence using the past
tense form of the verb changes when used in
the positive, negative, interrogative or negative
interrogative formats.

Positive Negative Interrog Negative

ative Interrog
ative

Subject Subject + Did + Didn’t +

+ Past Did not / Subject Subject
tense Didn’t + + Base + Base
form of Base form form of form of
the verb of the verb the verb the verb

For For For For

exampl example: exampl example:
e: She She did not e: Did Didn’t
sang a sing a she sing she sing
song. song. a song? a song?

Examples of Past Tense

Given below are a few examples to show you
how the past tense works.

Marcel finished his speech.

Did they go to the hospital?

Nandhini and Padmini were talking about

you.

Salim had found the keys before his

parents found out about it.

Selena found out that Trinita had not

been taking her medicines for the last
few weeks.

Didn’t you know about his accident?

List of Past Tense Verbs

Take a look at the following table of past tense
verbs with the past and past participle forms
that you can refer to when you are using the
past tense.

Base Past Form of Past Participle Form

Verb the Verb of the Verb

Chec Checked Checked

k

Reac Reached Reached

h

Teac Taught Taught

h

Sing Sang Sung

Buy Bought Bought

Throw Threw Thrown

Sink Sank Sunk

Fly Flew Flown

Danc Danced Danced

e

Drink Drank Drunk

You can refer to the article on irregular verbs

for an extensive list of verbs and their past
forms.

Frequently Asked Questions on

Past Tense in English

Q1 What is the past tense?

The ‘past tense’ form of a verb, as the term

suggests, can be used to speak about or
represent an event or action that already
happened in the past. One important point
you have to keep in mind is that a number
of verbs, when used in the past tense, do
not follow the general rule of adding ‘ed’ to
the end of the verb to form the past tense.

Q2 What is the definition of past tense?

The Oxford Learner’s Dictionary defines the

term ‘past tense’ as “the form of a verb
used to describe actions in the past.”
According to the Cambridge Dictionary,
the past tense form of the verb is “used to
describe verb forms in many languages
used for actions that have now finished.”
“A verb tense expressing action or state in
or as if in the past”, is the definition of past
tense, according to the Merriam-Webster
Dictionary. The Macmillan Dictionary
defines ‘past tense’ as “the forms of a verb
group indicating that an action or event
happened regularly, or that a situation
existed or was true during a period before
now.”

Q3 What are the different types of past

tense?

The past tense can be seen to have four

different forms namely,
Simple Past Tense

Past Continuous Tense

Past Perfect Tense

Past Perfect Continuous Tense

Q4 Give a few examples of past tense.

Given below are a few examples to show

you how the past tense works.
Marcel finished his speech.

Did they go to the hospital?

Nandhini and Padmini were talking

about you.

Salim had found the keys before his

parents found out about it.

Selena found out that Trinita had not

been taking her medicines for the
last few weeks.

Didn’t you know about his accident?

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