PAST TENSES

Simple Past Past Continuous Past Perfect

Simple Past

Past Tenses: Structures Simple Past :

Subject + Verb-ed (or irregular form)

Negative: Subject + did not/didnt Verb (basic form) Interrogative: Did + Subject + Verb (basic form)

Examples :

We did not paint the walls in colourful

colours.
Did you call me just now?

Past Simple: uses

To talk about finished actions in the past:

One action after the other:

She opened the door, turned on the lights and entered the house

An action that happened in a certain situation.

The car knocked the child down when he was crossing the road

 A short action finished in the past (you indicate when it happened with an adverb of Time):

Yesterday, I arrived at home too late.

A finished action that takes a long period of time (indicated in the sentence):

I lived in Britain when I was young

Past Simple: spelling rules

If the verb ends in silent e It disappears I lived in Italy (live + ed lived) If the verb ends in consonant + y -ied

They carried the boxes home (carry + ed carried)

 Duplication of the final consonant ONLY IF: 1. The verb ends in CVC: Consonant + vowel + ONE only Consonant 2. The last syllable is stressed 3. The vowel of the last syllable is short

They dropped the ball They kidnapped my sister

Exception: when the verb ends in l it doubles though the last syllable is not stressed. (example: travelled)

Past Perfect Simple

Past Perfect Simple:

Subject + had + Past Participle (Verb-ed or irregular form)

Negative: Subject + had + not (hadnt)+ Past

Participle

Interrogative: Had + Subject + Past Participle

Examples :
All this long, Anas husband had not cheated on her.

Dad had accidently stepped on my hand.

Their families had hoped that their marriage will last forever.

Past Perfect Simple: uses

To express a finished action that took place before another completed action in the past.
My family had already arrived before I left. After we had finished dinner, we got ready to go out. When the police arrived, the murderer had killed

everyone.
By the time we met, I had eaten all the packets of salt & vinegar crisps

 With time expressions such as when, after, before, as soon as, by the time, by, until By the time I got home, my mother had already prepared dinner. With adverbs such as ever, never, already, yet, just, so far and still

I had never been to such a beautiful place before.

Past
continuous

Past Continuous:
Subject + was/were + Verb-ing
Negative: Subject + was/were + not (wasnt/werent) +Verb-ing
Interrogative: Was/Were + Subject + Verb-ing ?

The farmer was working at 6 oclock yesterday evening

Past continuous tense

AFFIRMATIVE: Play

I You We They He She It

was playing

were

was

Past continuous tense

Was the teacher explaining grammar at school last Monday? No, she wasnt. She was explaining Geography.

Past continuous tense

INTERROGATIVE: Play NEGATIVE: Play

was

I you we they
he she it

Was not Wasnt

were

You were not We werent playing? playing They He She It was not wasnt

was

Uses of the past continuous

1-We use the past continuous tense to describe a past action over a period of time

"What were they doing yesterday at 8 0clock?" "They were working all day.

2-We use the past continuous to say that somebody was in the middle of doing something at a certain time.

This time yesterday the hairdresser was working

3-Past simple and past continuous are used together when something happened in the middle of something else

The policeman broke his ankle while he was running after the dog

Compare the PAST CONTINUOUS (I was doing) and PAST SIMPLE (I did):

Past continuous (in the middle of an action)

I was walking home when I met Dave. (in the middle of walking home) Ann was watching television when the phone rang. Past simple (complete action) I walked home after the party last night. Ann watched televison a lot when she was ill last year.

Past continuous tense

Time expressions:

While, as, when.

While the band was playing a mobile phone rang.

SUMMARY
Past Simple

Future Past Continuous Past Perfect

Present