Professional Documents
Culture Documents
1. The past simple, past continuous, past perfect simple, and past perfect
continuous
Earlier that day, she had visited her best friend to say goodbye. They sat and looked at old
photos. At 3 p.m. when I arrived to say we were leaving, they had been crying for about
two hours!
Look at this section of the Earlier that A continuous
story: Earlier that day, she It started earlier in
day (the day action over a
had visited her best friend. the day and
of the move) period of time
The main part of this story is finished at 3 p.m.
set in the new house in
London. What other time is At 3 p.m. when I arrived,
mentioned here? At 3 p.m. when I arrived,
they had been crying.
they had been crying.
Was it one event or a
When did this action start
continuous action over a
and when did it finish?
period of time?
1. We left Liverpool.
2. My sister had visited her friend.
3. I went to collect my sister from her friend’s
house.
4. They had been crying.
5. I was unpacking.
6. My sister came into my bedroom. We don’t know if this action
stopped or continued after it
was interrupted.
4 1 5
2 3 6
Copyright © 2018 by Pearson Education Gold Experience 2nd Edition B2
Function: When do we use them?
1. past narrative tenses
past simple past continuous past perfect simple past perfect continuous
Single or repeated Actions in progress or interrupted Past actions and events that A continuous action that
finished events in the when another action happened. happened before another happened over a period time up
past. action in the past. to another action in the past.
With always to express irritation or
criticism.
For failed plans and unfulfilled
expectations. This was a
These are in the past perfect continuous We don’t know if this
tenses because they happened action which was interrupted and
before the main part of the story stopped when I stopped, or continued.
(further in the past). arrived.
They had been crying for We left Liverpool. I was unpacking.
two hours.
She had visited her I arrived at her friend’s house. My sister came into my bedroom.
friend.
Earlier that day in Liverpool Later that day in London
Earlier that day, she had visited her best friend to say goodbye. They sat and looked at
old photos.
Notice how:
past simple past continuous past perfect simple past perfect continuous
+ Subject + verb in past + Subject + was/were + verb + Subject + had + past + Subject + had + been +
simple -ing participle verb -ing
- Subject + did + not + verb - Subject + was/were + not + - Subject + had + not + past - Subject + had + not + been
bare infinitive verb -ing participle + verb -ing
? (Question word) + did + ? (Question word) + was/were ? (Question word) + had + ? (Question word) + had +
subject + verb bare infinitive + subject + verb -ing subject + past participle subject + been + verb -ing
Remember that we
In connected In connected speech,
commonly use
speech, /wɒz/ this is pronounced
contractions, e.g. didn’t,
becomes /wəz/. /bɪn/, not /bi:n/.
hadn’t, wasn’t.
Copyright © 2018 by Pearson Education Gold Experience 2nd Edition B2