Past Tense

I. Past Simple Tense vs. Past Continuous Tense

FORM: S + V2 FORM: S + was/were + Ving

FORM--- S+V2 FORM--- S + was/were + Ving

➢ The simple past indicates that an activity or ➢ Use the past continuous to indicate that a
situation began and ended a particular longer action in the past was interrupted.
time in the past. (Sometimes, the speaker may
The interruption is usually a shorter
not actually mention the particular time, but
they do have one particular time in mind.) action in the simple past.

Ex. I bought a new car three days ago. Ex. I was walking to the station when I
Leonardo painted the Mona Lisa. met John. (I started walking before I met John,
and maybe I continued afterwards.)
USE 2 : A Series of Completed Actions
USE 2: Parallel Actions

➢ When you use the past continuous with

➢ We use the simple past to list a series of
two actions in the same sentence, it
completed actions in the past. These
expresses the idea that both actions were
actions happen 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and so
happening at the same time.
on.

Ex. He arrived from the airport at 8:00, Ex. While Ellen was reading, Tim was
watching television.
checked into the hotel at 9:00, and met the
others at 10:00.
USE 3 Repetition and Irritation with
"Always"
USE 3: Habits in the Past

➢ Temporary habits or habits that happen

➢ The simple past can also be used to describe more often than we expect in the past. We
a habit which stopped in the past. It can often use 'always', 'constantly' or
have the same meaning as "used to." 'forever' here. This is the same as the
Ex. John lived in London when he was young. way we use the present continuous for
habits, but the habit started and finished
Used to + infinitive
in the past. This thing doesn't happen
now.
➢ Used to = an action or habit that was
common in the PAST but not anymore. EX. He was always leaving the tap running.
Ex. Mr. John used to teach in China. She was constantly singing.
(But now he teaches in Thailand)
**Remember you can't use this tense or any
➢ We use the past simple to talk about things
continuous tense with stative verbs.
that are not real in the present or future. So
we use it with the second conditional and
after words like 'wish'.
Ex. If I won the lottery, I would buy a house.
I wish I had more time!
PAST TENSE EXERCISE

Directions I: Supply the correct Past Simple or Past Continuous Tense form of verb in
parentheses.
1. Where (you go) when I (see) you last night?
2. Tom (run) fast when he (fall) down.
3. Alex (pay) attention while I (speak) .
4. At six o’clock yesterday, when you (telephone) I (have) my supper.
5. As we (drive) to Bath, I (get) sick.
6. Your letter (come) just as I (leave) my home.
7. I (study) my English lesson last night while my
parents (watch) television.
8. As Caroline (get) off the bus, she (slip) and (break)

her arm.
9. She (write) a letter when you (come) in.
10. We (practice) every morning last month.

Directions II: Past Simple or Continuous? Underline the correct form of the verbs.

1. I met / was meeting a friend while I shopped / was shopping.

2. I paid / was paying for my things when I heard / was hearing someone call my name.
3. I turned / was turning around and saw / was seeing Jo.
4. She wore / was wearing a bright red coat.
5. We decided / were deciding to have a cup of coffee.
6. While we had / were having our coffee, a waiter dropped / was dropping a pile of
plates.
7. We both got / were getting a terrible shock.
8. While the waiter picked / was picking up the broken plates, he cut / was cutting his
finger.
II. Past Perfect Tense

FORM: S + had + Past Participle (V3)

Statement --- You had studied English before you moved to New York.
Question --- Had you studied English before you moved to New York?
Negative --- You had not studied English before you moved to New York.

Usage
1. Completed Action Before Something in the Past

➢ The past perfect expresses an activity that was complete before another activity or
time in the past.
*First activity ----- Past Perfect
*Second activity—Past simple

Ex. When we arrived, the film had started

(= first the film started, then we arrived).
I did not have any money because I had lost my wallet.

**If it's clear which action happened first (if we use the words 'before' or 'after', for
example), the past perfect is optional.
EX. The film started before we arrived / the film had started before we arrived.

2. Duration Before Something in the Past (Non-Continuous Verbs)

➢ Something that started in the past and continued up to another action or time in the
past. The past perfect tells us 'how long', just like the present perfect, but this time
the action continues up to a point in the past rather than the present. Usually we use
'for + time'. We can also use the past perfect continuous here, so we most often use
the past perfect simple with stative verbs.

Ex. We had had that car for ten years before it broke down.
By the time Alex finished his studies, he had been in London for over eight years.
(= He arrived in London six years before he finished his studies and lived there
until he graduated, or even longer.)

➢ To talk about unreal or imaginary things in the past. This is common in the third
conditional and after 'wish'.
Ex. If I had known you were ill, I would have visited you.
I wish I hadn't gone to bed so late!
III: Past Perfect Continuous Tense

FORM: S + had + been + Past Participle (V3)

When to use the Past Perfect Continuous

We use the past perfect continuous to refer to an ongoing action that ended before
another action/event in the past.

For example,

I’d been looking for a job for several months when I found this position.

As with all continuous forms, when we use the past perfect continuous, we’re
focusing on the action itself and possibly also the effect on the subject, rather than
its completion.

For example,

The workers had been unloading the truck when the storm started.

We don’t know if the unloading was completed or not, and it’s not important.
The focus is just on their action.

How to form the Past Perfect Continuous

We create sentences with the past perfect continuous by using ‘had been’ and the
main verb in the -ing form. Here is a table with an example for all the subjects in the
affirmative, negative and interrogative forms:
Here are some other examples of the past perfect continuous:
1. By the time we finished the meal, we’d been sitting around the table for
six hours!
2. Hanen had been playing well when the game was interrupted due to heavy
rain.
3. The meeting ended after they’d been negotiating all afternoon.
4. He hadn’t been feeling well for a long time when he suddenly collapsed at
work yesterday.
5. Had the car been working well before the accident?

How this tense compares to the Present Perfect Continuous

As you perhaps remember, we use the present perfect continuous to focus on the
duration and effect of an ongoing action.
For example,
1. You’re here finally! I’ve been waiting for over an hour!
2. I’d been waiting for over an hour when Mike finally arrived.

(We use the continuous form of the past perfect in a similar way but in The past)

Remember!! Don’t use the Past Perfect Continuous with stative verbs
For example,
When we got married, Bill and I had known each other for ten years .
(NOT ‘Bill and I had been knowing each other’.)
Directions III: Put the verbs in brackets into the correct tense, Past Simple, Past Perfect, or
Past Perfect Continuous.

1. They (hurry) to see me after they (hear) the news.

2. Before we (go) very far, we found that we (lose) the way.

3. He told me that he (never meet) you.

4. He (no sooner begin) _ his speech than he (be) shot.

5. The patient (die) by the time the doctor (arrive) .

6. I was very tired when I arrived home. I (work) hard all day.

7. The students (not understand) until the teacher

(explain) .
8. My friend (not see) me for many years when I (meet)
her last month.

9. I (scarcely leave) the room when the telephone (ring)

and I (have to) go back.

10. She (just finish) watering the garden when it

(begin) to rain.
11. By the time the film (begin) we (get) into our seats.

12. He (drive) his car for 10 minutes when he realized it had a flat tire.

13. After he (go) , I (go) to bed.

14. My friend (enjoy) her food as soon as she (taste) it.

15. When I (open) the curtains the sun was shining and the ground
was white. It (snow) during the night.
16. First I (tidy) the flat, then I (sit) down
and had a cup of coffee.
17. After arriving home, I (realize) I (not buy) any milk.

18. Sarah was exhausted. She__ (wash) the dishes for more than three hours.

19. We (get) home to find that someone (break) into the house.
20. He (play) tennis for 4 hours when he broke his leg.
Direction IV: choose the best answer
1. Although the police______________ every precaution, the robber___________to escape.
a. took/ managed b. takes/manage
c. has taken/ has managed d. had taken/ managed
2. The boys________________ television every night unless they___________homework.
a. watch/ have b. watch/had c. watched/ have d. are watching/have
3. Maria_____________an appointment to see the doctor. It is at 10.00 am. tomorrow.
a. make b. makes c. made d. has made
4. They______________when they are ready.
a. come b. came c. will come d. have come
5. Judy_____________watching horror films although she has nightmares afterwards.
a. like b. likes c. liked d. will like
6. It__________every afternoon for the past week. The weather forecast predicts rain for next week too.
a. is raining b. was raining c. has been raining d. had been raining
7. I____________the door before I______________ that the keys were inside the house.
a. lock/realize b. locked/realized
c. has locked/realized d. had locked/realized
8. When Sally____________her first pay, she___________ presents for her parents.
a. receive/ buy b. received/ bought
c. was receiving/ was buying d. had received/ bought
9. It's lovely to wake up in the morning and________________birds singing.
a. hear b. hears c. heard d. hearing
10. Aaron______________$80.00 for that bag yesterday.
a. pay b. paid c. pays d. paying
11. After he _______________ the letter, he _______________ it away.
a. read / threw b. had read/had thrown
c. had read/threw d. threw/ had read
12. I _________________ to call you the whole week! – Where ________________?
a. have been trying/have you been b. tried/you have been
c. have been trying /you were d. tried/were you
13. After she___________to the member of staff, she_______a report to the manager.
a. had spoken/sent b. spoke/had sent
c. spoke/sent d. had spoken/had sent
14. John___________a hardware shop in a small village for five years before he moved to the city.
a. runs b. has run c. has been running d. had been running
15. It was a wonderful morning and the sun _________ brightly when I ____________ up.
a. shined/ got b. shined/was getting
c. shines/gets d. was shining/got