Grammar

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Grammar

Past tenses: form

Past tenses: form

PAST SIMPLE

PAST CONTINUOUS

Affirmative			Affirmative
I, you, we, they he, she, it	talked		I he, she, it we, you, they	was was were	talking
Negative			Negative
I, you, we, they he, she, it	did not (didn't)	talk	I he, she, it we, you, they	was not was not (wasn't) were not (weren't)	talking
Interrogative			Interrogative
Did	I, you, we, they he, she, it	talk?	was was were	I he, she, it you, we, they	talking?

Remember: in English we have regular and irregular verbs when we form the past simple. Regular verbs add -ed to the infinitive of the verb, and as for irregular verbs ... here you have a list of the most important ones.

Past tenses: use

Past tenses: use

We use the past simple:

to talk about completed events or actions in the past: We left New York in 1988
to talk about a list of a series of completed actions in the past:
I finished work, went to the beach, and found a nice place to swim
to talk about something that happened regularly in the past:
I studied French when I was a child

Time expressions

a definite point in time:
last week, when I was a child, yesterday, six weeks ago.

an indefinite point in time:
the other day, ages ago, a long time ago etc.

Note: the word ago is a useful way of expressing the distance into the past. It is placed after the period of time e.g. a week ago, three years ago, a minute ago.

We use the past continuous:

Use the Past Continuous to indicate that a longer action in the past was interrupted. The interruption is usually a shorter action in the Simple Past:
I was watching TV when she called.

When you use the Past Continuous with two actions in the same sentence, it expresses the idea that both actions were happening at the same time. The actions are parallel.
I was studying while he was making dinner.

In English, we often use a series of parallel actions to describe the atmosphere at a particular time in the past:
...several people were busily typing, some were talking on the phones...

Time expressions

Sometimes we use "while" with two actions in the same sentence, it expresses the idea that both actions were happening at the same time. The actions are parallel.

Practise the past simple

Practise the past simple

Write these verbs into the Past Simple Tense

1. I go to work every day.

2. He always wears black.

3. I don't make the cakes.

4. She gets up at 6.30.

5. He understands me.

6. They don't have lunch at 1.0.

7. She speaks slowly.

8. He leaves the house at 9.0.

9. He often falls.

10. I read a chapter every night.

11. You eat too much.

12. Tom sings very well.

13. He cries when he is at home.

14. Who knows the answer?

15. He takes the dog out twice a day.

Read the paragraph below and complete with the verbs in brackets either Past Simple or Past Continuous when needed.

Last night, while I was doing my homework, Sonia (call) . She said she (call) me on her cell phone from her biology classroom. I asked her if she (wait) for the lesson to start, but she said that the professor was at the front of the hall lecturing while she (talk) to me. I couldn't believe she (make) a phone call during the lecture. I asked her what was going on.

She said her biology professor was so boring that several of the students (sleep, actually) in class. Some of the students (talk) about their plans for the weekend and the student next to her (draw) a picture of a horse. When Sonia (tell) me she was not satisfied with the class, I (mention) that my biology professor was quite good and I (suggest) her to switch to my class.

While we were talking, I (hear) her professor yell, "Miss, are you making a phone call?" Suddenly, the line went dead. I (hang) up the phone and went to the kitchen to make dinner. As I (cut) vegetables for a salad, the phone rang once again. It (be) Sonia, but this time she wasn't sitting in class.

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