1. VERB TENSES
Past Tenses
A quick review

2. THE PAST SIMPLE
FORM:
I/ you /he/ she / we / they/ worked* (regular verbs)
went (irregular verbs)
I/you/he/she/we/they didn’t work
didn’t go
Did I/you/he/she/we/they work/go?

3. Adding the -ed
The general rule: work – worked
Some changes:
a) liked – used – baked (we dropped the
final –e)
b) stopped – planned – grabbed
c) preferred – admitted
However: entered – visited- listened
Pay attention: travelled – programmed
d) carry- carried bury- buried
but play - played

4. USES:
1- We use the Past Simple to express an
action which happened at a specific time in
the past and is now finished.
I saw him last month/ last year/ two years ago/
yesterday morning / in 1999 / when I was
young.
2- We use the Past Simple to tell a story:
There was once a man who lived in a small
house in the country. One day he left his
house and went into town. On the way he
met….

5. THE PAST CONTINUOUS
FORM: Subject + was/were + ---ing
I / he / she / it was going home
We / you / they were going home
I / he / she / it wasn’t working
We / you / they weren’t working
Where was I/ he / she / it going?
Where were you / we / they going?

6. USES OF THE PAST CONTINUOUS:
As with all continuous tenses, there is an idea
of duration and activity in progress over a
period of time:
Compare these TWO sentences:
a) At 10.00 I had a bath.
b) At 10.00 I was having a bath.

7. 1) We use the Past Continuous to express an activity
happening at a particular time in the past:
What were you doing at 8.00 last night?
I was watching television.
2)It is used for descriptions,(while the simple past is
used for actions):
I got up early and opened the window. The sun was
shining, the birds were singing..
3) It is used to express an activity that is interrupted.
While I was having a bath, the phone rang.
I met Tim as I was walking to school
The students were working when the teacher
walked in.

8. PAST PERFECT SIMPLE /
CONTINUOUS
FORM:
Subject + had + past participle
I had lost my job
I hadn’t seen her
Had you heard…?
Subject + had + been + _ing
I had been waiting..
I hadn’t been queuing for too long
Had you been drinking..?

9. USES:
1) The Past Perfect is used to express an
action that happened before a definite time
in the past:
Ann couldn’t hold back her tears any longer.
She had had a terrible day. She had been
late for work. She had lost her purse…
2) The Past Perfect Continuous expresses
longer activities that had been going on up
to a definite time in the past
He looked filthy. He had been sleeping under
bridges for a month, and had been
drinking far too much.

10. Compare the use of tenses:
He couldn’t stand up. He had been drinking
all day. (repeated activity)
He couldn’t stand up. He had drunk half a
bottle of whisky. (completed action)
She was pale. She had cut her finger and
lost a lot of blood. (single action)
She was tired. She had been cutting wood
all day. (repeated activity)

11. TIME CLAUSES WITH: when, till, until, as soon as,
before, after.
Two past simple tenses can be used if there is an
idea that the second action is the result of the first,
and that it happened immediately afterwards.
When his flight was announced, he went to the
check-in desk.
I sat outside until the sun went down.
If it is important to show that the first action was
completed before the second one began, the Past
Perfect must be used for the action that happened
first:
When I had finished my homework, I went to bed.
He didn’t leave the house until he had checked that
all the windows were closed.

12. Compare these sentences:
a) As soon as she saw the mouse, she
jumped on a chair.
a) We left as soon as we had finished
dinner.