GUIDE TO TEST 1.

NAME: MELENDEZ DIAZ CRISTOBAL

GROUP: 4IV03

DATE: WENDESDAY, APRIL 29th, 2015

PAST SIMPLE TENSE

DEFINITION.

A verb tense (the second principal part of a verb) indicating action that occurred

in the past and which does not extend into the present.

The simple past tense (also known as the past simple orpreterite) of regular

verbs is marked by the ending –d, -ed, or –t. Irregular verbs have a variety of endings.

The simple past is not accompanied by helping verbs.

DESCRIPTION.

El Pasado Simple es un tiempo verbal que se utiliza para describir acciones que

han sucedido en un tiempo anterior y que ya han finalizado.

USE AND FUNTIONS.

Action in the Past

Use the Simple Past to express the idea that an action started and finished at a

specific time in the past. Sometimes, the speaker may not actually mention the specific

time, but they do have one specific time in mind.

A Series of Completed Actions.

We use the Simple Past to list a series of completed actions in the past. These

actions happen 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and so on.

Duration in Past.

The Simple Past can be used with a duration which starts and stops in the past. A

duration is a longer action often indicated by expressions such as: for two years, for five

minutes, all day, all year, etc.

Habits in the Past.

The Simple Past can also be used to describe a habit which stopped in the past. It

can have the same meaning as "used to." To make it clear that we are talking about a

habit, we often add expressions such as: always, often, usually, never, when I was a

child, when I was younger, etc.

Past Facts or Generalizations.

The Simple Past can also be used to describe past facts or generalizations which

are no longer true. As in USE 4 above, this use of the Simple Past is quite similar to the

expression "used to."

SPECIAL FEATURES.

The great advantages is that they have conjugation, i.e., does not change the word

in any grammatical persons, even in the 3rd singular. In the past simple verbs are regular

and irregular verbs. The simple past is used to talk about a specific action that began and

ended in the past. In this case equals the Spanish preterite. Generally, we use with

adverbs of time as "last year", "yesterday", "last night".

EXAMPLES.

1. Tom stayed at home last night.

2. Did they walk to school this morning?

3. Last year, I didn't travel to Korea.

4. He didn't wash his car.

5. I finished work, walked to the beach, and found a nice place to swim.

6. I received the good news and immediately called my husband.

7. He studied for an hour in the morning, worked all afternoon and didn't return home until 10 at night. 

8. He walked 5 kilometers every day to work.

9. They did not stay at the party the entire time.

10. Shauna studied Japanese for five years

11. She didn't eat meat for 6 years

12. I worked for many years in a museum.

13. They never went to school, they always skipped class.

14. She was shy as a child, but now she is very outgoing.

15. He didn't like tomatoes before.

16. Did you live in Texas when you were a kid?

17. People paid much more to make cell phone calls in the past.

EXERCISES.

1. Last night we walked (walk) to the cinema.

2. Sam stopped (stop) the car to take a picture.

3. I studied (study) for the exam for three hours.

4. They were (be) happy to be home.

5. Sally was (be) disappointed she missed (miss) the party.

6. When I was young, we always went (go) to Florida for the summer.

7. Dan didn't work (not/work) last week.

8. Did you wash (wash) the dishes?

9. I dreamt (dream) I could fly last night.

10. We met (meet) them at the restaurant.

11. We saw (see) him yesterday but he didn't see (not see) us

12. When I was (be) a child, I spoke (speak) German.

13. Did your parents meet (meet) at university?

PAST CONTINUOUS TENSE.

DEFINITION.

It is that which remains or developed without interruptions. This is something

incessant, that no breaks or cuts. At this time, the action mentioned first developed in the

past (relative to the situation of the speaker) and later extended in time.

DESCRIPTION.

Is a tense that describes actions that were being made at a time from past to

referred and then continued. Indicates that an action was taking place at some point in

the past to which reference is made. It does not say if the action already completed or

still ongoing.

USES AND FUNTIONS.

El pasado continuo lo utilizamos para una acción larga que ya en el pasado fue

interrumpida. La acción que se interrumpe está en pasado continuo y la acción que

provoca la interrupción está en pasado simple. "When" y "while" señalan el uso del

pasado simple y continuo. En general, usamos el pasado simple directamente después de

"when" y el pasado continuo después de "while."

Se usa el pasado continuo para hablar sobre acciones en un tiempo específico en

el pasado.

Se usa el pasado continuo para dos acciones que estaban ocurriendo al mismo

tiempo en el pasado.

SPECIAL FEATURES.

Sometimes two simultaneous actions that occurred in the past are described. In

this case, the "imple past" is used to describe that ended and the "past continuous" for

that other was happening when the first took place.

Another difference between the two times is that the "past continuous" is

sometimes used to indicate that the action is more casual, less planned.

This tense is formed with the past of the verb BE ING plus gerund of verb to be

conjugated.

EXAMPLES.

1. Jose called while I was watching the news

2. He was walking to work when he fell.

3. Was it raining when you left?

4. Paula wasn't living in Spain in 2005.

5. We were still working at 10 o'clock last night.

6. My son was reading while I was cooking.

7. They were talking very loudly while we were trying to watch the movie. 

8. Were you waiting for him yesterday?

9. You were not waiting for him yesterday

10. You waiting for him yesterday

11. Was it raining yesterday?

12. They were laughing at the joker.

13. Yesterday at this time, I was sitting at my desk at work.

14. While Ellen was reading, Tim was watching television.

EXERCISES.

1. When I phoned my friends, they were playing monopoly.

2. Yesterday at six I was preparing dinner.

3. The kids were playing in the garden when it suddenly began to rain.

4. I was practising the guitar when he came home.

5. We were not cycling all day.

6. While Aaron was working in his room, his friends were swimming in the pool.

7. I tried to tell them the truth but they were not listening.

8. What were you doing yesterday?

9. Most of the time we were sitting in the park.

10. Mr Blue wasn't drinking (not/drink) coffee in the library when the murder happened.

11. While Alan (work) was working in his room, his friends (swim) were swimming in the pool.

12. I tried to tell them the truth but they ( not/listen) were not listening / weren't listening