Past Tenses – Units 5 & 6/15 & 16

Past SimplePast Continuous

Past PerfectPast Perfect Continuous

Past Simple (pages 10-11)

Describe finished actions with specific time references

Often the verbs end in –ed (regular verbs)

But many verbs are irregular (see Appendix 1 at the back of your books for a list)

Past simple..

In questions and negatives we use did/didn’t + infinitive

Except in sentences where the verb to be is used

Past Continuous To describe an action in progress at a

moment in time:This time last year I was living in Brazil.What were you doing at 10 o’clock last night?

We often use the past simple and the past continuous together to say that something happened in the middle of something else:Matt phoned while we were having dinner.It was raining when I got up.

Past simple and past continuous

We also use the past simple to say that one thing happened after another:I was walking along the road when I saw Dave. So I stopped, and we had a chat.

COMPARE:When Karen arrived, we were having dinner. (we had already started before she arrived)When Karen arrived, we had dinner. (Karen arrived, and then we had dinner).

Past Perfect (Unit 15) Formed by had + past participle To talk about things that happened before a

particular point in the past:When Sarah arrived at the party, Paul had already gone home.COMPARE:Was Tom there when you arrived?Yes, but he left soon afterwards. (after – past simple)Was Tom there when you arrived?No, he had already left. (before – past perfect)

Past perfect continuous Yesterday morning I got up and

looked out of the window. The sun was shining, but the ground was very wet. It had been raining.(it was not raining when I looked out but had recently finished and I could see the results).

Had + been + ----ing