UNDERSTANDING PAST TENSES

By Group 2

1. DINA NOFIRNA2. SUCI RAHMADANI3. OSNA MARIA4. NELVIRA AURRIA

Past Tense

The simple past tense is used to talk

about a completed action or state that

occurred in the past. Past tense  is used to

express an old world action that happened.

We use the past tense to talk about :

Something that happened once in the past

Example : 1. I met my wife in 1983.

2. We went to Spain for our holidays.

3. They got home very late last night.

 

Something that happened again and again in the past

Example : 1. When I was a boy, I walked a mile to school

every day.

2. We swam a lot while we were on holiday.

3. They always enjoyed visiting their friends.

For more on these questions see question forms

We use didn’t (did not) to make negatives with the past tense.

Example : 1. They didn’t go to Spain this year.

2. We didn’t get home until very late last night.

3. I didn’t see you yesterday.

For an action done repeatedly, habitually or at regular times in the

past

Example : 1. We saw the movie 'Titanic' several times at the cinema.

2. Brian was always a heavy drinker in the old days.

3. He phoned his mother every Sunday until her death.

For telling Situation in the past

Example : I lived in New York for 10 years.

Something that was true for some time in the past

Example : 1. I lived abroad for ten years.

2. He enjoyed being a student.

3. She played a lot of tennis when she was

younger.

We often use phrases with ago with the past tense

Example : 1. I met my wife a long time ago.

2. Suci watched television three days ago.

3. Vira played Barbie doll with her friends

few weeks ago.

 

Regular and irregular verbs

We form the simple past tense of most

verbs by adding –ed to the verb. These verbs

are called regular verbs. Most verbs are

regular verbs.

The simple past tense of some verbs

does not end in –ed. These verbs are the

irregular verbs.

The simple past tense irregular verbs can

only be used in the positive, not negative.

Adverb of Time in Past

Tense

This Morning Yesterday This Afternoon Last Week Today Last Month Last Night

Just Now 3 Days Ago 2 Months Ago Last Year Yesterday Morning An Hour Ago Last Sunday

Past Continuous Tense

 This tenses is used to express an

action which is happened in past time. and

at the same time happened other action.

This Tense emphasize is the happening of

the action not its have. The past continuous

is formed from the past tense of be with the

-ing form of the verb.

We use the past continuous to talk about the past :

Duration in the past

Example :

I was watching TV yesterday in the evening.

She was sleeping on the couch.

The dog was barking.

 

to show that something continued for some time

Example : 1. My head was aching.

2. Everyone was shouting.

For something that was happening again and again

Example :

I was practising every day, three times a day.

They were meeting secretly after school.

They were always quarrelling.

with verbs which show change or growth

Example :

The children were growing up quickly.

Her English was improving.

My hair was going grey.

The town was changing quickly.

Actions in progress at the same time

Example :

I was singing when she was cooking.

My mother was watching TV while my friends came

to my house.

To form a sentence in the Past Continuous, you need :

1. Auxiliary verb "to be"

The past form of the auxiliary verb "to be" is :

For the first and third person singular : "was"

For all others : "were"

Example : 1. She was always coming late for dinner.

2. You were always coming late for dinner.

2. The Present Participle

The present participle is of a verb is a verb form that

appears with present tenses. The present participle is

formed by adding -ing to the verb.

talk + ing = talking

be + ing = being

Adverb of time

Adverb of time that we use in the past continuous

tense :

All of time in the past tense

At 4 o’clock

…when…

All day yesterday

…while…

… as …

When (follow simple past tense)

While (follow past continuous tense)

Simple past tense + while + past continuous tense

Example : Rina came to my house while I was helping my brother

Simple Past Tense Past continuous tense

While + Past continuous tense + Simple past tense

Example : While we were watching TV, someone knocked the door.

Past continuous tense Simple past tense

While + Past Continuous Tense + Past Continuous Tense

Example : While my brother was sleeping, my father was reading a

magazine

Past Continuous Tense Past Continuous

Tense

When + Simple Past Tense + Past Continuous Tense

Example : When my father came home, we were studying in the living

room.

Simple Past Tense Past Continuous

Tense

Past Continuous Tense + When + Simple Past Tense

Example : She was reading a magazine when the phone rang.

Past Continuous Tense Simple Past Tense

Past Perfect Tense

 It is the same with Past Continuos Tense nor

selfsupporting as simple sentence but have to

provide with Past Tense sentence. this used to

express an action which have been done in past

time. The past perfect is used in the same way as

the present perfect, but it refers to a time in the

past, not the present.

We use the past perfect tense :

 

For something that started in the past and continued up to a given time

in the past

Example :

When George died he and Anne had been married for nearly fifty years.

She didn’t want to move. She had lived in Liverpool all her life.

 

For something that happened in the past but is important at the time of

reporting

Example :

I couldn’t get into the house. I had lost my keys.

Teresa wasn’t at home. She had gone shopping.

 

We use the past perfect to talk about the past in

conditions, hypotheses and wishes

Example :

I would have helped him if he had asked.

It was very dangerous. What if you had got lost?

I wish I hadn’t spent so much money last month.

Form

To form a sentence in the Past Perfect, what you need is :

1. Auxiliary verb "to have"

The past form of the auxiliary verb "to have" is "had":

Example : Mary had finished her homework before Mike

came home.

 

2. The Past Participle

The past participle of a verb is a verb form that appears

with the perfect tenses. The past participle can be either

regular or irregular verb.

Adverb of Time Adverb of time that we use in the past perfect tense :For …as soon as…. Since Until …before… …after….

Example :The student had gotten a verbal warning before his

parents called.I came to the party after he had invited me. 

Past Perfect Continuous Tense

Past perfect tense continuous tense

emphasizes the duration of an activity that was

in progress before another activity or time in

the past.

We use the past perfect continuous to :

look back at a situation in progress

Example :

It was a good time to invest. Inflation had been falling for several months.

Before I changed jobs, I had been working on a plan to reduce production

costs.

We had been thinking about buying a new house but then we decided to

stay here.

 

to say what had been happening before something else happened

Example :

It had been snowing for a while before we left.

We had been playing tennis for only a few minutes when it started raining.

He was out of breath when he arrived because he had been running.

When reporting things said in the past

Example :

She said she had been trying to call me all day.

They said they had been shopping.

I told you I had been looking for some new clothes.

 

to show cause of an action or situation in the past

Example :

John was in a detention because he had been misbehaving.

The road was wet because it had been raining.

I had to go on a diet because I had been eating too much sugar.

Jessica got sunburnt because she had been lying in the sun too

long.

 

Describe duration of a past action

Example :

The boys had been quarreling for half an hour when we

arrived home.

I had been dating Angelina for 3 years before we got

married.

QuestionsFill in the blank with the correct answer !

1. I ... (play) football with my friends yesterday.

2. They ... not smoke) while we were drinking just now.

3. She ... (read) a novel at library last week.

4. I ... (sleep) when my friend came to my house yesterday.

5. Male students ... ( not play) around ... (when / while) female ones were chitchatting.

6. My car … (break down) five times before I decided to sell it.

7. Via ... (travel) around in Bali before she got married last month. 

8. When they came to lamongan in 1981, they …. (play) badminton.

9. Lia ….. (walk) alone for 10 minutes.

10. Farmers in Jati Bali…. (grow) rice crops before I came to this village in 1985.

Key Answers

1. I played football with my friends yesterday.

2. They were not smoking while we were drinking just now.

3. She read a novel at library last week.

4. I was sleeping when my friend came to my house yesterday.

5. Male students were not playing around while female ones were chitchatting.

6. My car had broken down five times before I decided to sell it.

7. Via had traveled around in Bali before she got married last month. 

8. When they came to lamongan in 1981, they had been playing badminton.

9. Lia had been walking alone for 10 minutes.

10. Farmers in Jati Bali had grown rice crops before I came to this village in 1985.

Biography 

Dani K. 2002. Tenses 16 Bentuk Waktu. Surabaya : Putra Harsa

Gusriani. 2008/2009. Hand Out Bahasa Inggris Kelas X

Johanna, dkk. 2007. Pendidikan bahasa Inggris. Jakarta : UT

http://www.myenglishgrammar.com/simple-past-tense.html

(accessed on 3 October 2012)

http://www.englishtenses.com/tenses/past_continuous

(accessed on 3 October 2012)

http://www.englishtenses.com/tenses/past_perfect

(accessed on 3 October 2012)

http://www.englishtenses.com/tenses/past_perfect_continuous#use1

(accessed on 3 October 2012)