Past Simple, Past Continuous, Past Perfect (review)

In the lesson today you will do the following:

-         you will revise the formation of Past Simple, Past Continuous and Past Perfect Tenses;

-         then you’ll compare the usage of past tenses in different situations;

-         also you’ll revise time expressions that help us to define the tense correctly;

-         and finally you’ll use the past tenses in the given sentences and situations.

1. James had a party yesterday evening.

(The party is over. The time is stated – yesterday evening.)

When we talk about a complete action at a stated time in the past, what tense form do we normally use?

Past Simple

2. James was having a party when his parents came back home.

(James was still having a good time, when his parents came.)

What tense form do we use for a past action which was in progress when it was interrupted by another action?

Past Continuous

3. James had already seen off his guests when his parents came back home.

(Here we see that he saw off his guests first. And his parents came afterwards.) To show that one past action happened before another past action in the past what tense do we use?

Past Perfect Tense.

We form the Past Simple with the help of regular verbs by adding –ed to the main verb.

And we form the Past Simple of irregular verbs differently. That’s why we have to learn them by heart or use the list of irregular verbs in English.

We form questions and negations with the help of auxiliary verb did.

To make a question we put did before the subject.

E.g. Did he visit/have a party yesterday?

To make negatives we need to put not after did

E.g. He didn’t visit/have a party yesterday.

We form the Past Continuous with the verb to be and the main verb with the –ing suffix.

To be looks like was if we talk about one person (I, he, she it) and it looks like were when you/we/they acted.

We form questions by putting was/were before the subject.

Was he having a party? Were they having a party?

To make negatives we need to put not after was/were – wasn’t/ weren’t for short.

He wasn’t or They weren’t having a party.

We form the Past Perfect Tense with the help of HAD and regular forms of the main verb (by putting the ending –ed to the main verb) or irregular forms of the main verb (using the list of irregular verbs or learning them by heart).

E.g.

He had invited /seen off his guests.

We form questions be putting HAD before the subject.

E.g.

Had he invited / seen off his guests?

We form negations by putting not after HAD (had not or hadn’t for short).

E.g.

He hadn’t invited / seen off his guests.

Usage

Now let’s compare the usage of these two tenses Past Simple and Past Continuous.

1. We use the Past Simple to talk about a complete action at a stated time in the past.

E.g.

I painted my bedroom last Saturday.

The Past Continuous is used for an action which was in progress at a stated time in the past. We do not mention when the action started or finished.

E.g.

She was crying while watching TV.

We use the Past Perfect Tense for one past action which happened before another past action or before a stated time in the past. The action that happened earlier in the past (“older action”) is in the Past Perfect and the action which happened later (“younger action”) is in the Past Simple.

E.g.

I took the books back to the library when I had read them.

2. We often use the Past Simple to talk about the actions which happened one after the other in the past.

E.g.

He knocked her down, grabbed her purse and ran off.

We use the Past Continuous to talk about an action that was in progress when something else happened. We use the Past Continuous for the action in progress (longer action) and the Past Simple for the action which interrupted (shorter action).

E.g.

We were dancing when one of the neighbors came.

Past Perfect is used for an action which finished in the past and whose result was visible in the past.

E.g.

He was tired because he had worked hard all day.

3. The Past Simple is used for past habits and states which are now finished. In such cases we can also use the expression used to.

E.g.

He went/used to go scuba diving.

Past Continuous shows two or more simultaneous past actions.

E.g.

She was doing shopping while he was reading papers.

The Past perfect is the Past equivalent of the Present Perfect.

E.g.

There were no sandwiches left. He had eaten them all.

There are no sandwiches left. He has eaten them all.

4. The Past Simple is used to talk about the lives of people who are no longer alive.

E.g.

Edison invented the light bulb.

Past Continuous is used to describe the atmosphere, weather or place before we describe the main event.

He was walking down a quiet country road. The birds were singing the butterflies were flying.

We can use the Past Simple, Past Continuous or Past Perfect without any difference in meaning with verbs such as think, hope, mean, expect, etc. for things we hoped to do but didn’t.

I hoped/ was hoping/ had hoped her to call me, but she didn’t.

Time expressions used with:

Past Simple: yesterday, last night/week/month/year, two days/weeks/months ago, then, when, How long ago...?, in 1992/1845.

Past Continuous: while, when, as, all day/morning yesterday, at noon yesterday,

the whole night yesterday, from 5 to 6 yesterday.

Past Perfect: before, after, already, till/until, by the time, never/ever, for, since, just.

Now it’s time to practice the usage of past tenses.

Read the sentences, identify the tenses, then match them with the correct description.

Choose the correct time expression.

I still/ yet/ just hadn’t done my homework when Mum came back home.

He was cooking before/ while/ as soon as she was sleeping.

How long ago/ How long/ Until did you pass your driving test?

He continued his journey before/ after/ yet he had filled the car.

Our team had scored two goals till/ yet/ by the time we arrived at the stadium.

I haven’t been to Amsterdam never/ after/ for two years.

Complete the sentences using Past Simple, Past Continuous or Past Perfect Tense.

1.     We got very wet because we had forgotten to take our umbrellas.

2.     It was snowing heavily all that day.

3.     I had never seen an elephant until I went to India.

4.     While she was cleaning the floors the children were washing the windows.

5.     They studied Maths at the university.

6.     Dr. Thomas visited some patients yesterday.

7.     Computers cost much more a few years ago.

And finally let’s sum up what you’ve done at the lesson. Look through the following table. There are some empty windows in it. Read the examples and fill

in the missing information.

In what situations do we use Past Simple?

-         the actions which happened one after the other in the past.

-         to talk about the lives of people who are no longer alive.

How do we form Past Continuous?

-         We form the Past Continuous with the verb to be and the main verb with the –ing suffix.

When do we use it?

-         to show two or more simultaneous past actions.

In what case do we use Past Perfect?

-         an action which finished in the past and whose result was visible in the past.

What time expressions help us to define the Past Perfect Tense?

-         before, after, already, till/until, by the time, never/ever, for, since, just.

Practice your grammar skills because practice makes perfect.