Past Forms
Past Simple
- · Past actions which happened one immediately after the other “He got in the car, started the engine and drove off”
- · Past habits or states “He used to walk to work every day”
- · Complete actions or event which happened at a stated past time “She passed her exam last week”
- · Complete past actions not connected to the present with a stated or implied time reference “Elvis Presley made lots of records” (Elvis is dead; he won’t record anymore – period of time now finished – implied time reference)
Expressions: yesterday, last week, (how long) ago, then, just now, when, in 1992
Past Continuous
- · Action in the middle of happening at a stated time “I was living in Spain this time last year”
- · Past action in progress interrupted by another past action. The longer action is in the Past Continuous, the shorter action is in the Past Simple “I was playing football when I broke my ankle”
- · Two or more simultaneous past actions of certain duration “He was cooking while she was sleeping”
- · Or background description to events in a story description “They were traveling to Swansea…”
Expressions: while, when, as, the moment that
Past Perfect
- · Past action which occurred before another action or before a stated past time “He had spent all his money by the end of the month”
- · Complete past action which had visible results in the past “He was delighted because he had found a new job”
- · The Past Perfect is the past equivalent of the Present Perfect “There was no pudding left; he had eaten it all”
Expressions: for, since, already, after, just, never, yet, before, by, by the time
Past Perfect Continuous
- · Action continuing over a period up to a specific time in the past “She has been trying to get a visa for months before she gave up.
- · Past action of certain duration which had visible results in the past “Her fingers hurt because she had been playing the guitar all day”
- · The Past Perfect Continuous is the past equivalent of the Present Perfect “He stayed in bed that day because he had been ill all week”(He’s staying in bed today because he’s been feeling ill all week)
Expressions: for since