The Simple Past Tense

Yesterday I went for a swim.

Affirmative:The past tense of regular verbs is formed by adding –d or –ed to the base form of the verb. I worked in a shop last year, I lived in a big house when I was younger.

PAST SIMPLE TENSE: REGULAR VERBS

I worked hard last weekend

ED Formation- We add -ed at the end of the verb:

Walk → walked

- If the verb ends in “e”, we only add -d:

Live → lived

- When the verb ends in consonant+vowel+consonant we double the last consonant:

Stop → stopped

- When the verb ends in consonant+y, we remove the “y” and add -ied:

Study → studied

Simple Past Tense: Irregular verbs

Affirmative:

Irregular past verb forms must be learned because they don’t follow any rule:

Go went

Come came

Buy bought

Drink drank

Eat ate

Find found

See saw I went to Paris last July

PAST SIMPLE TENSE: REGULAR and IRREGULAR VERBS

Negative: Use did not or didn’t + a base form verb to make the past simple tense negative. I didn’t work last summer

I didn’t live in a flat during my last Summer holidays.

I didn’t go to Berlin last July

Interrogative:

Use did + subject + a base form verb to make the past simple interrogative. Did you play sport last Summer?

Did you travel by boat last holidays?

Yes, I did.

Did you see any dolphins?

No I didn’t.

PAST SIMPLE TENSE: REGULAR and IRREGULAR VERBS

Past simple tense:

AffirmativeRegular verbs

NegativeQuestions

Short answer

Short answer

I worked. I didn't work. Did I work? Yes, I did. No, I didn't.

He worked. He didn't work. Did he work? Yes, he did.

No, he didn't.

She worked. She didn't work. Did she work? Yes, she did.

No, she didn't.

It worked. It didn't work. Did it work? Yes, it did.

No, it didn't.

You worked. You didn't work. Did you work? Yes you did.

No, you didn't.

We worked. We didn't work. Did we work? Yes we did.

No, we didn't.

They worked. They didn't work. Did they work? Yes they did.

No,they didn't.

1.To talk about actions that happened at a specific time in the past. You state when it happened using a time adverb (yesterday, last Mont.):“Last year I took my exams”.

2. It can be used to describe events that happened over a period of time in the past but not now:"I lived in Asia for two years."

3. It is also used to talk about habitual or repeated actions that took place in the past:"When I was a child we always went to the seaside on bank holidays."

The Simple Past Tense is used

Time expressions:

Yesterday, last month, last year, last time, … ago, in ...

The Simple Past Tense

My friends travelled to Saudi Arabia two years ago

Past continuous tense

The farmer was working at

6 o’clock yesterday evening

Past continuous tense

I was

playing

You

We

They

were

He

She

It

was

AFFIRMATIVE: Play

Past continuous tense

Was the teacher explaining grammar at schoollast Monday?No, she wasn’t. She was explaining Geography.

Past continuous tense

was I

playing?

were

you

we

they

was

he

she

it

I

Was not

Wasn’t

playing

You

We

They

were not

weren’t

He

She

It

was not

wasn’t

INTERROGATIVE: Play NEGATIVE: Play

Uses of the past continuous

1-We use the past continuous tense to describe a past action over a period of time

"What were they doing yesterday at 8 0’clock?" "They were working all day.

This time yesterday the hairdresser was working

2-We use the past continuous to say that somebody was in the middle of doing something at a certain time.

3-Past simple and past continuous are used together when something happened in the

middle of something else

The policeman broke his ankle while he was running after the dog

Compare the past continuous (I was doing) and past simple (I did):

Past continuous (in the middle of an action)

I was walking home when I met Dave. (in the middle of walking home)

Ann was watching television when the phone rang.

Past simple (complete action)

I walked home after the party last night.

Ann watched televison a lot when she was ill last year

Past continuous tense

Time expressions:

While, as, when.

While the band was playing a mobile phone rang

past perfect

FORM

This tense is formed with the past tense of the verb to have + past participle of the main verb.

Examples

I had never seen so many measuring tools.

What assistance had he given?

He hadn’t expected this outcome.

past perfect

USE

1. We use this tense to describe one past action happening before another past action.

Example

The customer had left the shop by the time I found his order form.

past perfect

USE

1.1. WWe use this tense to describe e use this tense to describe one past action one past action happening before another past action. happening before another past action.

2. We use it when necessary to indicate the sequence of two actions.

Example

He had already cleared the screen when I got behind his desk.

past perfect

USE

1.1. WWe use this tense to describe e use this tense to describe one past action one past action happening before another past action. happening before another past action.

2.2. We use it when necessary to indicate the We use it when necessary to indicate the sequence of two actions. sequence of two actions.

3. We often us it when the second action is understood, but not stated.

Example

I hadn’t realized! (until you told me.)

past perfect

on the time diagram

nowpast futurehaddinner

watched TV

1. When I had had dinner, I watched TV.

haddinner

watched TVpast now future

2. I had dinner before I watched TV.

In (1) the sequence of actions is expressed by the past perfect tense; whereas in (2) the sequence of actions is indicated by the use of before