Past Time

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Past Time

• Dragana Filipovic

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• The Past Simple Tense
• The Past Continuous Tense
• The Past Perfect Simple
• The Past Perfect Continuous
• Used to infinitive
• Would infinitive

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The Past Simple Tense

• Regular verbs
• Infinitive -ed/-d
• move d moved
• study (y?i) ed studied
• play ed played
• stop p ed stopped
• prefer r ed preferred

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• try
• live
• enjoy
• permit
• happen
• cancel
• rub
• need
• travel
• plan

• tried
• lived
• enjoyed
• permitted
• happened
• cancelled AmE canceled
• rubbed
• needed
• travelled AmE traveled
• planned

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• Irregular verbs
• bet bet bet
• catch caught caught
• bleed bled bled
• cost cost cost
• creep crept crept
• fight fought fought
• pay paid paid
• quit quit - quit
• ride rode - ridden

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• awake (buditi)
• bite (gristi)
• feed (hraniti)
• hide (kriti)
• light (upaliti)
• rise (dici se)
• see (videti)
• wet (ukvasiti)

• awoke awoke
• bit bitten
• fed fed
• hid hidden
• lit lit
• rose risen
• saw seen
• wet wet

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The Past Continuous Tense

• I / He / She / It was working
• We / You / They were working
• Was she working ?
• Were they working ?
• I wasnt working
• We werent working

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The Past Perfect Simple Tense

• had past participle
• He had left
• Had they left ?
• She hadnt left

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Narrative

• Main events
• The Past Simple is used to describe finished
  events in the past.
• Susan went into the station and bought a ticket.

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• Background description
• The Past Continuous is used to describe actions
  still in progress, and is used for background
  description.
• There were a lot of people waiting in the
  station. Some were sleeping on the benches, and
  others were walking up and down. Susan was
  looking for Graham, so she didnt sit down.

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• Past before past
• The Past Perfect is used to describe a past
  event which took place before another past event.
• By the time the train arrived, Susan had managed
  to push her way to the front of the crowd.
• It is not always necessary if a time expression
  makes the order of events clear.
• Before the train arrived, Susan managed to push
  her way to the front of the crowd.

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• Interrupted past continuous
• We often contrast an action still in progress
  with a sudden event which interrupts it.
• While Susan was trying to get onto the platform,
  a man grabbed her handbag.

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• Participle clauses
• - are introduced by the time expressions before,
  after and while. They have the same subject as
  the following clause.
• After struggling with him, Susan pulled the bag
  from his hands.

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Compare these sentences

• When the police arrived, the robbers left the
  bank.
• When the police arrived, the robbers were leaving
  the bank.
• When the police arrived, the robbers had left the
  bank.

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Put the verbs in brackets into a suitable tense.
All sentences refer to past time.

• We (tour) _____ Canada at this time last year.
• I couldnt concentrate because the people
  upstairs (talk) _______ very loudly.
• I (sleep) _______ when the front door rang.
• I wasnt hungry. I (just eat) _________.

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Answers

• We were touring Canada at this time last year.
• I couldnt concentrate because the people
  upstairs were talking very loudly.
• I was sleeping when the front door rang.
• I wasnt hungry. I had just eaten.

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• He was broke. He (spend) _____ all his money.
• It was pouring with rain as she (wonder) _____
  what to do.
• Long ago, they (build) _____ most houses out of
  wood.
• I am writing in connection with the advertisement
  which (appear) ______ on 3 October.
• We went to London last week and (stay) ______ in
  a huge hotel.

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Answers

• He was broke. He had spent all his money.
• It was pouring with rain as she was wondering
  what to do.
• Long ago, they built most houses out of wood.
• I am writing in connection with the advertisement
  which appeared on 3 October.
• We went to London last week and stayed in a huge
  hotel.

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The Past Perfect Continuous

• had been ing
• It is used for a continuous or repeated activity
  that began before another action in the past and
  continued until the other action began. The
  emphasis is on the activity itself and its
  duration.
• Yesterday the police arrested someone they had
  been trying to catch for ten years.

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• He had been playing football for a year when he
  was asked to join the school team.
• The Past Perfect Continuous is used for a past
  activity that stopped recently or just before a
  second past action began.
• I knew they had been swimming because their
  swimming costumes were still wet.

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Put the verbs in brackets into a suitable tense.

• Barry was hot. He (jog) __________.
• Sammy said that he (see) ______ that film before.
• We were so busy talking when we (leave) _____ the
  restaurant, that we forgot to pay for our meal.
• When we looked at the timetable, we saw that the
  last bus (go) _______.

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Answers

• Barry was hot. He had been jogging.
• Sammy said that he had seen that film before.
• We were so busy talking when we left the
  restaurant, that we forgot to pay for our meal.
• When we looked at the timetable, we saw that the
  last bus had gone.

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Habits in the past

• The Past Simple is used to describe past habits
  or states. A time expression is usually
  necessary.
• I always got up at six in those days. (habit)
• I lived in Austria for several years. (state)

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• Used to is used to describe past habits, usually
  in contrast with the present.
• A time expression is not necessary.
• I used to get up at six, but now I get up at
  eight.
• Used to can also describe past states.
• I used to own a horse. (I owned a horse once.)
• Note these forms
• I didnt use to like beer.
• Did you use to swim every day?

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• Would is used to describe a persons typical
  activities in the past. It can only be used to
  describe repeated actions.
• Every evening was the same. Jack would turn on
  the radio, light his pipe and fall asleep.

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• The Past Continuous can be used to describe a
  repeated action in the past, often an annoying
  habit. A frequency adverb is necessary.
• When Peter was younger, he was always getting
  into trouble.

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Politeness and uncertainty

• The Past Continuous with the verb wonder has a
  polite meaning.
• I was wondering if you could help me.
• With the verb think the Past Continuous suggests
  uncertainty.
• I was thinking of having a party next week.

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Choose the most suitable tense.

• I suddenly remembered that I forgot / had
  forgotten my keys.
• While Diana watched /was watching her favourite
  television programme, there was a power-cut.
• Tom used to live / would live in the house at the
  end of the street.
• Who was driving / drove the car at the time of
  the accident?

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• By the time Sheila got back, Chris went / had
  gone.
• David ate / had eaten Japanese food before, so he
  knew what to order.
• I did / was doing some shopping yesterday, when I
  saw that Dutch friend of yours.
• I used to like / was liking sweets much more than
  I do now.
• Tanya would / used to be a doctor.

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The perfect detective

• Connectors and the past simple
• Some connectors arelogical and so show sequence
  clearly. Read the testimonies and list these
  seven connectors.
• 1._______ 2. _______ 3. _______
• 4. _______ 5. _______ 6. _______
• 7. _______

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Answers

• 1. after 2. because 3. before
• 4. although 5.as soon as 6. so 7. once
• After these connectors
• both the past perfect simple and the past simple
  can be used.
• the past perfect simple changes the sequence.
• the past perfect simple emphasises which action
  happened first.

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• Some connectors do not show sequence clearly.
  Read the testimonies and list these connectors.
• ________ 2. ________ 3. ________
• 1.when 2. but 3. and
• After these connectors
• both the past perfect simple and the past simple
  can be used
• the past perfect simple changes the sequence