Past Simple

1. Use Past Simple for completed actions in the past (i.e. actions which were
initiated and finished in the past). The speaker may not always the specific time
when the action took place, but he/she has a specific moment in mind.

 I watched a movie last night.

 John washed his car two days ago.
 She went to Sweden last year.

2. A series of completed actions.

 I finished work, walked to the store, and bought a cake for John’s birthday
party.
 He arrived at 9:00 AM, checked into the hotel an hour later, and attended a
meeting at noon.

3. Duration in the past. The Simple Past can be used with a duration which starts and
stops in the past.

 Mary lived in London for two years.

 They spent the whole day at the beach.
 We talked on the phone for thirty minutes.

Note: Present Perfect is also used to express duration. The difference is that when
Simple Past is used, the implication is that the situation is no longer true or
applicable. When Present Perfect is used, the implication is that the action/situation
is still currently applicable.

 Mary lived in London for two years. (she no longer lives in London; she lives
in Scotland now).

 Mary has lived in London for two years. (she still lives in London)

4. Habitual or repeated actions in the past. When used for this purpose, Past Simple
has the same meaning as “used to.” To make it clear that we are talking about a
habit, we often add expressions such as: always, often, usually, never, when I was
a child, when I was younger, etc.

 He played the violin when he was a child. (he used to do this regularly, but
he no longer does)
 He has been playing violin since he was a child. (the action is also
habitual/repeated, but it is still applicable; he still plays violin)
  She was shy as a child, but she is very outgoing now.
 He drank a lot when he was in college, but he is a lot more responsible
now.

5. To tell a story and to express actions which follow each other in a story.

 It happened one night in the middle of the winter.

 She opened the box, took out a small key, and unlocked a secret door
behind a tapestry.

6. To refer to the historical past or to events which happened in the distant past
relative to the speaker.

 World War II ended in 1945.

 William the Conqueror defeated King Harold at Hastings in 1066.

7. To report what someone said (in indirect speech).

 David: “I am very tired.”

 David said he was very tired.

8. In academic writing, the past simple may be used to describe research conducted
in the past if it is not strongly linked to the present situation.

 Brown and Wilson (1995) proposed design rules for tear-out failure in
steel connections.

9. In report writing, past tense verbs may be used in the description of method.

 The researchers surveyed twenty organizations.

 The samples were tested under two different conditions.

They may also be used when reporting findings.

 The survey revealed that...

 Results showed that...
 Past Continuous

1. Use the Past Continuous to indicate that a longer action in the past was
interrupted. The interruption is usually a shorter action in the Simple Past.
Remember this can be a real interruption or just an interruption in time

 I was cooking dinner when my friend arrived.

 She was cleaning her room when the phone rang.

2. We can also use the tense when we talk about an action that had already started
and was still continuing at a particular time

 At 5 o’clock, it was raining cats and dogs here.

Note: With Simple Past, a specific time is used to show when an action began or
finished. When Past Progressive is used instead, the implication was that the action
was under course at a specific time.

 I ate dinner at 6 PM last night. (I started eating at 6)

 I was eating dinner at 6 PM last night. (I started perhaps at 5:45 and was in
process of having dinner at 6).

3. Parallel actions – two actions taking place at the same time in the past (not
sequentially, but simultaneously).

 I was reading while he was watching TV.

 Mary was doing her homework while her sister was cooking dinner.

4. Atmosphere. In English, we often use a series of parallel actions to describe the

atmosphere at a particular time in the past.

 When I walked into the office, several people were busily typing, some were
talking on the phones, the boss was yelling directions, and customers were
waiting to be helped. One customer was yelling at a secretary and waving his
hands. Others were complaining to each other about the bad service.

5. Repetition and irritation with “always.”

 He was constantly talking during movies.

 She was always showing up late.

When + Past Simple

While + Past Progressive
 Past Perfect

1. Completed actions before other actions in the past.

 I did not have any money because I had lost my wallet.

 We finished work so late, the stores had closed, so we couldn’t buy him a
present.
 By the time I got there, the train had already left.

2. Duration before something in the past with non-continuous verbs.

 We had had that car for 12 years before it broke down.

 By the time she finished her studies, she had been in London for 5 years.

3. To indicate past actions in reported speech.

 I didn’t go to the store tonight. She said she had not gone to the store tonight.
 I closed the window because of rain. She explained that she had closed the
window because of rain
 Past Perfect Continuous

1. Duration before something in the past. We use the Past Perfect Continuous to
show that something started in the past and continued up until another time in the
past. Unlike Present Perfect Continuous, the duration does not last until now, but
until a different event in the past.

 She had been watching TV before John got home.

 Mike wanted to sit down because he had been standing all day at work.
 James had been teaching at the university for several years before he took
a corporate job.

2. Cause of something in the past.

 Jane was tired because she had been exercising.

 He failed his Math class because he had not been attending it on a regular
basis.
 Exercise 1 – Past Tense vs. Present Perfect

1. I …….. a great book last week. (read)

2. I …….. three books so far this week. (read)
3. I …….. my keys and had to get in through a window. (lose)
4. I…….. my keys. How am I going to get in? (lose)
5. I …….. my exams in 2008 and went to university. (pass)
6. I …….. my exam ... fantastic! (pass)
7. You should take an umbrella with you. It…….. to rain. (start)
8. It…….. to rain so we decided to stay in. (start)
9. Steve…….. his homework and then went out with his friends. (finish)
10) I…….. my homework. Can I see what’s on TV? (finish)
11) My father…….. in the same house until the day he died. (live)
12) I…….. in this town for the past 3 years. (live)

Exercise 2 – Sentence Transformation

For each question, complete the second sentence so that it means the same as the first.
Use no more than three words.

1. I started my English course 3 weeks ago.

........................................ on this English course for three weeks.

2. I haven't seen John since Friday.

The last time ........................................ John was Friday.

3. The last time Claire went on holiday was five years ago.
Claire ......................................... on holiday for five years.

4. Marie has been married for seven months.

Marie ........................................ seven months ago.

5. Do you know what score you got in the test?

........................................ had the result of your test?

6. I watched one film this morning and one this afternoon.

I ........................................ 2 films so far today.
 Exercise 3 – Past Simple vs. Past Continuous

1. We …….. (go) down the road at 100 kph when the wheel …….. (fall) off.
2. He nearly …….. (have) a heart attack when he …….. (see) the bear.
3. Uncle Ben …….. (get) dressed when he …….. (feel) a sharp pain in his chest.
4. The winning racing driver…….. (shake) the bottle then …….. (take) the cork out.
5. She …….. (fill) in a questionnaire when the pen …….. (run) out of ink.
6. They…….. (watch) TV when the lights …….. (go) off.
7. Mike …….. (not see) his friend because he …….. (face) the other way.

Exercise 4 – Past Simple vs. Past Perfect

1. They…….. (be) amazed. They…….. (never, hear) of this song.

2. If only she…….. (keep) quiet!
3. John…….. (be) upset because his application…….. (be turned down).
4. I…….. (never, eat) such delicious pizza before I…….. (go) to Italy.
5. The show…….. (already, start) when we…….. (get) there.

Exercise 5 - Past Simple, Past Perfect and Past Continuous

Chapter 1

Mr. Sherlock Holmes

Mr. Sherlock Holmes, who …….. (be) usually very late in the mornings, save upon those
not infrequent occasions when he was up all night, was seated at the breakfast table. I
…….. (stand) upon the hearth-rug and …….. (pick up) the stick which our visitor ……..
(leave) behind him the night before. It was a fine, thick piece of wood, bulbous-headed,
of the sort which is known as a “Penang lawyer.” Just under the head …….. (be) a broad
silver band nearly an inch across. “To James Mortimer, M.R.C.S., from his friends of the
C.C.H.,” was …….. (engrave) upon it, with the date “1884.” It was just such a stick as
the old-fashioned family practitioner used to carry – dignified, solid, and reassuring.

“Well, Watson, what do you make of it?”

Holmes …….. (sit) with his back to me, and I …….. (give) him no sign of my
occupation.

“How …….. (you know) what I …….. (do)? I believe you have eyes in the back of your
head.”