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PAST TENSES AND USED TO
1. Past simple
Statement: S + V_ed He played tennis.
Form Negative: S + did not + verb She didn’t play tennis.
Question: Did + S + verb? Did you play tennis?
Use Example
Single completed actions Tom and I played a game of chess and he won.
Repeated actions in the past I went to the theatre four times last month
General truths and facts about the Crosswords didn’t become popular until the 1930s.
past
The main events in a story (give The burglar came in through the front door, picked
series of actions in the order that they up the women’s handbag, emptied it out and stole
happened) her purse.
Helpful hints
The past simple is often used with the following words and phrases:
yesterday, last week/summer/year/etc, in + [time in the past], an hour/a week/a year ago,
etc.
We can also use did in the past simple statement for emphasis.
Why didn’t you win your match yesterday? “I did win. Who told you I
didn’t?”
We lost 5-0 but at least we did get into the final.
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19/09/2023
PAST TENSES AND USED TO
Past simple Present perfect simple
Only talks about the past: Links the past with the present:
I made notes on the most I’ve made quite a lot of notes. (at
important things. (when I did the some point before now and I may
reading and I’ve finished making make more notes)
note)
States a specific past time, or the time Does not talk about a specific time in
is understood: the past:
I read the leaflets when I was in Have you read the leaflets? (at
the library. (I’m not in the library sometime before now)
now and the reading is finished)
Uses time expressions that show the Uses time expressions that show the
time is finished: time period is unfinished:
I read five books last week. (last I’ve read six article this week. (the
week has finished) week isn’t finished)
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PAST TENSES AND USED TO
2. Past continuous
(+): S + was/were + V_ing He was watching the news.
(-): S + was/were not + V_ing I wasn’t watching the news.
Form
(?): Was/were+ S + V_ing? Were you watching the news?
Use Example
Actions that happening at a particular At 10 am yesterday, I was reading my new book
moment in the past
Two actions in progress at the same Were Ulla and her friends playing Monopoly
time while we were playing Draughts?
Background information in a story The sun was shining and the birds were singing.
Lisa open the window and looked out.
Watch out!
When one action in the past interrupts another action in progress, we use the past
simple and the past continuous together.
I was playing on my computer when it suddenly crashed.
We do not use the past continuous for regular or repeated actions in the past.
When we were on holiday, we played volleyball every day.
When we were on holiday, we were playing volleyball every day.
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PAST TENSES AND USED TO
When we want to emphasize the activity without focusing on its completion, we use
past continuous. Compare:
Past continuous Past simple
For a while last year, I was working at Last year, I worked at the cinema,
the cinema, studying for my degree studied for my degree and wrote a
and writing a column for the local column for the local newspaper.
newspaper.
(we don’t know if the actions were (suggests all the jobs are now complete,
completed or not, or whether they and probably happened in that order)
happened at the same time)
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PAST TENSES AND USED TO
3. Past perfect simple
(+): S + had + past participle He had watched the news.
(-): S + had not + past participle I hadn’t watched the news.
Form
(?): Had + S + past participle? Had you watched the news?
Use Example
Situations and states before the past We had lived next to the gym for a couple of
months before I decided to join.
Complete actions where the important We didn’t feel like play Scrabble because we had
thing is the result at a moment in the just finished a long game of monopoly.
past
Completed actions before a moment in I had already bought the computer game when I
the past saw it was cheaper in another shop.
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PAST TENSES AND USED TO
Watch out!
There is often little or no difference in meaning between the past perfect simple
and the past simple.
We’d lived next to the gym for a couple of months before I decided to join.
We lived next to the gym for a couple of months before I decided to join.
After we have used the past perfect simple once, we often then use the past simple
instead of continuing to use the past perfect.
I had already had one flying lesson, which was great fun, and I knew
immediately that I wanted to get my pilot’s license.
⚠ Notice the different meaning between these two sentences:
When I got home, my husband cooked dinner.
When I got home, my husband had cooked dinner.
4. Past perfect continuous
(+): S + had been + V_ing She had been studying for ages.
(-): S + had not been+ V_ing He hadn’t been studying for long.
Form
(?): Had + S + been V_ing? Had you been studying for long?
Use Example
Actions continuing up to a moment in When you saw us, we had been running for six
the past miles – and we still had a mile to go.
Actions stopping just before a moment Sarah looked tired becase she had been
in the past exercising all morning.
Watch out!
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The past perfect simple pften emphasises the result of an action:
She’d written an article for the school newspaper. (= she’d finished it)
The past perfect continuous often emphasises the action, and the time spent on the
action, rather than the result:
She’d been writing an article for the newspaper. (= she’d started, but she
hadn’t finished it)
5. Would and used to
We use used to + bare infinitive to talk about permanent situations that are usually
no longer true.
Bill Murphy used to work for the police force. (but he doesn’t now: not Bill
Murphy would work for the police force.)
6. Be/get used to
We use be/get used to + V_ing / noun to talk about a situation that is familiar or no
longer strange.
I didn’t like being the goalkeeper at first but now I’m used to it.
⚠ When we want to talk about the process of ecoming familiar with something, we
use get used to.
I’m gradually getting used to being in a new team.
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