Egyptian British International School

English Department – Year 6

Past Tenses
 Simple Past

Simple Past Forms

The simple past is formed using the verb + ed. In addition, there are many verbs with irregular
past forms. Questions are made with did and negative forms are made with did not.

 Statement: You called Debbie.
 Question: Did you call Debbie?
 Negative: You did not call Debbie.

Simple Past Uses

Use the simple past to express the idea that an action started and finished at a specific time in the
past. Sometimes, the speaker may not actually mention the specific time, but they do have one
specific time in mind.

Example 1

Last night, George was at a restaurant with Clara, Charlie, and Katherine. After dinner, George
announced his engagement to Clara. George stood next to Clara. He raised his glass. He
announced the engagement to his friends. He looked very happy!

Clara was also at the restaurant. She sat at the table next to George. She smiled when he
announced the engagement. She showed her friends her ring. It was very beautiful. Clara also
looked very happy!
We use the simple past to list a series of completed actions in the past. These actions happen 1st,
2nd, 3rd, 4th, and so on.

Examples:

 I finished work, walked to the beach, and found a nice place to swim.

 He arrived from the airport at 8:00, checked into the hotel at 9:00, and met the others at
10:00.
 Did you add flour, pour in the milk, and then add the eggs?

Example 2

Last week, Beth baked a cake for Lilly's birthday party. Lilly wanted a strawberry cake with pink
frosting. Beth was happy to bake the cake. Beth mixed the ingredients in a big bowl, poured the
cake batter into four round baking pans and put the pans in the oven. Finally, she baked the
cakes for 20 minutes. 

USE 3 Habits in the Past

The simple past can also be used to describe a habit which stopped in the past. It can have 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.

Examples:

 I studied French when I was a child.

 He played the violin.
 He didn't play the piano when I was a kid.
 Did you play a musical instrument when you were a kid?
 She worked at the movie theater after school.
 They never went to school, they always skipped class.
  Past Continuous

Past Continuous Forms

The past continuous is formed using was/were + present participle. Questions are indicated by
inverting the subject and was/were. Negatives are made with not.

 Statement: You were studying when she called.

 Question: Were you studying when she called?
 Negative: You were not studying when she called.

Past Continuous Uses

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.

Examples:

 I was watching TV when suddenly something unexpected happened.

 While we were having the picnic, it started to rain.
 I was listening to my iPod, so I didn't hear the intimidating sounds that started to fill the
place.
 While John was sleeping , someone stole his car.
 A shocking surprise was waiting for us when we entered that abandoned house.
 While I was trying to escape, the vampire suddenly appeared in front of me.

In USE 1, described above, the past continuous is interrupted by a shorter action in the simple
past. However, you can also use a specific time as an interruption.

Examples:

 It was 6 PM when I was eating dinner.

 At midnight, we were still driving through the desert.
When you use the past continuous with two actions in the same sentence, it expresses the idea
that both actions were happening at the same time. The actions are parallel.

Examples:

 While Ellen was reading, Tim was watching television.

 I wasn't paying attention while Edward was screaming for help.
 Thomas wasn't listening, and I wasn't listening either.
 They were eating dinner, dancing, and having a good time when something unexpected
happened.

USE 4 Atmosphere (setting the scene of a story)

In English, we often use a series of parallel actions to describe the atmosphere at a particular
time in the past.

Example:

 John Smith was driving along a dark, deserted road one foggy afternoon. It was snowing
heavily and he could barely see a thing. The wind was howling through the trees

Past Progressive Story

Who was she? Where was she? What was happening?

Yesterday, it was raining and thundering all day. Ann was playing inside the house. She
wanted to be outside. She wasn't playing outside because it was raining. She was feeling tired
of being trapped inside the house. 

Ann was trying to keep busy inside the house. She was reading her book until the electricity
suddenly went out. Then, she decided to practice her sewing. She was practicing sewing until
lunchtime. After lunch, she sat by the window and watched the rain.

While Ann was watching the rain, the phone rang. Her mother was calling to say she was
coming home. She was bringing a new game. Ann and her mother ate ice cream and played the
game. 

While they were playing, the rain stopped! But Ann didn't even notice. She was having such a
good time with her mom!
  Past Perfect

Past Perfect Forms

The past perfect is formed using had + past participle. Questions are indicated by inverting the
subject and had. Negatives are made with not.

 Statement: You had studied English before you moved to New York.

 Question: Had you studied English before you moved to New York?
 Negative: You had not studied English before you moved to New York.

Past Perfect Uses

USE 1 Completed Action Before Something in the Past

The past perfect expresses the idea that something occurred before another action in the past. It
can also show that something happened before a specific time in the past.

Examples:

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

 Tony knew Istanbul so well because he had visited the city several times.
 She only understood the movie because she had read the book.
 Kristine had never been on a camp before that time.
 We were not able to get a hotel room because we had not booked in advance.

Examples:

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

 By the time Alex finished his studies, he had been in London for over eight years.
 They felt bad about selling the house because they had owned it for more than forty
years.
 Past perfect story 1

Last night, Dane and Emily danced in a competition. They danced a salsa dance. They
had practiced for 6 months before they danced in the competition. They were very good.

Dane and Emily's friends were in the audience. Before that night, they had never seen
Dane and Emily dance. In fact, Dane and Emily had never danced in front of anyone
before the competition. 

After everyone had danced, the judges announced the winners. Dane and Emily won!
They were the best dancers in the competition. Emily said she had never practiced so
hard before! She was glad they had practiced a lot. 

 Past perfect story 2

Last weekend, Mark and Trisha went on a date. Mark took Trisha to the golf course.
Mark loved to golf. He had learned to golf as a child. He had even played on a team in
high school.

Before that day, Trisha had never golfed. She did not know how to hold the golf club.
She did not know the rules. 

Mark taught Trisha how to play. After Trisha had learned the basics, she hit the ball. It
was a good hit! Mark had taught Trisha well.
 Narrative tenses
Exercise 1
Put each verb in brackets into a suitable past form.
This time last year I _____________ (.cycle) in the rain along a country road in France with a
friend of mine. We____________ ( decide) to go on a cycling holiday in Normandy. Neither of
us______________ ( be) to France before, but we _______ (manage)to brush up on the basics
before the trip. Now we ___________(wonder) if we ___________ ( make) the right decision.
We______________ (plan) our route carefully in advance, but we_____________ ( forget) one
important thing, the weather. It_________ ( rain) a lot since our arrival and that night
we___________(end up) sleeping in the waiting room at a railway station. Then the next
morning as we ____________ (. ride) down a steep hill, my bike __________(skid)on the
wet road and I _____________( fall off) . I _______(realise) immediately that I________
(break) my arm, and after a visit to the local hospital, I ____________(catch) the next train to
Calais for the ferry home. Unfortunately my parents ______________ ( not expect) me home for
a fortnight, and ____________(go) away on holiday. So I _______________( spend) a
miserable couple of weeks along, reading “Teach yourself French”.

______________________________________________________________________________

Exercises 2

Correct the verb between brackets:

Last summer I _____________(take) a three-week survival course. The purpose of the course
was to teach us how to survive outdoors .I _________________(sleep) outdoors before the
course, and here I was, learning to make a fire, navigate and find food in the forest.
The part that I ____________(like) the most __________(be) catching our own
fish and cooking them over a fire. While I _____________(do) the course, I realised how much
people depend on modern Technology. They____________(think) that they couldn’t survive
without it, but they _________(can) if they __________(learn) how. It was the greatest
experience in my whole life.
 Mystery Stories
Exercise 3
A. Write the verbs in the Simple Past, Past Continuous or Past Perfect.
Last night I _________________ (walk) home next to the river Thames, when something strange
_________________ (happen) to me. It was late at night and I _________________ (have) a
long and difficult day at work. There was a large full moon in the sky and everything was quiet. I
was tired and lonely and I _________________ (just have) a few pints of beer in my local pub,
so I decided to stop by the riverside and look at the moon for a while.
I _________________ (sit) on some steps very close to the water’s edge and looked up at the big
yellow moon. I felt very tired so I _________________ (close) my eyes and after a few minutes,
I _________________ (fall) asleep. When I woke up, the moon _________________ (move)
behind a cloud and it was very dark and cold. The wind _________________ (blow) and an owl
_________________ (hoot) in a tree above me. I rubbed my eyes and _______________(get up)
when suddenly I _________________ (hear) a splash. I _________________ (look) down at the
water and saw something. Something terrible and frightening, and unlike anything I’d
ever seen before. Something _________________ (come) out of the
water and _________________ (move) towards me.
Something green and strange and ugly. It was a long
green arm and it _________________ (stretch) out
from the water to grab my leg. I was so scared that I
couldn’t move. I _________________ (never be) so
scared in my whole life. The cold green hand
_________________ (move) closer and closer when suddenly there
was a blue flash and a strange noise from behind me. Someone
_________________ (jump) onto the stairs next to me. He
_________________ (wear) strange clothes and he had a crazy look in his eyes.
He shouted “Get Back!” and _________________ (point) something at the monster in
the water. There was a bright flash and the monster hissed and disappeared.
I looked up at the man. He looked strange, but kind. “Don’t fall asleep by the river
when there’s a full moon”, he said “The Moon Goblins will get you.” I
_________________ (never hear) of moon goblins before. I didn’t know what to
do. “Who… who are you?” I asked him. “You can call me… The Doctor.” He said.
I _________________ (try) to think of something else to say when he turned around
and said, “Watch the stars at night, and be careful of the full moon”. I was trying to
understand what he meant, when there was another blue flash and I closed my eyes.
When I opened them again, he _________________ (go).
I couldn’t believe what _________________(happen). What on earth were Moon
Goblins, and who was the mysterious Doctor? And why had he saved me? I was
determined to find the answers
to these strange questions. I stood up, looked at the moon and quickly walked home.
 Exercise 4
Complete the gaps with the verbs from the brackets in Past Simple, Past Continuous or
Past Perfect.
1. I __________ (walk) down the street yesterday, when I __________ (saw) a girl who
__________ (cry). When I __________ (ask) her why she __________ (cry), she
__________ (tell) me that she __________ (lose) her parents and that she __________
(be) very afraid.
2. Mary __________ (move) out of her parents’ house three years before her father
__________ (decide) to sell it. However, when she __________ (learn) about her
father’s decision, she __________ (feel) sad. Nevertheless, she understood that her
parents __________ (get) older and that they __________ (not/need) such a big house
anymore.
3. It __________ (be) 11 pm and John Bishop __________ (sit) in the bushes outside the
Browns’ residence. He __________ (prepare) his plan two days earlier. When he
__________ (see) Mr and Mrs Brown leaving the house, he __________ (jump) out of
the bushes and __________ (run) to the door. He __________ (pick) the lock and
__________ (go) inside. Unfortunately for him, an angry pit bull __________ (wait) in
the hall.
4. My dad always __________ (hate) my boyfriend, Jim. However, when we __________
(decide) to move in together, he __________ (call) me and __________ (say) that he
__________ (never/like) him, but he __________ (trust) my judgement. It’s funny,
because when he __________ (call) me, Jim and I __________ (argue).
5. Daniel is a very nice person now, but he __________ (be) different several years ago.
He __________ (spend) time with a gang of rough boys, __________ (steal) radios
from parked cars, and __________ (get) into fights very often. However, one day while
he __________ (walk) home, he __________ (meet) a beautiful girl from a Catholic
school. After he __________ (meet) her, he __________ (change) for her completely.
6. When I __________ (be) a little boy, I __________ (have) a dog, which I __________
(find) on the street. We __________ (go) for long walks every day. Once, while we
__________ (walk) back home, a man __________ (approached) me and __________
(try) to mug me. My dog __________ (bite) him in the bottom and the man
__________ (start) running away. As he __________ (run), my dog __________ (bark)
at him.
7. Jenny and Ken __________ (meet) at a party in 2007. At that time Ken __________
(have) a girlfriend, but Jenny __________ (have/never) a boyfriend before. It
__________ (be) love at first sight. When Ken __________ (see) Jenny, he __________
(ask) her to dance with him. As they __________ (dance), Ken’s girlfriend __________
(come) to the party. She __________ (start) shouting at Ken and __________ (remind)
him that he __________ (promise) to never leave her for another girl.

Randy __________(drive) his new Porsche to visit his parents. He__________(buy) the car only
two days earlier. It __________(be) late at night and it __________ (rain) earlier, so the road
__________ (be) slippery. However, he __________(want) to get to his destination as soon as
possible, so he __________ (drive) very fast. Suddenly, while he __________ (go) through a
forest, something __________ (jump) on the road. In order not to hit it, Randy__________
(step) on the breaks. He __________(lose) control of the car and __________ (hit) a tree.
Answers: Exercise 1
Put each verb in brackets into a suitable past form.
This time last year I (1. cycle)…was cycling…..in the rain along a country
road in France with a friend of mine. We (2. decide)…had decided….to go
on a cycling holiday in Normandy. Neither of us (3. be)…had been…..to
France before, but we (4. know)…knew….some French from our time at
school and we (5. manage)…had managed…………..to brush up on the
basics before the trip. Now we (6. wonder)were wondering…if we (7.
make)…had made…..the right decision. We (8.plan)had planned……..our
route carefully in advance, but we (9. forget)had forgotten……one important
thing, the weather. It (10. rain)…had rained………a lot
since our arrival and that night we (11. end up)……ended..sleeping in the
waiting room at a railway station. Then the next morning as we (12.
ride)were riding….down a steep hill my bike (13.skid)…skidded…on the
wet road and I (14. fall off)…fell… I (15.realise)…realised….immediately
that I (16. break)had broken…….my arm, and after a visit to the local
hospital I (17. catch)…caught….the next train to Calais for the ferry home.
Unfortunately my parents (18. not expect) …were not expecting/didn’t
expect……..me home for a fortnight, and (19. go)had gone…..away on
holiday. So I (20. spend)spent…..a miserable couple of weeks along, reading
“Teach yourself French”.

Exercise 2
Last summer I took a three-week survival course. The purpose of the course was to teach us how

to survive outdoors.I had never slept outdoors before the course, and here I was, learning to

make a fire, navigate and find food in the forest. The part that I liked the most was catching our

own fish and cooking them

over a fire. While I was doing the course, I realised how much people depend on modern

technology. They thought that they couldn’t survive without it-but they could if they learned

how. It was the great est experience in my whole life.

The mystery story:
Last night I was walking home next to the river Thames, when something strange happened to
me. It was late at night and I’d had a long and difficult day at work. There was a large full moon
in the sky and everything was quiet. I was tired and lonely and I’d just had a few pints of beer in
my local pub, so I decided to stop by the riverside and look at the moon for a while. I sat on
some steps very close to the water’s edge and looked up at the big yellow moon and wondered if
it really was made of cheese. I felt very tired so I closed my eyes and after a few minutes, I fell
asleep.
When I woke up, the moon had moved behind a cloud and it was very dark and cold. The wind
was blowing and an owl hooted in a tree above me. I rubbed my eyes and started to get up, when
suddenly I heard a splash. I looked down at the water and saw something. Something terrible
and frightening, and unlike anything I’d ever seen before. Something was coming out of the
water and moving towards me. Something green and strange and ugly. It was a long green arm
and it was stretching out from the water to grab my leg. I was so scared that I couldn’t move. I’d
never been so scared in my whole life. The cold green hand was moving closer and closer when
suddenly there was a blue flash and a strange noise from behind me. Someone jumped onto the
stairs next to me. He was wearing strange clothes and he had a crazy look in his eyes. He
shouted “Get Back!” and pointed something at the monster in the water. There was a bright
flash and the monster hissed and disappeared.
I looked up at the man. He looked strange, but kind. “Don’t fall asleep by the river when there’s
a full moon”, he said “The Moon Goblins will get you.” I’d never heard of moon goblins before.
I didn’t know what to do. “Who… who are you?” I asked him. “You can call me… The Doctor.”
He said. I was trying to think of something else to say when he turned around and said, “Watch
the stars at night, and be careful of the full moon”. I was trying to understand what he meant,
when there was another blue flash and I closed my eyes. When I opened them again, he had
gone.
I couldn’t believe what had happened. What on earth were Moon Goblins, and who was the
mysterious Doctor? And why had he saved me? I was determined to find the answers to these
strange questions. I stood up, looked at the moon and quickly walked home.

Exercise 4
 Complete the gaps with the verbs from the brackets in Past Simple, Past Continuous or
Past Perfect.
Answer Key:
1. I WAS WALKING (walk) down the street yesterday, when I SAW (saw) a girl who
WAS CRYING (cry). When I ASKED (ask) her why she WAS CRYING (cry), she
TOLD (tell) me that she HAD LOST (lose) her parents and that she WAS (be) very
afraid.
2. Mary HAD MOVED (move) out of her parents’ house three years before her father
DECIDED (decide) to sell it. However, when she LEARNED (learn) about her father’s
decision, she FELT (feel) sad. Nevertheless, she understood that her parents WERE
GETTING (get) older and that they DIDN’T NEED (not/need) such a big house
anymore.
3. It WAS (be) 11 pm and John Bishop WAS SITTING (sit) in the bushes outside the
Browns’ residence. He HAD PREPARED (prepare) his plan two days earlier. When he
SAW (see) Mr and Mrs Brown leaving the house, he JUMPED (jump) out of the bushes
and RAN (run) to the door. He PICKED (pick) the lock and WENT (go) inside.
Unfortunately for him, an angry pit bull WAS WAITING (wait) in the hall.
4. My dad always HATED (hate) my boyfriend, Jim. However, when we DECIDED
(decide) to move in together, he CALLED (call) me and SAID (say) that he Had
NEVER LIKED (never/like) him, but he TRUSTED (trust) my judgement. It’s funny,
because when he CALLED (call), Jim and I WERE ARGUING (argue).
5. Daniel is a very nice person now, but he WAS (be) different several years ago. He
SPENT (spend) time with a gang of rough boys, STOLE (steal) radios from parked cars,
and GOT (get) into fights very often. However, one day while he WAS WALKING
(walk) home, he MET (meet) a beautiful girl from a Catholic school. After he HAD
MET (meet) her, he CHANGED (change) for her completely.
6. When I WAS (be) a little boy, I HAD (have) a dog, which I HAD FOUND (find) on the
street. We WENT (go) for long walks every day. Once, while we WERE WALKING
(walk) back home, a man APPROACHED (approached) me and TRIED (try) to mug
me. My dog BIT (bite) him in the bottom and the man STARTED (start) running away.
As he WAS RUNNING (run), my dog WAS BARKING (bark) at him.
7. Jenny and Ken MET (meet) at a party in 2007. At that time Ken HAD (have) a
girlfriend, but Jenny HAD NEVER HAD (have/never) a boyfriend before. It WAS (be)
love at first sight. When Ken SAW (see) Jenny, he ASKED (ask) her to dance with him.
As they WERE DANCING (dance), Ken’s girlfriend CAME (come) to the party. She
STARTED (start) shouting at Ken and REMINDED (remind) him that he HAD
PROMISED (promise) to never leave her for another girl.
8. Randy WAS DRIVING (drive) his new Porsche to visit his parents. He HAD BOUGHT
(buy) the car only two days earlier. It WAS (be) late at night and it HAD RAINED (rain)
earlier, so the road WAS (be) slippery. However, he WANTED (want) to get to his
destination as soon as possible, so he WAS DRIVING (drive) very fast. Suddenly, while
he WAS GOING (go) through a forest, something JUMPED (jump) on the road. In
order not to hit it, Randy STEPPED (step) on the breaks. He LOST (lose) control of the
car and HIT (hit) a tree.