The document describes different uses of the simple past tense in English including: 1) Describing single or repeated completed actions in the past, 2) Detailing a series of completed past actions, and 3) Using the simple past to interrupt an action that was ongoing in the past progressive/continuous tense such as "They were playing cards when the telephone rang."
The document describes different uses of the simple past tense in English including: 1) Describing single or repeated completed actions in the past, 2) Detailing a series of completed past actions, and 3) Using the simple past to interrupt an action that was ongoing in the past progressive/continuous tense such as "They were playing cards when the telephone rang."
The document describes different uses of the simple past tense in English including: 1) Describing single or repeated completed actions in the past, 2) Detailing a series of completed past actions, and 3) Using the simple past to interrupt an action that was ongoing in the past progressive/continuous tense such as "They were playing cards when the telephone rang."
My parents ate a lot of junk food when they were young.
2. series of completed actions in the past
First I got up, then I had breakfast.
On Sunday my brother and I went to a nice lake. There we met our friends.
We swam in the warm water and played volleyball in the afternoon. Too bad that we had to go home in the evening. We didn't want to go to school on Monday.
3. together with the Past Progressive/Continuous – the Simple
Past interrupted an action which was in progress in the past.
They were playing cards when the telephone rang.
1st action → Past Progressive → were playing
2nd action → Simple Past → rang
While Dennis was reading outside, it started to rain.