PAST TENSES

Martina Terranova, prof.

PAST SIMPLE

PAST CONTINUOUS

PAST PERFECT SIMPLE

Identify tenses in the following examples

When I reached the front…

PAST SIMPLE

…the police had stopped the traffic.

PAST PERFECT SIMPLE

…two teenagers were walking along the street.

PAST CONTINUOUS

…I asked one of the cops a question.

PAST SIMPLE
PAST SIMPLE
We use it:
 to describe finished actions
ex. The judge (start) the job in 1998.
started
 to tell the main events in a story in order
ex. I (run) forward and (push) the crowd.
ran pushed

Time expressions
yesterday two days/months/years ago
a month/year ago last night/Sunday
when I was 5 in October/1996
PAST CONTINUOUS
We use it:
• to describe things which were in progress
at a specific time in the past
ex. I (jog) at 10 o’clock last night.
was jogging
• for temporary past situations
ex. You (stay) in Ohio.
were staying
• for longer actions interrupted by shorter ones
ex. She (run) when she saw some people.
was running
 PAST SIMPLE VS. PAST CONTINUOUS

Use the Past Simple, NOT the Past

Continuous to talk about finished actions
even if they lasted for a long time.
ex. They spent 45 days in jail.
NOT They were spending 45 days in jail.
PAST PERFECT SIMPLE

FORM:
had/hadn’t + past participle of the main verb
ex. I (not see) him before that day.
hadn’t seen
We use it:
o to talk about an action that happened
before another action in the past
ex.They were doing it because they (steal) a statue.
had stolen
 STOP AND CHECK
Step 1 Identify the tenses.
Step 2 Which activity happened
before / after / at the same time?

When we got to the court….

…the judge sentenced the criminals.
after
…the judge had sentenced the criminals.
before
…the judge was sentencing the criminals.
at the same time
Let’s do some practice!
Check your answers!

1. When he crashed the car,

a. he was driving at 160 kph.
b. he had drunk six bottles of beer.
c. an ambulance arrived and took him to hospital.

2. When the judge returned to the courtroom,

a. everyone immediately stood up.
b. she had made her decision.
c. the journalists were still writing their reports.
3. When she came out of the prison gate,
a. she had learnt her lesson.
b. her husband was waiting for her.
c. she kissed her husband and then they went home.