Past Simple

&
Past Continuous
Presented by Noom Academy
PAST SIMPLE
TENSE
(-сан4)
STRUCTURE TO BE
+ (S + Ved + O)
+ (S + was/were + O)
I went to school.
I was here.
You worked very hard.
You were inLondon.
- (S + did not + V + O)
- (S + was/were + not + O)
She did not go with me.
It was not there.
We did not work yesterday.
We were not happy.
? (Did + S + V + O)
? (Was/were + S + O)
Did you go to London?
Was she right?
Did they work at home?
Were you later?
 something that happened once in the past:

• I met my wife in 1983.

• We went to Spain for our holidays.
• They got home very late last night.
• When did you meet your wife?
• I didn't see you yesterday.
• The film started at 7:30.
• We arrived home before dark.

*we often use expressions with ago with the past simple:
• I met my wife a long time ago.
 something that happened several times in the
past:

• When I was a boy, I walked a mile to school every day.

• We swam a lot while we were on holiday.
• They always enjoyed visiting their friends.
• Most evenings, we stayed home and watched DVDs.
• Sometimes they went out for a meal.
 something that happened several times in the
past: (used to)

•• When I waswe used
Most evenings, a boy,toIstay at
walked homeaand mile toDVDs.
watch school every day.
• We used to go for a swim every morning.
• We swam a lot while we were on holiday.
•would
They always enjoyed visiting their friends.
Most evenings, he would take the
•They would often visit friends dog for a walk.
Most evenings, we stayed in Europe.
home and watched DVDs.
• Sometimes they went out for a meal.
*We do not normally use would with stative verbs. We use the past simple or used to instead:
He would looked much older than he does now. (Not would look)
We would used to feel very cold in the winter. (Not would feel)
 something that was true for some time in the
past: (long period)

• I lived abroad for ten years.

• He enjoyed being a student.
• She played a lot of tennis when she was younger.
• Did she play tennis when she was younger?
• I lived in Bangkok for 10 years.
• Everybody worked hard through the winter.
• We stayed with our friends in London.
 to talk about an action or a situation—an event
—in the past.

"The wind was howling around the hotel and the rain was pouring
down. It was cold. The door opened and James Bond entered. He took
off his coat, which was very wet, and ordered a drink at the bar. He sat down
in the corner of the lounge and quietly drank his..."
 to refer to the present or future in hypotheses:

It might be dangerous. Suppose they got lost.

 This use is very common in wishes:

I wish it wasn't so cold.

 to talk about the present in a few polite
expressions:

I just hoped you would be able to help me.

I just hoped you would be able to help me.
I just hoped you would be able to help me.
Complete the sentences with the past simple of the verbs in
brackets ( ).
Complete the sentences with the past simple of the verbs in
brackets ( ).

didn't hear
didn't open
didn't feel
didn't like
didn't talk
didn't buy
didn't pay
didn't leave
 to talk about an action or a situation—an event
—in the past.
• The car exploded at 9.30am yesterday. My parents called me yesterday.
• She went to the door. I woke up early this morning.
• We did not hear the telephone. Were you angry?
• Did you see that car? My parent's didn't call me yesterday.
• I lived in that house when I was young. I didn't wake up early this morning.
• He didn't like the movie. Did you wake up early?
• What did you eat for dinner? I was at work yesterday.
• John drove to London on Monday. Did you play tennis last week?
• Mary did not go to work yesterday. Who discovered penicillin?
• We were not late (for the train). Did you watch TV last night?
• Sam played basketball when he was at university.
• Who wrote Don Quixote?
• We did not sing at the concert.
• Where did you go for your holidays?
• They didn't go to Spain this year.
 PAST
CONTINUOUS
(-ж байсан)
STRUCTURE
+ (S + was/were + Ving + O)
I was watching a TV.
You were working hard.
- (S + was/were not + Ving + O)
She was not helping Mary.
We were not joking.
? (Was/were + S + Ving + O)
Where you being silly?
Where they playing football?
 to expresses action at a particular moment in the
past.
• At 8pm yesterday, I was watching TV. She couldn’t come to the party. She was working.

• I was working at 10pm last night.

• They were not playing football at 9am this morning.

• What were you doing at 10pm last night?

• What were you doing when he arrived?

• She was cooking when I telephoned her.

• We were having dinner when it started to rain.

• Ram went home early because it was snowing.

• What were you doing at 8pm last night?

• I was studying.

• We were cleaning the house all morning.

 for something which happened before and after
another action:

• The children were doing their homework when I got home.

• He broke his leg when he were playing rugby.
• She saw Jim as he was driving away.
• When I woke up this morning, it was snowing.
• I was sleeping when you called me.

Compare: The children did their homework when (= after) I got home.
 for something that happened before and after a
specific time:

• It was eight o'clock. I was writing a letter.

• It was just after ten. I was watching the news on TV.
• At half-time we were losing 1-0.

Compare: At eight o'clock I wrote (= started writing) some letters.

 at the beginning of a story:

• The other day I was waiting for a bus when …

• Last week, as I was driving to work, …
 to show that something continued for some
time:

• My head was aching.

• Everyone was shouting.
 for something that happened again and again:

• I was practising every day, three times a day.

• They were meeting secretly after school.
• They were always quarrelling.
 for something which happened before and after
another action:

• The children were doing their homework when I got home.

Compare: The children did their homework when (= after) I got

home.
 with verbs which show change or growth:

• The children were growing up quickly.

• Her English was improving.
• My hair was going grey.
• The town was changing quickly.
 When to use Past Simple
1.What ___ at eight o'clock last night? 3. When I got to work, I realised that I ___ my
a) you were doing watch.
b) you doing a) were not wearing
c) were you doing b) was not wearing
c) wasn't wearing
2. The police stopped Willis as ___ to the
airport. 4. Where ___ when they had their first child?
a) was driving a) were Rob and Rebbeca living
b) he was driving b) Rob and Rebbeca were living
c) he is driving c) living Rob and Rebbeca
 Choose the right combinations of words

1.Anyway, what ___ about? I can't remember. 3. One of our teachers told us that we ___
a) were I talking hard enough.
b)was I talking a) not were working
c) I were talking b) weren't working
c) were not working
2. By the time we got to the party, ___ home.
a) everone was going home 4. Jules ___ in and out of love when he was a
b) was everyone going young man.
c) was going everyone a) was always falling
b) was falling always
always was falling
 Past Simple vs
Past Continuous
was watching TV at 8pm. -------8pm-------- (long action)
You telephoned at 8pm. (short action)

I was watching TV when you telephoned. ("when you telephoned" is also a way of
defining the time [8pm]

We use:
when + short action (simple past tense)
while + long action (past continuous tense)
 Past Simple vs
Past Continuous
was watching TV at 8pm. -------8pm-------- (long action)
You telephoned at 8pm. (short action)

I was watching TV when you telephoned. ("when you telephoned" is also a way of
defining the time [8pm]

We use:
when + short action (simple past tense)
while + long action (past continuous tense)
 Past Perfect &
Past Perfect Continuous

Presented by Noom Academy

PAST PERFECT
TENSE
(-чихсан байсан)
STRUCTURE
+ (S + had + Ved + O)
I had finished my work.
You had stopped before me.
- (S + had not + Ved + O)
He hadn’t gone to school.
We hadn’t left.
? (Had + S + Ved + O)
Had you arrived?
Had they eaten dinner?
 expresses action in the past before another
action in the past.
• The train had left when we arrived.
• I wasn’t hungry. I had just eaten.
• They were hungry. They had not eaten for five hours.
• I didn’t know who he was. I had never seen him before.
• Mary wasn’t at home when I arrived.
• Really? Where has she gone?
• He couldn't make a sandwich because he'd forgotten to buy bread.
• The hotel was full, so I was glad that we'd booked in advance.
• My new job wasn't exactly what I’d expected.
 in reported speech after verbs like:
said, told, asked, thought, wondered

• He told us that the train had left.

• I thought I had met her before, but I was wrong.
• He explained that he had closed the window because
of the rain.
• I wondered if I had been there before.
• I asked them why they had not finished.
 to talk about time up a certain point in the past.

• She'd published her first poem by the time she

was eight. 
• We'd finished all the water before we were
halfway up the mountain.
• Had the parcel arrived when you called
yesterday?
 to show the order of two past events.

• When the police arrived, the thief had escaped.

• The thief had escaped when the police arrived.
 with adverbs
already, still, just, ever, or never

• I called his office but he'd already left.

• It still hadn't rained at the beginning of May.
• I went to visit her when she'd just moved to Berlin.
• It was the most beautiful photo I'd ever seen.
• Had you ever visited London when you moved there?
• I'd never met anyone from California before I met Jim.
PAST PERFECT
CONTINUOUS
(-саар байсан)
STRUCTURE
+ (S + had + been + Ving + O)
I had been working.
I had been playing tennis.
- (S + had not + been + Ving + O)
It hadn’t been working well.
We hadn’t been expecting her.
? (Had + S + been + Ving + O)
Had you been drinking?
Had they been waiting long?
 express longer actions in the past before another action
in the past.

• John was very tired. He had been running.

• I could smell cigarettes. Somebody had been smoking.
• Suddenly, my car broke down. I was not surprised. It had not been
running well for a long time.
• Had the pilot been drinking before the crash?
• I am angry. I had been waiting for 2 hours.
• Ram was angry. He had been waiting for 2 hours.
 duration before something in the past

• They had been talking for over an hour before Tony arrived.

• She had been working at that company for three years when it went out of
business.
• How long had you been waiting to get on the bus? 
• Mike wanted to sit down because he had been standing all day at work. 
• James had been teaching at the university for more than a year before he
left for Asia.
• A: How long had you been studying Turkish before you moved to Ankara?
B: I had not been studying Turkish very long
 cause of something in the past

• Jason was tired because he had been jogging.

• Sam gained weight because he had been overeating.
• Betty failed the final test because she had not been
attending class.
 Thank You
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