Past tenses

GRAMMAR REVIEW

Past tenses

ÍNDICE

Past Simple

Past Continuous

Present Perfect

Present Perfect Continuous

Past Perfect

Past Perfect Continuous

Past Simple

We use the past simple to: - talk about something that happened in the past:I met my friends in high school They always enjoyed visiting their friends - Something that was true for some time in the pastI lived abroad for two years - A habitual action over a specific period of time in the pastWhile he was away, he rang hir girlfriend every day.Often used with ago

Regular forms -ed; irregular forms: listNegative: did not / didn't + infinitive Question: Did...? + infinitive

Past Continuous

We use the Past Continuous to talk about the past - for something that happened before another actionThe children were watching TV when I arrived - it is very common at the beginning of a storyYesterday I was going home... - for something that happened before a specific timeIt was eight o'clock. I was taking a shower. - to show that something continued for some timeMy back was hurting - something that happened again and againI was training for the Olimpics - two actions that took place simultaneously in the pastI was cleaning my room while my mum was watching TV - CANNOT be used with state verbs (opinions, feelings, knowledge, senses...)

Made from the past tense of the verb to be (was/were) and the -ing form of a verbOften accompanied by Past Simple (one action is taking place and it is interrupted by another).

Present Perfect

We use it for: - something that started in the past and continues in the present (for/since)They've been married for nearly fifty years. - talking about our experience up to the present: I've seen that movie before He has written three books - Something that happened in the past but is important in the presentI can't get in the house. I've lost my keys.Often used with the adverb ever or never for the negative.This is the best cake I have ever eaten I have never been to Japan.

Formed by the verb have/has and the past participle of a verb. Negative: haven't/hasn't + past participle Question: have/has ... + past participle.

Present Perfect Continuous

We use it for: - showing that an activity has continued for a period of time and may mean that it is still continuingShe has been living in LiverpoolIt's been raining for hours - saying for how long something has been happening:I've been cooking all afternoon - emphasising the activity itself I've been phoning my friends. That's why I havent' done my homework.It CANNOT be used with state verbs. We use the present perfect instead.

Formed with have/has + been + verb with -ingNegative: haven't/hasn't + been + verb with ing Question: have/has ... been + verb with -ing

Past Perfect

We use it for: - indicate that we are talking about an action which took place before another activity or situation in the past (which is described in the past simple): When Mary got home, they had already eaten - Reporting our experience up to a point in the past The first day of holidays was the best day I had ever hadWe often use when, as soon as, after, before...

Formed with had + past participleNegative: hadn't + past participle Question: had ... past participle?

Past Perfect Continuous

We use it when: - talking about an action that started in the past and continued up to another point in the past, but we want to emphasize the process and durationI had been waiting for the bus for 20 minutes before it arrived - The cause of something in the pastJason was tired because he had been joggingIt CANNOT be used with state verbs

Formed with had + been + past participleNegative: hadn't + been + past participle Question: had ... been + past participle