Past tenses

It’s easier to understand when we

use the different past tenses if we
compare them.
Let’s look at:
1. The past simple and the past continuous.
2. The past simple and the past perfect simple.
3. Used to and would.

When do we use the

past simple and the
past continuous?

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 Function: When do we use them?
1. past simple and past I left the swimming pool at 5pm. I
went to watch a weird film at the
continuous
What did you cinema at 5.30pm, and then I
do last night? walked home. I was back in the
house by 7.30pm. You?
I was still studying in the It was a horror movie. Monsters
library at 7.30pm! At around were running around the city
8pm, I was putting my books for the whole film and nothing
away when I remembered really happened. It wasn’t very
about the science test this good!
morning. Why was the film weird?

Look at the past simple past continuous

different uses
For finished An action in An action To give
of the past
actions/events in progress at a interrupted by background or set
simple and the past; or a specific time in another action in the scene for an
continuous in sequence of the past. the past. action/event in a
the table. events. story.
Match the
examples in I left the swimming I was (still) I was putting my Monsters were
bold from the pool, I went to studying at books away running around
conversation to watch a film, then 7.30pm! (when I the city for the
the uses. I walked home. remembered...) whole film.
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 Function: When do we use them?
past simple
1. For finished actions/events in the past; or a sequence of
events. These events all
I left the swimming pool at 5pm. I went to watch a
happened in this
weird film at the cinema at 5.30pm, and then I walked
order.
home.
past continuous
7.30pm is a specific time in the
1. An action in progress at a specific time in the past. past. Look at the timeline:
7.30pm
I was (still) studying in the library at 7.30pm!

I was studying.
2. An action interrupted by another action in the past.
I was putting my books away when I remembered about
The interrupting
the science test this morning.
action is usually
in the past
3. To give background or set the scene for an action/event in simple.
a story.
Monsters were running around the city for the whole When do we use the
film. past perfect?
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 Function: When do we use them?
2. past simple and past perfect simple

I didn’t get home until 10.00pm! When I arrived, my brother had already
gone to bed. I had only eaten an apple before coming home and I had never
felt so hungry, so I made a sandwich and went to sleep.

Look at the next

part of the 10.00pm
conversation. Now
put these events on
the timeline.

I arrived home. My brother had I had

gone to bed. eaten an
I made a I went to sleep. apple.
sandwich.

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 Function: When do we use them?
past simple and past perfect simple
1. For actions, events and situations that happened before another past action.
The main
focus of the
When I arrived, my brother had already gone story is
to bed. here.
10.00pm

I had eaten an apple.

My brother had gone to bed. I made a sandwich.
I arrived home. I went to sleep.

These two actions/situations

happened before the other
actions in blue, so we use the
past perfect simple. This implies ‘in my life’.
It is in the past perfect
2. With ever/never + superlative adjectives. simple because she is
referring to a feeling she
had before the main
I had never felt so hungry. focus of the story (it Something to
happened before consider…
10.00pm).
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Something to consider… Look at the next part
of the conversation.

Earlier in the day, I had been out for lunch with my classmates. We
talked about our English project and made plans for the
following week.

Notice how:
We do not continue talking in the past perfect simple after the first sentence
because the listener now knows what time period the speaker is referring to.

Remember that we don’t

The story continues in the use state verbs in the
past simple tense. continuous tenses (see Unit
1 for more details on this).
When do we use
used to and
would?
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 Function: When do we use them?
3. used to and would
When I was a I remember that! You
teenager, I used to used to have blue hair
rollerblade to and we would point at
school every day. you from the bus!

An
activity/habit.
‘I used to rollerblade A
‘You used to have
every day.’ In this situation/state.
blue hair.’ In this
It was sentence, is this an sentence, is this an
repeated/ activity/habit or a activity/habit or a
a habit. situation/state? situation/state?
‘I used to rollerblade
Take notice every day.’ Was this a An
of when we one-time event or an activity/habi
use used to ‘We would point at
action that was t.
and/or you.’ In this sentence,
repeated/ is this an activity/habit
would here. a habit? or a situation/state?
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 Function: When do we use them?
used to and would
used to would
For past habits or activities. For past habits or activities.
I used to rollerblade to school every day. We would point at you from the bus!
For past situations or states.
You used to have blue hair.

Notice how we can only use

used to for states and We can only use would
situations, e.g. with habits and
activities. We CANNOT
State: She used to have a say, for example, ‘I
Ferrari. would live in New York’,
as this is a situation,
Situation: She used to live in not an activity.
New York.

How do we form
sentences in the past
tenses?
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 Form: How do we make sentences?
past simple past continuous
I left the swimming pool at 5pm. I I was studying. You weren’t Look at the
didn’t eat anything. Did you enjoy the studying. What were you examples
film? doing? and try to
+ subject + verb in past simple + subject + was/were + verb -ing work out the
structures.
- subject + did + not + verb bare infinitive - subject + was/were + not + verb -ing The first one
is done for
? (question word) + did + subject + verb bare infinitive ? (question word) + was/were + subject + you.
verb -ing
past perfect simple used to would
When I arrived home, my brother had I used to rollerblade to We would point at you
gone to bed. I hadn’t eaten. Had you school. I didn’t use to from the bus! We
eaten? walk. Did you use to wouldn’t laugh.
walk?
+ subject + had + past participle + subject + used to + bare + subject + would + bare
infinitive infinitive
- subject + had + not + past participle
- subject + did not (didn’t) - subject + would not
? (question word) + had + subject + past participle + (wouldn’t) + bare
use to + bare infinitive infinitive

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+
 Form: How do we make sentences?
past simple past continuous
I left the swimming pool at 5pm. I I was studying. You weren’t In connected
didn’t eat anything. Did you enjoy the studying. What were you speech, /wɒz/
film? doing? becomes
/wəz/.
+ subject + verb in past simple + subject + was/were + verb -ing
We do not stress the
- subject + did + not + verb bare infinitive - subject + was/were + not + verb -ing to in used to, so we
pronounce it /tə/.
? (question word) + did + subject + verb bare infinitive ? (question word) + was/were + subject +
verb -ing
past perfect simple used to would
When I arrived home, my brother had I used to rollerblade to We would point at you
gone to bed. I hadn’t eaten. Had you school. I didn’t use to from the bus! We
eaten? walk. Did you use to wouldn’t laugh.
walk?
+ subject + had + past participle + subject + used to + bare + subject + would + bare
infinitive infinitive
- subject + had + not + past participle
- subject + did not (didn’t) - subject + would not
? (question word) + had + subject + past participle + (wouldn’t) + bare
Remember that we commonly use use to + bare infinitive infinitive
contractions, e.g. didn’t, hadn’t, Let’s practise!
wasn’t. ? (qu. word) + did + subject
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+
 Practice activities
Correct the errors in these sentences and justify why. Some of the sentences
are correct.
used to
1. My uncle used to be a firefighter. He isn’t very fit now, but he would be when he was younger.
had started
2. Tina started watching the film when I arrived, so I didn’t understand the story at all.

3. It was raining heavily when we left the house.

4. I didn’t use to like vegetables but now I’m vegetarian!

5. A: You didn’t come last night! B: No. When Laura came round, I was already sleeping.
Were you driving called was
6. A: Did you drive when I was calling last night? B: Yes, I did.

7. I looked so tired when I got home because I hadn’t slept very well the night before.
Did move
8. A. Hadn’t your parents moved house last year? B. Yes. They live in the south now.

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