PAST TENSES

➢Past Simple
➢Past Continuous
➢Past Perfect
HOMEWORK
 Davis, P., 2017, Solutions Intermediate (3rd Edition) Workbook, Oxford UK,
Oxford University Press, pp. 8-9.

 Page 8 - Exercise 1:

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 1. Toddler: a young child who is just beginning to walk.
 2. Teen: (also teens) the years of a person's age from 13 to 19.
 3. Middle-aged: (of a person) aged about 45 to 65.
 4. Infant: a very young child or baby.
 5. Centenarian: a person who is a hundred or more years old.
 6. Elderly: (of a person) old or ageing.
 7. Young child: having lived or existed for only a short time.
 8. Twenties: the numbers from twenty to twenty-nine, especially the
years of a century or of a person's life.
 Page 8 - Exercise 2:
 Be born
 Start a business
 Fall in love

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 Inherit (money, etc)
 Learn to drive
 Split up
 Go to University
 Get your first job
 Get engaged
 Be brought up (by)
 Move from abroad
• Get married
• Leave school
• Start school
• Settle down

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• Leave home
• Start a family
• Have a change of career
• Become a grandparent
• Grow up
• Pass away
• Buy a house or flat
• Get divorced
• Retire from work
 Page 9 - Exercise 1:

Base form -ing form Past Simple Past Part.

marry marrying married married
fight fighting fought fought

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die dying died died
meet meeting met met
retire retiring retired retired
think thinking thought thought
stop stopping stopped stopped
ride riding rode ridden
fall falling fell fallen
learn learning learned/learnt learned/learnt
 Page 9 – Exercise 2:
 My parents bought/were buying a house just after they got
married.
 John had got engaged/was getting engaged before he left
university.

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 Liam inherited a lot of money and was emigrating/emigrated to
Australia.
 Did Pam phone/Had Pam phoned while you watched/were
watching television?
 I opened the door and stepped/had stepped outside. It
rained/was raining.
 I didn’t know where you were because you weren’t
phoning/didn’t phone.
 I had/’d had this watch for two years when the battery ran out.
 Page 9 - Exercise 3:
 Why did you be angry with Mary?
→ Why were you angry with Mary?
 Had you eaten before you went out? ✓
 I couldn’t go out until I had did my homework.

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→ I couldn’t go out until I had done my homework.
 It wasn’t rain when we left the house.
→ It wasn’t raining when we left the house.
 I wasn’t feeling well this morning. ✓
 We was eating when you phoned.
→ We were eating when you phoned.
 Where had you lunch?
→ Where did you have lunch?
 Page 9 - Exercise 4:
 Jason had been to Italy.
 Jason hadn’t been to Italy.
 Had Jason been to Italy?

 Tom grew up in London.

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 Tom didn’t grow up in London.
 Did Tom grow up in London?

 Her parents split up last year.

 Her parents didn’t split up last year.
 Did her parents split up last year?

 Harry was living in Scotland.

 Harry wasn’t living in Scotland.
 Was Harry living in Scotland?

 Sally had eaten lunch.

 Sally hadn’t eaten lunch.
 Had Sally eaten lunch?
 Page 9 - Exercise 5:
 I couldn’t pay for the pizzas because I had left my money at home.
 I put on my coat and went out.

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 You didn’t understand the question because you didn’t listen.
 When we woke up, everything was white because it had snowed
during the night.
 I borrowed my brother’s jacket because I had lost mine.
 It was a really cold day, but the sun was shining.
 Page 9 - Exercise 6:
 When Sarah Knauss died (die) on 30 December 1999,
 she was living (live) in Pennsylvania, USA,
 where she had spent (spend) all her life.

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 At the time of her death, only one person before her had
lived (live) longer.
 Sarah had (have) one daughter, who was still living (live)
when Sarah died.
 Davis, P., 2017, Solutions Intermediate (3rd Edition)
Student’s Book, Oxford UK, Oxford University Press, p.
13.
 Exercise 2:
 To have a good/bad relationship with → get on with

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 To abandon or live → walk out on
 To complete something → go through with
 To match or equal → live up to
 To use all of your supply of something → run out of
 To agree to do something → sign up for
 To succeed in finding or reaching somebody → catch up with
 To look and act like part of a group → fit in with
 To tolerate or be patient about something → put up with
 Page 13 - Exercise 3
 A three-part phrasal verb has one/two verb(s) and one/two
particles.
 Three-part phrasal verbs are transitive/intransitive (they

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have a direct object).
 The object always goes after/before/between the two
particles.
 In questions, the three parts of the phrasal verb usually stay
together.
 What kind of course did you sign up for?
 Two-part phrasal verbs Three-part phrasal verb

 Look up: search for and find a  Look up to: have a great deal of
piece of information in a book or respect for someone.
database.  Get away with: escape blame,
 Get away: escape; leave one's punishment, or undesirable
home or work for a time of rest or consequences for an act that is

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recreation; go on a holiday. wrong.
 Get up: rise from bed after  Get up to: to do something,
sleeping (see other defs.). often something others would
 Make up: invent a story or plan disapprove of.
(see other defs.).  Make up for: compensate for
 Go in: to enter a place. something lost, missed, or
deficient.
 Go back: to return; to have
existed since a time in the past.  Go in for: to do something
regularly or enjoy something.
 Go back on: fail to keep a
promise.
 Page 13 - Exercise 5:
 We sent her a present to make up for the disappointment of
missing the music festival.
 I like football, but I don’t go in for extreme sports.
 We looked up his name on the Internet to check his story was

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true.
 You said you would take us on holiday this summer – you can’t
go back on your promise!
 Did you get up to anything exciting while your parents were
away?
 Did you make up that story or is it true?
 Page 13 - Exercise 6:
 Which famous people do you admire? → look up to
 Which sports or games do you enjoy? → go in for

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 What did you do last weekend? → get up to
 What kind of behaviour is the most difficult to tolerate? →
put up with
 What kind of people do you find it easiest to be friendly
with? → get on with
 Exercise 1:
 How did you felt/did you feel yesterday afternoon?
 When I got/was getting home I received/was receiving a phone call.
 Last summer I was going swimming/went swimming every weekend.
 When the dog bit/was biting Laura’s leg, she screamed/was
screaming.

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 We sang/sung some songs and then ate/eat some sandwiches.
 When you fell/felt over the cliff, what happened/was happening next?
 While Mary washed-up/was washing-up, she broke/was breaking a
cup.
 I didn’t see/saw where the bus stop was, so I was missing/missed the
bus.
 What did you do/were you doing when I phoned/was phoning you last
night? There was no reply.
 Exercise 2:
 I enjoyed the concert.
→ I didn’t enjoy the concert.
 You ate all the bread.
→ Did you eat all the bread?
 Did John spend a lot?

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→ John spent a lot.
 I felt well yesterday.
→ I didn’t feel well yesterday.
 Anna didn’t buy a car.
→ Anna bought a car.
 They won the prize.
→ Did they win the prize?
 Paul didn’t speak Greek when he was young.
→ Paul spoke Greek when he was young.
 I paid all the bills.
→ I didn’t pay all the bills.
 Exercise 3:
 What was Katrina doing when you knocked on the door?
→ 3. She was listening to the radio in the kitchen.
 How did Brenda spend her holiday?
→ 1. She went sailing most days, and sunbathed at the beach.
 What happened when the lights went out?

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→ 6. While Tina was looking for a torch, they came back on.
 When did you meet Cathy?
→ 5. She came to my brother’s birthday party.
 What did July do when Tony called?
→ 2. She put the phone down.
 Did Suzannah hear what David said?
→ 7. She wasn’t listening.
 What did Lucy do when the bell rang at the end of the lesson?
→ 8. She put her books away and left.
 Why did Alicia leave so early?
→ 4.She went to meet her parents at a restaurant.
 Exercise 4:
 When we had ate lunch, we were sitting in the garden.
→ When we had eaten lunch, we sat in the garden.
 While I looked for my keys, I remembered I left them at home.
→ When I was looking for my keys, I remembered I had left them at home.
 When I got into bed, I was falling asleep immediately.

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→ When I got into bed, I fell asleep immediately.
 When I was finally finding the house, I was knocking at the door.
→ When I’d finally found/found the house, I knocked at the door.
 After Jill was giving Nick his books, she went home.
→ After Jill gave/had given Nick his books, she went home.
 The Vikings had sailed to North America a thousand years ago.
→ The Vikings sailed to North America a thousand years ago.
 Juliet was sure she was seeing the tall man before.
→ Juliet was sure she had seen the tall man before.
 Exercise 5:
The police suspected that Brian (a) had broken (break) the window at his
house
because he (b) wanted (want) to make them think
that a burglar (c) had stolen (steal) his valuable stamp collection.
They (d) thought (think)

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that Brian (e) had done (do) this
because he (f) needed (need) the money.
However, they (g) didn’t know (not know)
that Brian (h) had flown (fly) to Brazil the week before,
and (i) had been (be) abroad
when the burglary (j) took place/had taken place (take place).
TIME EXPRESSIONS
 With the past simple:
 I arrived here two hours ago/in September/last week/at 6.00.
 Helen lived in Madrid for two years.

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 With the past continuous:
 While we were waiting for the train, it started to rain.
 A burglar broke into the house while we were watching television.

WHILE > conjunction. 1. During the time that; at the same

time as.
→ Spanish: mientras.
WHEN
We can use when with the past continuous to mean
“during the time that”:
→ I cut my fingers when I was peeling the potatoes.

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(Sp.: Me corté los dedos cuando pelaba las papas.)

BUT

if it means “at the same time that”, then we only use when
with the past simple:
→ She was happy when she got her exam results.
(Sp.: Se puso contenta cuando recibió el resultado de su examen.)