past time

past simple basic use

Use past simple
r for finished events in the past which have a definite time
ln 1969 the first men landed on the Moon.
I in narrative.
The door opened and two boys came into the room.
o for past habits and routines, usually with a time expression
Few people in Victorian times took a bath every day.

Many common verbs have irregular past forms which have to be learnt. Always check in
a dictionary if you are not sure of the past form.

other uses of past simple

o Past simple can also be used for very recent events, without a time expression.
What happened to you? Someone hit me!
o past simple is also used in conditional sentences and with it's time (see Units 10, 11,12)
It's time we left.

past continuous basic use

Use past continuous
o to describe a continuing unfinished action in the past.
t looked out of the window and saw that it was raining.
Whenever I visited him, he was working in his garden.

o fora continuing unfinished action interrupted by a sudden past action.

White we were getting ready to go out, the rain suddenly stopped.
While I was getting ready for bed, the doorbell rang.

o for activities as background description.

Helen looked down into the busy street. Crowds of people were pushing along the pavements,
and cars were hooting.
o for two continuing events happening at the same time.
While Jim was painting the outside of the house, Sarah was decorating the bedrooms.

other uses of past continuous

Past continuous can also be used
o to emphasize that an action was still continuing.
They started producing the car in 1946 and were still producing it thirty years later.

o to describe a changing situaiion (see Unit 2).

It was becoming more and more difficult to find work.
Her performances were getting better and better.

o with forever, continually, always etc (see Unit 2) to criticize actions we feel are annoying, or which
we wish to exaggerate.
At school, he was always getting into'trouble.
She was forever falling in love with the wrong kind of man.

We do not generally use past continuous to describe habitual actions in the past.
That summer we wercgeiry swimming nearly every day.
That summer we went swimming nearly every day.

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past perfect simple and continuous
a are used to refer to events in the past which happened before other events in the past, usually when
there is no time expression to make this clear, Past perfect simple refers to finished events and past
perfect continuous to unfinished, recently completed or continuing events.
By the time we got to the cinema, the film had started.
He'd been working hard all morning, and he felt really tired.
ln both examples, the past perfect happens before the past simple.
o are common after verbs such as realize, remember, know, understand etc.
When I got on the bus, I realized I had left my wallet at home.

o are common in reported speech (see Unit 17).

a are not used to emphasize that an event happened a long time ago.

Compare the use of past simple and past continuous with past perfect tenses.
While we were watching a film, the fire alarm went off. (past events)
I remembered the events of the day before. At 11 .00 while we had been watching a film, the fire alarm had
gone off. (past seen from the past)
Only use past perfect tenses when absolutely necessary to show that one event in the past happened
before another event in the past. Often the meaning is clear without using past perfect. When we
describe a series of short actions, we usually use past simple.

used to do
a Use used to to describe habits and states in the past, especially when we make contrasts with the
present. Any time reference tends to be general. The pronunciation is /ju:st tu/
I used to play chess quite often, but I haven't played for ages.
ln those days people used to wash all their clothes by hand.
I used to like tennis, but I don't play much now.
o Used to refers only to the past. There are no otheltense forms in modern English, though they can be
found in older literary texts.
r The question is normally Did you use to?
Did you use to play hide-and-seek when you were a child?
o The negative is normally didn't use to.
ln those days, people didn't use to travel abroad so much.

o Past simple is also used to describe past habits, with other details added to make a contrast between
past and present.
When I was younger I played chess quite often, but I haven't played for ages.
o Used to something has no connection with used to, and means be accustomed to something.
Io in this case is a preposition, so it is followed by a noun or -ing.
I can't eat any more. l'm not used to such big meals.
She can't climb all those sfeps/ She's not used to taking so much exercise/

would
a can be used to describe a person's habitual activity. lt cannot be used with state verbs.
Every summer we would stay in a small village in the mountains.
It is not possible to say
t Would is more common in more literary texts, reminiscences etc

o
past tenses used as polite forms E
. Past simple and past continuous are often used when the speaker is being more polite or less direct.
The time reference is to present time. ttl
Did you want to see rne about anything? o
o-
I was wondering what you wanted.
o
 and would or used to' lf both are possible'
write both
1 complete the sentence using the verb in brackets
hunting in the forest.
a Every day the young prince (go) tttoulà qa l us?'d to 4o' into the garden at night.
b Wild animals (sometimes come) them'
. . computer games, but I've Srown tired of
c I (enioY) it all'
. Italian quite well, but he's forgotten
d Brian (sPeak) at 4.00 am and go to work at the
e Every daY Anna (wake uP)
bakerY.
the piano and sing after dinner'
f My mother (often PlaY)
a racing bike but I sold it and bought a
scooter'
g I (own)
that one daY he would be famous'
h Tony (believe)
to bed about 1.00 am
i When I was a student I (usuallY go)
in an old boat on the canal
j Helen (live) .

past
with the correct form of the verb in brackets' use
2 complete the two texts about world war 1
past perfect form
o1. putt perfect continuous' only
use a
simple, past continuJ;,;.;i perfect simple
if it is necessary to make the meaning clear'

The condition of Britain in 7977

The government also a ("""d)
we'qàçâ to ensure that Britain was fed' Under the Defence of the
turn it over to food production' In February l9I7 it
Realm Act it was able to take over land and
b(setup)theWomen,sLandArmytorecruitwomenasfarmworkers.Bythen,
(became) desperate' German U-boats
however, the food supply in Britaiir c
one in every four British merchant ships and
Britain had only six weeks' supply
d (sink)

g(hardlyrise)'''''duringthewarbecausepeopleweremostlypreparedtosacrificebetter
now almost double what they h (be) "in
pay ro support the war effort, but prices were
lgl4.Poorerpeoplecouldnoteven4ffordbasicsuppliessuchasbread.Shopsi(close)
out) of goods to sell'
early each afternoon as they j (run

,liu> t Bt

FED--

*t
I'

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a.i I
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German reactiotis to the Treaty of Vusailles 1919

The overall reaction of Germans was horror and ourage. They certainly k (not believe) . they
I (start) .. . the war. They m (not even think) they n (lose)
the war. In 1919 many Germans o (not really understand) ,,. ,.,. ................. ........ how bad Germany's military
siruation p (be) at the end of the war in r9ra. They believed that the German government
q (simply agree).............................................. to a ceasefire, and that therefore Germany should have been at the Paris
Peace Conference to negotiate peace. They were angry that their government was not represented at the talks
and that the Allies r (force) ............... them to accept a harsh reaty without any choice or even a
comment. At first, the new government s (refuse) ............... to sign the treary and at one point it
t (look) ... ........ as though war might break out again. However, Ebert, the new German leader, was
in an impossible position. Reluctantly, he agreed to accept the terms of the treaty and it was signed on ;

28June 1919.

3 Underline the correct form. Only use the past perfect form when other forms are not possible.

a When Dora went / had gone to pay for the petrol she was putting / had put in her car, she realized / was realizing
that she lost / had /osf her cedit card.
b While I was waiting / had waited for my meal to arrive, I saw / was seeing that the two men who had followed
me into the restaurant were staring / had been staring at me from a nearby table.
c When I heard / was hearing the noise at thê window, I knew / had known that someon e tried / was trying to break
into the house.
d Maria didn't remember / wasn't remembering anything about the accident, except that she didn't drive / had not
been driving too fast and in fac| had almost stopped / was almost stopping before she reached the crossroads.
e By the time the fire engines arrived / was ariving at the cottage, Tom and his neighbours already put out / had
already put out the fire and were carrying / had .been carrying fumiture out of the blackened building.
f 'What did you do / were you doing in the High Street at that time of night, and why did you run away / had you
run away when the officer told / was telling you to stop?' asked the lawyer.
g While SalIy painted / was painting the ceiling, sl:'e fell off / was falling offthe ladder but luckily she didn't break /
wasn't breaking any bones.
h Our taxi to the airport didn't turn up / wasn't turning up on time, and so by the time we got / were getting to the
check-in desk, the flight already closed / had already closed.
i Marlowe walked slowly into the room. He didn't forget / hadn't forgotten his last visit to the house, when Miss
LaPorte had fired / was ftring two shots at him, so he had taken / was taking no chances this time.
j Alice could see that the tall boy had / was having difficulty making himself understôod, but she decided / was
deciding not to help him. After all, nobody had helped / was helping her during her first days in this countryl

EXTENSION ACTIVITY o
E
A Choose a novel or story, and select one or two pages. Make a list of the past tenses used
on these pages. Are these the only tenses possible, or are others also acceptable? tâ
B Translate some of the sentences in Exercise 2 into your language. Does your language
o
o-
have a similar set of tenses, or is it different?
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