1. Grammar review - The Past Tenses
The Language Centre La Estrella
Grammar review - The Past Tenses C
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2. The Past Simple Continuous Perfect C
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3. For actions that started and finished in the past.
The Past Simple is used
For actions that started and finished in the past.
Examples:
I went to the cinema
I saw John in the high street
Peter had eggs and bacon for breakfast
I went
saw
had
Past
Future
Now C
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4. Structure of the Past Simple
Regular Verbs – add “ed”
look – looked, clean – cleaned, wait – waited.
/t/ /d/ /id/
Verbs ending in “y” change “y” to “ied”
worry – worried - worried
The past participle takes the same form
look – looked – looked
eat – ate – eaten, buy – bought – bought
swim – swam – swum, take – took - taken
Notice the 3 sounds!!!!
Irregular verbs are very different and we have to learn them C
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5. The Past Continuous - Function
We use the Past Continuous:
1. for an action that was in the middle of happening at a stated time in the past.
2. for two or more actions which were happening at the same time in the past.
3. for a past action which was in progress when another action interrupted it.
Note. We normally use the past continuous for the interrupted action and past simple for the action which interrupts it.
She was watching TV at 8 0’clock last night
They were cleaning while he was painting.
He was watching TV when the telephone rang. C
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6. Past Continuous - Structure
The past continuous is formed with the verb “to be” in the past tense was were plus the verb + “ing” Examples: He was running. They were cooking at 8 o’clock last night. Peter was studying when John walked in. C
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7. The Past Perfect - Function
We use the Past Perfect: 1. For a past action which happened before another past action. They had already gone when I arrived home. 2. For an action which happened before a stated time in the past. She had cleaned the house by 4 o’clock. 3. As the past equivalent of the Present Perfect. She isn’t in her office. She has already left. She wasn’t in her office. She had already left. C
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8. The Past Perfect - Structure
We form the Past Perfect with: had + the past participle She had eaten lunch. They had cleaned the house. We form the negative with had not (contraction hadn’t) She had not eaten lunch They had not cleaned the house. Remember. When speaking we normally use the contraction She hadn’t eaten lunch. They hadn’t cleaned the house. C
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9. Past Perfect Continuous - Function
The Past Perfect Continuous is used:
For an action continuing up to a specific time in the past.
He had been waiting for an hour before she arrived.
For a continuous, past action which had visible results or effect in the past.
He was tired. He had been painting his room all morning. (The paint is not dry yet).
3. As the past equivalent of the Present Perfect continuous. C
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10. Past Perfect Continuous - Structure
We form the Past Perfect Continuous with “had been” plus Verb +ing. She had been shopping. They had been fishing. In reality it is the past equivalent of the Present Perfect Continuous. He is tired. He has been working hard. (present time) He was tired. He had been working hard. (past time) C
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