1. The use of Past Tense

2. Revision of present tense
Recall what are the three types of present tense
Simple present
Present continuous
Present perfect
Give an example in a proper sentence for each type.

3. The Past Tense Simple Past Past Continuous Past Perfect
Past Perfect Continuous

4. Simple Past The simple past is used to :
Show that an action has been completed in the past, and more often than not, a specific time is mentioned in the sentence.
E.g. We went to Japan last year.
The men died when the bomb exploded.
Question: Which tense do we use then when a specific time is not mentioned in the sentence?

5. Sample Activity
Fill in the blanks with either the simple past or present perfect.
I _______ (be) sick last week but I ________ (recover).
The new vice-principal ________ (arrive) yesterday. ________ you _______ (meet) him yet?
I _______ lost in the forest until a man hunting for food ________ (see) me. I soon __________ (realise) that the man _____ (be) a cannibal. He ________ (decide) to cook me for dinner and as such, this shall be my last diary entry.

6. The Past Continuous The Past Continuous is used to:
Describe an action that was happening at a certain time in the past E.g. I was playing the guitar last night.
Show that two continuous actions were happening at the same time E.g. I was playing the guitar last night while my family was sleeping.
Indication how an action was going on when another took place E.g. I was cycling along the road when a car suddenly appeared.

7. Examples
Construct a sentence using continuous tense for each of the three conditions

8. Past Perfect The past perfect tense is used to:
Show that one action happened before another E.g. Her fever had subsided by the time her parents came home.
Refer to conditions in the past
E.g. If I had been more careful, I would not have lost my wallet.

9. Past Perfect Continuous
The Past Perfect Continuous is used to:
a) Highlight than an action in the past was continuous, but it does not denote a completion of an event. E.g. He had been studying for months before his exams, therefore it was natural that he scored ‘A’s.

10. Task Write continuously for FIVE beginning with:
“Leave and never come back again!”
Edit what you have written and make sure that you only used past tense in your writing.
Submit it to Mr Kang by Monday 28 Sept 2009.