PAST TENSES : PAST TENSES Presentation
PAST TENSES : PAST TENSES past simple – past actions and states
Julius Caesar invaded Britain in 55 BC.
to describe single completed actions in the past
When we got to the junction I took the left while Micky took the right.
My brother applied for a visa six times before he got one.
for actions which happened at the same time/ repeated actions
Wall Street traders lost a fortune when the Asian markets collapsed.
for sequences of actions
We lived just outside Oxford in the 90’s, but we didn’t have a car.
to describe states in the past
PAST TENSES : PAST TENSES past continuous (= progressive) – actions in progress
We didn’t hear the intruder because we were sleeping on the top floor that night.
an action in progress at a point of time in the past
During my training I was earning a lot less than my wife.
His symptoms were becoming more pronounced each day.
to show that a past situation was temporary or changing/developing
Darkness was descending over the hushed city as James staggered back to college.
to describe an ongoing action which forms the background or setting to past events
We were watching the sky and listening for the first sounds of the dawn chorus.
for two actions in progress at the same time
For the first two weeks she was receiving chemotherapy on a weekly basis.
to emphasize that the repeated actions took place over a temporary and limited period of finished time
PAST TENSES : PAST TENSES past continuous (= progressive) – interrupted actions
Seventy cars were crossing the bridge when the pier collapsed into the river.
to contrast an ongoing action with a single event which interrupts it
Nancy was taking the next flight to Paris so she had to cut short the interview.
to describe past arrangements (future in the past)
We were wondering if you would like to join us.
to make requests, suggestions and questions more tentative and polite
PAST TENSES : PAST TENSES past perfect – actions and states before a time in the past
By the time the UN task force arrived, the rebel forces had taken the province.
to describe an action which is completed before a time in the past
When we got back the babysitter had gone home./When we got back the babysitter went home.
to make a series of events clear
She sacked him before he’d had a chance to explain his behaviour.
for a past action which prevented a later action from happening
I opened the door and let him in.
we do not usually use the past perfect when the sequence is obvious
They had hoped to get to the summit but Travers fell ill at base camp.
to describe past intentions which were unfulfilled (with hope, expect, plan, want, think about, wish, …)
PAST TENSES : PAST TENSES past perfect continuous
He had been working for over an hour before the auditors turned up.
to describe an ongoing situation or action which continued up to, or stopped just before, a time in the past
The few survivors looked painfully thin. They had been living on meagre rations since the accident.
to explain a past result, e.g. a situation or an appearance
The eager fans had been queueing for over six hours.
to focus on duration
PAST TENSES : PAST TENSES past perfect simple or continuous
Jill had only watched TV twice that week.
we do not mention the number of times that we have done an action when we use the PaPC
She found her desk was empty: security had removed everything.
we don’t usually use the PaPC for completed actions, or actions and background situations still continuing at the same time as the PS narrative
PAST TENSES : PAST TENSES used to/would
It used to take me over an hour to get to work.
We would get up every Sunday to go to church.
to describe actions which happened regularly in the past but no longer happen
Lithuania used to be part of the Soviet Union.
to describe past states which have changed (we cannot use would here)