Transcript Past TENSE - English Zone

PAST TENSES
Simple and Continuous: Form and
Usage
Past Tenses
Very similar to the present simple and the present
continuous, there is also a
 past simple and a
 past continuous
In terms of form, there are a lot of parallels between
the present and the past. For example: the auxiliary
‚do‘ plays an important role in the simple tense and
the verb ‚to be‘ is essential for the continuous
tense.
Past Tenses
 First, we
will have a look at the form and usage of
the past simple. If you have the present simple in
mind, you will recognise a lot of similarities!
 Second, we will have a closer look at the form and
usage of the past continuous. Having the present
continuous in mind helps a lot!
Let‘s get started…!
PAST SIMPLE
Form and Usage
1. Past Simple: Form
The past simple‘s form:
 Regular verbs: adding -ed
 walk
– walked
 open – opened
 study - studied
 etc.
 Irregular
 hold
verbs: learn by heart!
– held
 bring – brought
 forget – forgot
 be – was / were
Past Simple: Form
 Positive

add -ed: worked, liked, walked
 He

sentences:
worked all night.
Add -ied when verb finishes with a consonant + y:
try > tried, study > studied
(but vowel+y: enjoy > enjoyed, stay > stayed)
 They studied really hard last year.
 She enjoyed the music at the disco.
Past Simple: Form
 Negative
sentences:
We need the auxiliary verb ‚did‘ to form negative sentences in
the present.
I liked chocolate as a child. > I didn‘t like chocolate.
He walked home. > He didn‘t walk home.
The auxiliary verb does the job!! The main verb can
stay in the infinitive!
‚To be‘ and modal verbs don‘t need the auxiliary!
> He wasn‘t late.
> She couldn‘t help him.
Past Simple: Form
 Questions
We need the auxiliary verb ‚did‘ to form questions in the past.
You liked chocolate. > Did you like chocolate?
He walked home. > Did he walk home?
They stayed here. > Why did they stay here? How long did they stay
here?
The auxiliary verb does the job!! The main verb can stay
in the infinitive!
‚To be‘ and modal verbs don‘t need the auxiliary!
> Was he late?
> Could she help him?
Past Simple: Don‘t forget!
To form the past, you need to know a lot of irregular
verbs… So: don‘t forget to learn the irregular verb
forms!
do-did-done
see-saw-seen
hit-hit-hit
make-made-made
forget-forgot-forgotten
break-broke-broken
swim-swam-swum
etc. etc.
Past Simple: Usage
We generally use the past simple to talk about events
that happend at a specific time in the past (with
‚no‘ connection to the present)





Yesterday he came home really late.
Mozart wrote more than 600 pieces of music.
When she was young, she didn‘t like pizza at all.
Last weekend we had a awesome barbecue.
etc.
Past Simple: Usage
To talk about finished events that happend at
specific time in the past, we use the past
simple:
past
present
Past Simple: Usage
There are some signal words that help you
decide, whether you have to use the past
simple. Learn these signal words!
•yesterday
•last week, last month, last
year, etc.
•in 1987, in th 19th century,
etc.
•on Monday, on Saturday
evening, etc.
•ago: ten minutes ago,
four years ago, etc.
•when: when I was a
child, when we arrived
in Madrid, etc.
PAST
CONTINUOUS
Form and Usage
2. Past Continuous: Form
The past continuous is formed like the present
continuous: to be + ing-form
> The only difference: the ‚to be‘ has to be used in
the past form!
 Positive

sentences:
Was / were + ing-form
 They
were trying to help him
 She was walking home when her phone rang.
Past Continuous: Form
 Negative
sentences:
No auxiliary is necessary.
> was / were has to be negated by adding a ‚not‘:
They were helping him. > They weren‘t helping him.
She was walking home. > She wasn‘t walking home.
Past Continuous: Form
 Questions
No auxiliary is necessary.
They were helping him.> Were they helping him?
She was walking home. > Was she walking home?
You were sitting there. > How long were you
sitting there?
Past Continuous: Usage
We generally use the past continuous to talk about
events that
 are happening at the ‚background‘ in the past
 are in the middle of happening when
something else happens in the past




She was watching TV, when he ran into the room.
It was raining all day so we didn‘t have a barbecue.
They were boarding the plane, when the baby started to
cry.
He used a lot of bad words. He didn‘t know that she was
still watching him through the half-open door.