Session 12: Past tenses

What are the different past tenses?

The past tense expresses what happened at some time in the past. There are several different ways of expressing the past in English. However, we can’t choose them at random, but we have to use particular tenses depending on the situation. Here is a chart of past tenses.

Past TENSES CHART

TENSE	FORM	USE	TIME EXPRESSIONS
Simple Past	A: He went. N: He did not go. Q: Did he go ?	v     Actions completed in the past at a definite time, even when the time is not given. Pasteur died in 1895 v     Past habit: He always wore a black suit. v     Actions taking place one after another. He climbed the stairs and then followed me. v     Action taking place in the middle of another action. I was having a shower when the phone rang	yesterday, 3 days  ago, in 1967, in the 1980s, in the 17th century, when, then, last Friday.
Past Continuous	A: He was singing. N: He was not singing. Q: Was he singing?	v     action going on for some time at a certain time in the past. At 9 o’clock I was waiting for my son                      v     actions taking place at the same time joined by while or as: While I was cooking, my husband was laying the table. v     action in the past that is interrupted by another action joined by when :  I was having a shower when the phone rang.	Last night/week/year/ at 4 o’clock             when, while, as long as
Past Perfect Simple	A: He had spoken. N: He hadn’t spoken. Q: Had he spoken?	v     To talk about an action taking place before a certain time in the past. By the time the police arrived , he had already left v     The emphasis is put on the result	already, by the time, after, before,  just, never, not yet, until that day
past perfect progressive	A: He had been waiting.       N: He hadn’t been waiting.   Q: Had he been waiting?	v     To emphasize how long an action lasted until a cert   ain point in the past. or to describe something that happened for a length of time  before another action in the past.             The town was flooded after it had been raining for three days.                 When I got home I was very tired. I had been working all day.	after, before,  when-  all day – for-a      period of time- already, by the      time,

Some examples of past simple:

That tense shows normal narrative past form (sequentially occurring actions)

When I came home last Monday, I had a message on my answering machine. It said, “Meet me in the park.” I didn’t know who the message was from, but I was curious. I put on my jacket, took my bag and went to the park. And there he was: Luke, an old friend from school. I was glad to see him. He looked relieved..

Some examples of past continuous:

That tense emphasizes the progression/process of an action

The sun was shining.

He was standing there smiling at me.

He was holding a flower.

Some examples of past perfect:

That tense shows an action that took place before another (previously-mentioned) action.

After I had checked all the messages on my answering machine, I put on  my jacket…

I hadn’t seen him for ages.

He was holding a flower that he had bought in a nearby flower shop.

Some examples of past perfect continuous:

That tense emphasizes how long an action lasted until a certain point in the past

He looked relieved, as he had already been waiting there for a few hours.