PAST TENSES
Past Simple, Past Continuous, Past Perfect
Past Simple Passive
Past Simple
PAST SIMPLE PASSIVE
Use the Past simple passive when the
action is unknown, obvious or less
important tan the subject of the
sentence.
+
WAS/WERE + PAST PARTICIPLE
A rescue mission was launched.
WAS/WERE + PAST PARTICIPLE
She wasn’t found by the police.
?
WAS/WERE + PAST PARTICIPLE
Where was she found
Use BY to say who or what does the
action
She was found BY a rescue party.
Use it
for…
Signal
words
• Completed
past actions.
• One
completed
action after
another.
• A past habit or
regular past
event.
last year/month/Sunday
In 1992/June
ago
All verbs
+ verb in the past
? DID + Subj + infinitive
- Subj + DIDN’t + inf
Verb to be
Was/were
Wasn’t/weren’t
Past Continuous
Form
+
S + WAS/WERE + ing
S + WASN’T/WEREN’T + ing
?
WAS/WERE + S + ing
Don’t Use past continuous
with state verbs such as
LIKE, NEED, WANT,
KNOW, UNDERSTAND etc.
Use it
for…
• Something which
was in progress at a
time in the past.
In 2009 she was living a
normal life in California.
• Something which
was going on in the
background which
set the scene for a
specific event or
action.
The birds were
singing…
Past Simple and Past Continuous
• We use the past simple and past continuous together to talk about an action that
was in progress (past cont.) when another one happened (past simple).
• We often use WHEN before the action in the past simple and WHILE or AS
before the action in the past continuous
She was sleeping WHEN the phone rang/WHEN the phone rang, she was sleeping
The phone rang WHILE I was sleeping./WHILE I was sleeping, the phone rang.
Form
Past Perfect
I/YOU/WE/THEY/HE/SHE/IT
+
S + HAD + PAST PARTICIPLE.
He had reached the summit.
The contracted form of HAD is ‘D
He’d already climbed several of the
world’s highest mountains.
S + HADN’T (HAD NOT) + PAST PART.
He hadn’t taken any risks
?
HAD + S + PAST PARTICIPLE
Had they taken many risks?
Yes, they had
No they hadn’t
Use it
for…
Signal
words
Use
To show that an
action happened
before another
action or time in
the past. Use the
past simple for
the other
action/time.
• BY THE TIME/AGE, ALREADY, JUST;
BEFORE and YET.
Jordan had achieved his dream of climbing the world’s
seven highest mountains by the age of 15.
• You often use the past perfect with
BECAUSE to give and explanation.
They were very successful because they hadn’t taken
any risks.
Past Simple, Continuous and Perfect
Match pictures 1-3 to sentences A-C
B
A – When
Judy arrived
Eric was
cooking dinner.
1st cook/2nd arrive
B – When Judy
arrived Eric
had cooked
dinner.
C
C – When
Judy arrived
Eric cooked
dinner
1st arrive/2nd cook
A
arrive/cook (in progress)