Business Communication 1: The Business 2.0 (Macmillan) Class 20: Pages 51-52
Grammar: Past Tenses
Past Simple
The past simple tense is used to describe events that took place in the past.
Like other tenses, the key to deciding which tense is appropriate lies in the adverbs in the sentence.
The following adverbials require the use of past tenses:
Adverbs and adverbial phrases
Yesterday
Last Tuesday/week/ month/year
Five minutes ago/ two hours ago/five days ago/ a week ago/ a month ago/ a year ago
In June, On Wednesday, At 8 o’clock (when these occasions are before the present time)
e.g. in June, I went to London (It is now August)
Clauses
When I was a child,/ When I was at school,/ When I lived at home,/ When I worked at PTT,/ When I lived
in England,/ While I was living with my parents,/ Whenever I had free time,/ Because I was a naughty
boy, etc.
Links
http://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/simplepast.html
https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/english-grammar/verbs/past-tense/past-simple
https://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/simple-past
Pronunciation v2 v3 and adjectives ending with–ed
See: http://dpuic.dpu.ac.th/resources/online-resources/pronunciation-podcasts/
D
T
id
Played
Watched
Waited
Dreamed
Talked
Posted
Replied
Asked
Wanted
Seemed
Looked
Offered
Emailed
Past Continuous
Past continuous tense is used to describe events that were in progress at a particular time in the past.
Use of the Past Progressive
Actions were in progress at a special time in the past
Peter was reading a book yesterday evening.
Two actions were happening at the same time (the actions do not influence each other)
Anne was writing a letter while Steve was reading the New York Times.
Together with Simple Past
While we were sitting at the breakfast table, the telephone rang.
Affirmative sentences in the Past Progressive
Long forms
Contracted forms
I was playing football.
You were playing football.
not possible
He was playing football.
Negative sentences in the Past Progressive
Long forms
Contracted forms
I was not playing football.
I wasn't playing football.
You were not playing football.
You weren't playing football.
He was not playing football.
He wasn't playing football.
Questions in the Past Progressive
Long forms
Contracted forms
Was I playing football?
Were you playing football?
not possible
Was he playing football?
Links
http://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/pastcontinuous.html
http://www.ef.com/english-resources/english-grammar/past-continuous-tense/
https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/english-grammar/verbs/past-tense/past-continuous
http://www.myenglishpages.com/site_php_files/grammar-exercise-past-progressive.php
https://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/past-progressive
http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises/tenses/simple_past_progressive.htm
http://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/past-continuous-exercise-1.html