The Language Centre La Estrella Grammar review The

The Language Centre La Estrella Grammar review - The Past Tenses C Materials Copyright - The Language Centre La Estrella

The Past Simple Continuous Perfect C Materials Copyright - The Language Centre La Estrella

The Past Simple is used For actions that started and finished in the past. Past I went saw had Now Future Examples: I went to the cinema I saw John in the high street Peter had eggs and bacon for breakfast C Materials Copyright - The Language Centre La Estrella

Structure of the Past Simple � Regular Verbs – add “ed” � look – looked, clean – cleaned, wait – waited. /t/ /d/ /id/ � Notice the 3 sounds!!!! � � Verbs ending in “y” change “y” to “ied” worry – worried - worried The past participle takes the same form look – looked Irregular verbs are very different and we have to learn them � � eat – ate – eaten, buy – bought swim – swam – swum, take – took - taken C Materials Copyright - The Language Centre La Estrella

The Past Continuous - Function We use the Past Continuous: 1. for an action that was in the middle of happening at a stated time in the past. She was watching TV at 8 0’clock last night 2. for two or more actions which were happening at the same time in the past. They were cleaning while he was painting. 3. for a past action which was in progress when another action interrupted it. He was watching TV when the telephone rang. Note. We normally use the past continuous for the interrupted action and past simple for the action which interrupts it. C Materials Copyright - The Language Centre La Estrella

Past Continuous - Structure The past continuous is formed with the verb “to be” in the past tense was were plus the verb + “ing” Examples: He was running. They were cooking at 8 o’clock last night. Peter was studying when John walked in. C Materials Copyright - The Language Centre La Estrella

The Past Perfect - Function We use the Past Perfect: 1. For a past action which happened before another past action. They had already gone when I arrived home. 2. For an action which happened before a stated time in the past. She had cleaned the house by 4 o’clock. 3. As the past equivalent of the Present Perfect. She isn’t in her office. She has already left. She wasn’t in her office. She had already left. C Materials Copyright - The Language Centre La Estrella

The Past Perfect - Structure We form the Past Perfect with: had + the past participle She had eaten lunch. They had cleaned the house. We form the negative with had not (contraction hadn’t) She had not eaten lunch They had not cleaned the house. Remember. When speaking we normally use the contraction She hadn’t eaten lunch. They hadn’t cleaned the house. C Materials Copyright - The Language Centre La Estrella

Past Perfect Continuous - Function The Past Perfect Continuous is used: 1. For an action continuing up to a specific time in the past. He had been waiting for an hour before she arrived. 2. For a continuous, past action which had visible results or effect in the past. He was tired. He had been painting his room all morning. (The paint is not dry yet). 3. As the past equivalent of the Present Perfect continuous. C Materials Copyright - The Language Centre La Estrella

Past Perfect Continuous - Structure We form the Past Perfect Continuous with “had been” plus Verb +ing. She had been shopping. They had been fishing. In reality it is the past equivalent of the Present Perfect Continuous. He is tired. He has been working hard. (present time) He was tired. He had been working hard. (past time) C Materials Copyright - The Language Centre La Estrella