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Past simple_continuous (1)

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3 views

Past simple_continuous (1)

Uploaded by

10amar
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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PAST SIMPLE

When do we use it?


We use the past simple…
- to talk about actions that happened at a specific time in the past.
*I went to London last year.
*I felt sick last night.
- to talk about a series of completed actions in the past.
*I finished work, drove all the way home and went to the supermarket.
- to talk about actions with a duration that started and finished in the past.
*I lived in Poland for two years.
*We talked on the phone for twenty minutes.
- to talk about habits in the past.
*I played the violin when I was 12 years old.
*I studied French as a child.
- to talk about actions in a story.
*Once upon a time, there was a little boy that loved playing cards.

Affirmative (+)
When the verb is regular, we add -d, -ed or -ied to the verb.
- Verbs ending in “e” -> -D
- *arrive - arrived
- *like - liked
- Verbs ending in “y” -> -IED
- 1. …CC study - studied
- 2. …VC play - played
- With the rest of the verbs -> -ED
- *watch - watched
- *walk - walked
- *work - worked
When the verb is irregular, we use the second column from the list of irregular verbs.
- be - was/were - been
- *I was at home last night.
- do - did - done
- *You did homework after going to the supermarket.
- write - wrote - written
- *My students wrote poems.

Negative (-)
We use the same negative form with both regular and irregular verbs:
Subj. + didn’t + infinitive
*She didn’t go to the cinema last night.
*I didn’t talk to my mum yesterday.

HOWEVER!! The verb to be doesn’t follow this structure.


Subj. + wasn’t/weren’t
*We weren’t bad students.
*She wasn’t a bad swimmer.

Interrogative (?)
We use the same interrogative form with both regular and irregular verbs:
Did + subj. + infinitive
*Did your sister play the piano as a child?
*Did you go to New York three years ago?

HOWEVER!! The verb to be doesn’t follow this structure.


Was/Were + subj. + … ?
*Was your father a football player?
*Were they at the party?
PAST CONTINUOUS
Continuous = to be + -ing

When do we use it?


We use the past continuous…
- to emphasise that an action lasted for a while.
*She was working in the garden all day.
- to talk about an action that happened before another action (usually in the
past simple).
*While my friends were cooking dinner, I rang the doorbell.
*He was walking to the supermarket when he met his sister.
WHILE + past continuous
WHEN + past simple
- with verbs that show change or growth.
*Your English is improving.
*My hair was going grey.

Affirmative (+)
When the subject is I/he/she/it, we follow the following structure:
Subj. + was + -ing
*She was playing cards when I called.

When the subject is we/you/they, we follow the following structure:


Subj. + were + -ing
*You were singing at that moment.

Negative (-)
When the subject is I/he/she/it, we follow the following structure:
Subj. + wasn’t + -ing
*My brother wasn’t reading when I arrived.

When the subject is we/you/they, we follow the following structure:


Subj. + weren’t + -ing
*Her parents weren’t looking for an apartment.
Interrogative (?)
When the subject is I/he/she/it, we follow the following structure:
Was + subj. + -ing ?
*Was your teacher correcting your exams?

When the subject is we/you/they, we follow the following structure:


Were + subj. + -ing?
*What were you thinking about when you won the race?

When adding -ing…


- verbs ending in “e” -> arrive - arriving
- with the rest of the verbs -ing
study - studying
watch - watching
play - playing
eat - eating

HOWEVER, the verb TO BE doesn’t follow this rule. With the verb to be, we
just add -ing. Be - being

HOWEVER, remember that stative verbs are not used in the past continuous
normally: feel, agree, know, see, like, love…

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