H4 Past tenses 2

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• havo
• Leerjaar 4

The Past Tenses

Past Simple

Past Continuous

Past Perfect

Past Perfect Continuous

to talk about things that happened or have finished before now.

Action happened before another action in the past.

emphasises a duration of time before something in the past. 

To talk about something that was happening around a particular time in the past.

What do you know about the past simple?

Past Simple

Completed actions in the past at a specific time in the past. 

Often used with a time expression: yesterday, last week, two days ago, etc.

Verb +ed : I walked home yesterday.

2nd row irregular verbs: I went to the cinema last week.

Negate and questions:

I didn’t do the homework. (we add didn’t, the verb doesn’t change)

Did you go to the cinema? (We add did, the verb doesn’t change)

What do you know about the past continuous?

Past Continuous

Action that were in progress over a period of time in the past. It often describes what was happening at a certain time.

 

was/were + verb + ing

I was going to school. 

Negate and questions:

I wasn’t doing the homework, when mom came home.

Were you going to the cinema?

Past simple or Past continuous?

I was having a shower.

1. Past simple
2. Past continuous

We were in lockdown for 2 months

1. Past simple
2. Past continuous

She ... (feel) pretty sick yesterday

1. Felt
2. was feeling

You ... (study) when she called.

1. studied
2. were studying

What do you know about the Past Perfect?

Past Perfect

We use the past perfect when we are already talking about a time in the past. We use it to describe a completer action that happened before that time.

 

When we woke up, everything was white. It had snowed during the night.

Had + past participle (verb + ed or 3rd row irregular verbs)

Already, just and adverbs of frequency (never, often, etc.) go before the past participle

By the time she got to the café, her friends had already left

Past Perfect happened before past simple

What do you know about the Past Perfect Continuous?

Past Perfect Continuous

We use it for an action that was in progress over a period of time before a later event happened. We are showing that the earlier action continued for some time.

 

The bus finally arrived at 8.30. We had been waiting at the bus stop for half an hour.

Had been verb+ing

Often used with for and since.

He hadn’t been driving for long when he lost his driving licence.

Past perfect continuous and past simple

She'd been paying attention all lesson!

1. Past Perfect
2. Past Simple
3. Past Perfect Continuous
4. Past Continuous

Past simple or Past Perfect?
I had cleaned the house

1. Past Simple
2. Past Perfect