Ways to Express the Past Teaching Grammar Created by O.Kononenko, School # 5, Monastyrysche

There are several ways to express past actions Past Simple Past Continuous Past Perfect Past Perfect Continuous Present Perfect

Past Simple We use VERB+ED or IRREGULAR FORM for Past actions which happened one immediately after the other Completed actions at a stated past time Past habits or states yesterday last ago then in when She took the toy and grabbed it. My mother always wore (used to wear) glasses when a student. H e worked in the garden last Sunday.

Past Continuous a process at a stated past time They were going to school this time last Monday a past action in progress interrupted by another past action simultaneous actions in the past We use WAS/WERE +V-ING for background descriptions to events(simultaneous past actions which describe a scene) He was walking when it started raining The cat was sleeping while Nora was reading. The morning was wonderful- the sun was shining, the birds were flying.

Past Perfect We use HAD+PAST PARTICIPLE for a past action which occurred before another past action or before a stated past time She was crying because she had lost her doll. by by the time before

Past Perfect Continuous We use HAD + PAST PARTICIPLE for past actions continuing over a period to a specific time in the past or to another past action I was very tired yesterday. I had been working with papers from morning till late at night.

Present Perfect recently completed actions or recent events with no time reference We use HAVE/HAS+ PAST PARTICIPLE for already never recently lately just today this week/month etc. I have just left the office.

Practise He left for the station as soon as he … (collect) his luggage. He left for the station as soon as he had collected his luggage. Past Perfect (past action before another past action) She … (work) only for 10 minutes when someone phoned. While she … (cook) he … (read) a newspaper. She had been working only for 10 minutes when someone phoned. Past Perfect Continuous (past action continuing over a period to another past action) While Jane was cooking her husband was reading a newspaper. Past Continuous (simultaneous actions in the past) Choose the right way to express past actions in the fallowing situations

He … (start) painting the house 5 minutes ago. He started painting the house 5 minutes ago. Past Simple (past action at a stated time) The dog … (see) a cat and … (run) after it. The dog saw a cat and ran after it. Past Simple (actions which happened one after the other) They … (already/be) to Paris. They have already been to Paris. Present Perfect (recent event with no time reference)

He … (travel) in Italy when he had an accident. He was travelling in Italy when he had an accident Past Continuous (past action interrupted by another past action) The rain was falling heavily and the wind was blowing. An old man was wandering around the cemetery. Past Continuous (simultaneous actions describing a scene) The rain … (fall) heavily and the wind … (blow). An old man … (wander) around the cemetery. She spent her holidays in the village when she was young. Past Simple (past habit) She … (spend) her holidays in the village when she was young.

Dave … (fly) to Paris on a business trip when it suddenly … (occur) to him that he … (leave) the oven on in his flat. As soon as the plane … (land) he … (run) to the nearest phone to ask his friend to check. He …(try) to reach Bob for ten minutes before he … (remember) they … (disconnect) the electricity as he … (forget) to pay his electricity bill. Fill in the correct past tense Click to check

Dave was flying to Paris on a business trip when it suddenly occurred to him that he had left the oven on in his flat. As soon as the plane landed he ran to the nearest telephone to ask his friend to check. He had been trying to reach Bob for ten minutes before he remembered they had disconnected the electricity as he had forgotten to pay his electricity bill. Check yourself. Explain the usage of the past tenses.

Helen … (prepare) dinner while George … ( work) in the garden when she … (hear) the front doorbell ring. When she … (open) the door she... (see) a beautiful bouquet of flowers with her name on it. She … (totally/ forget) that it was her birthday! Fill in the correct past tense Click to check

Helen was preparing dinner while George was working in the garden when she heard the front doorbell ring. When she opened the door she saw a beautiful bouquet of flowers with her name on it. She had totally forgotten that it was her birthday! Check yourself. Explain the usage of the past tenses.

This time last Sunday he was enjoying himself on the beach of Majorka. He was flying to Rome while I was heading to Rio. Native Americans used horses to travel around He had been travelling for a year before he settled in Lisbon. He went on a safari holiday last month. He had been to Malta twice before he took me there. She has been to China recently. She was talking to a friend when the manager came in. The office was filled with the sounds. The telephones were ringing, the people were talking… action in progress interrupted by another past action action in the middle of happening at a stated past time past habit action in progress at a specific time in the past complete action that happened at a stated past time action that happened before another past action past action with no time reference simultaneous past actions of certain duration background description to the events V V V V V V V V V Match the pairs