Past Tense

1. Past Simple
>Use the simple past tense for an action that was finished in
the past.
a) We went shopping yesterday.
b) Columbus discovered America in 1492.
c) She ate dinner before we went to the movie.
Note: Use used to for an action that was repeated or occurred regularly.
Use would for actions that were repeated, though irregular.
a) I used to play soccer with my friends when I was young.
b) I would listen to music while studying for final exams in high school.

2. Past perfect
>Use the past perfect tense (had + past participle) for an
action that occurred before a certain point in the past.
a) She had bought the book before I met her.
b) He had been to Oxford twice before I went there.
Note Before can be used in a simple past and past perfect sentence.
a) I cleaned the house before she visited.
(= I cleaned the house because I knew she would visit.)
b) I had cleaned the house before she visited.
(= I cleaned the house, and, by coincidence, she visited after I had cleaned.)

3. Past progressive
>Use the past progressive tense (was/were + -ing) for an
action that was in progress when a second past action took
place (or when a second past action was also in progress.)
a) When Jackie got there, Steve was waiting for her.
b) While I was taking a bath, Sally was using the computer.

4. Past perfect progressive

>Use the past perfect progressive tense (had been + -ing) to
show an action that was in progress for a known length of time
and was still in progress when some other action occurred.
a) He said he had been doing his homework since six o'clock.
b) They had been cleaning the room for an hour already when I walked in.
Exercise:
Complete the sentences using the following verbs in the correct form:
buy catch cost fall hurt sell spend teach throw write
1 Mozart __wrote __ more than 600 pieces of music.
2 'How did you learn to drive?' 'My father ___________ me.'
3 We couldn't afford to keep our car, so we ___________ it.
4 Dave __________ down the stairs this morning and ______________his leg.
5 Joe ______________ the ball to Sue, who ____________ it.
6 Ann __________ a lot of money yesterday. She _________ a dress which
__________ £100.

Complete the sentences. Put the verb into the correct form, positive or negative.
1 It was warm, so I __took__ off my coat. (take)
2 The film wasn't very good. I _____________ it much. (enjoy)
3 I knew Sarah was busy, so I _______________ her. (disturb)
4 We were very tired, so we _________________ the party early. (leave)
5 The bed was very uncomfortable. I __________________ well. (sleep)
6 The window was open and a bird _______________ into the room. (fly)
7 The hotel wasn't very expensive. It _________________ much to stay there. (cost)
8 I was in a hurry, so I ______________________time to phone you. (have)
9 lt was hard carrying the bags. They __________________ very heavy. (be)

Are the underlined parts of these sentences right or wrong? Correct them where
necessary.
1 My mother has grown up in Italy ______grew______
2 How many poems has William Shakespeare written? ________________
3 Ow! I've cut my finger. It’s bleeding. ________________
4 Drugs have become a big problem everywhere. ________________
5 Who has invented paper? ________________
6 Where have you been born? ________________
7 Ellie isn't at home. She's gone shopping. ________________
8 Albert Einstein has been the scientist who ________________
has developed the theory of relativity. ________________
Put the verb into the correct form, present perfect or past simple.
2 The town where I live is very different now. ___It has changed__ a lot. (it/change)
3 I studied German at school, but ________________ most of it now. (I/forget)
4 The police ________________ three people, but l ate r they let them go. (arrest)
5 What do you think of my English? Do you think _______________? (it/improve)
6 A: Are you still reading the paper?
B: No, _________________with it. You can have it. (I/finish)
7 ________________ for a job as a tourist guide, but I wasn 't successful. (I/apply)
8 Where's my bike? ____________ outside the hou se, but it's not there now. (it/be)
9 Quick! We need to call an ambulance. _________________an accident. (there/be)
10 A: Have you heard about Ben? __________________ his arm. (he/break)
B: Really? How ___________________? (that/happen)
A: _________________ off a ladder. (he/fall)

Read the situations and write sentences from the words in brackets.
1 You went to Sue's house, but she wasn't there.
(she/go/out) _______She had gone out. _________
2 You went back to your hometown after many years. It wasn't the same as before.
(it/change/a lot) ____________________________________________________
3 I invited Rachel to the party, but she couldn't come.
(she/arrange/to do something else) ____________________________________
4 You went to the cinema last night. You got to the cinema late.
(the film/already/start) ______________________________________________
5 It was nice to see Daniel again after such a long time.
(I/not see/him/for five years) _________________________________________
6 I offered Sue something to eat, but she wasn't hungry.
(she/just have/breakfast) ____________________________________________

Put the verb into the correct form, past perfect (I had done) or past simple (I did).
1 'Was Paul at the party when you arrived?' 'No, he ___had gone___ (go) home.'
2 I felt very tired when I got home, so I _____________________ (go) straight to bed.
3 The house was very quiet when I got home. Everybody _____________ (go) to bed.
4 Sorry I'm late. The car ________________________ (break) down on my way here.
5 We were driving along the road when we ___________________(see) a car which
__________________ (break) down, so we ______________________(stop) to help.

Put the verb into the correct form, past continuous or past simple.
1 Jenny ___ was waiting__ (wait) for me when I ___arrived___(arrive).
2 'What ______________________ (you I do) at this time yesterday? 'I was asleep.'
3 ' ___________________________ (you I go) out last night?' 'No, I was too tired.'
4 How fast ______________ (you I drive) when the accident____________(happen)?
5 Sam ______________(take) a picture of me while I ________________ (not I look).
6 We were in a very difficult position. We _____________ (not I know) what to do.
7 I haven't seen Alan for ages. When I last ____________(see) him, he_________(try)
to find a job.
8 I _______________(walk) along the street when suddenly I____________ (hear)
footsteps behind me. Somebody _________________(follow) me. I was scared and I
_________________(start) to run.
9 When I was young, I _______________________(want) to be a pilot.
10 Last night I ______________ (drop) a plate when I ____________ (do) the
washing-up. Fortunately, it_______________ (not I break).

Read the situations and make sentences from the words in brackets.
1 I was very tired when I arrived home.
(I/work/hard all day) _____I’d been working hard all day_____
2 The two boys came into the house. They had a football and they were both very
tired.
(they/play/football) _______________________________________________.
3 I was disappointed when I had to cancel my holiday.
(I/look/forward to it) ______________________________________________.
4 Ann woke up in the middle of the night. She was frightened and didn't know where
she was.
(she/dream) ____________________________________________________.
5 When I got home, Mark was sitting in front of the TV. He had just turned it off.
(he/watch/a film) ________________________________________________.
Put the verb into the most suitable form, past continuous (I was doing), past
perfect (I had done) or past perfect continuous (I had been doing).
1 It was very noisy next door. Our neighbors _____were having____ (have) a party.
2 We were good friends. ________________ (we/know) each other for years.
3 John and I went for a walk. I had difficulty keeping up with him
because________________ (he/walk) so fast.
4 Sue was sitting on the ground. She was out of breath. _______________ (she/run).
5 When I arrived, everybody was sitting round the table with their mouths full.
________________________(they/eat)
6 When I arrived, everybody was sitting round the table and talking. Their mouths
were empty, but their stomachs were full. ______________________ (they/eat).
7 James was on his hands and knees on the floor. _______________(he/look) for his
contact lens.
8 When I arrived, Kate ________________ (wait) for me. She was annoyed because I
was late and _____________________ (she/wait) for a long time.
9 I was sad when I sold my car. __________________(I/have) it for a very long time.
10 We were extremely tired at the end of the journey. ______________ (we/travel)
for more than 24 hours.