Past Tense
Past Simple
the form of a verb used to describe an action that happened before the present time and is no longer happening. It is usually made by adding -ed
Use
something that happened once in the past
I met my wife in 1983.
We went to Spain for our holidays.
something that happened again and again in the past
When I was a boy I walked a mile to school every day.
They always enjoyed visiting their friends.
something that was true for some time in the past
He enjoyed being a student.
I lived abroad for ten years.
we often use phrases with ago with the past tense
I met my wife a long time ago.
Past Perfect
the grammatical form used for an action that had already finished when another action happened. It is made with "had" and a past participle
Use
for something that started in the past and continued up to a given time in the past
She didn’t want to move. She had lived in Liverpool all her life.
for something we had done several times up to a point in the past and continued to do after that point
He had written three books and he was working on another one.
when we are reporting our experience and including up to the (then) present
My eighteenth birthday was the worst day I had ever had.
for something that happened in the past but is important at the time of reporting
I couldn’t get into the house. I had lost my keys.
Past Perfect Continuous
FORM
[had been + present participle]
USE 1 Duration Before Something in the Past
They had been talking for over an hour before Tony arrived.
USE 2 Cause of Something in the Past
Jason was tired because he had been jogging.
Sam gained weight because he had been overeating.
How long had you been waiting to get on the bus?
Past Continuous
the grammatical form used for an action that someone was doing or an event that was happening at a particular time. It is made with "was" or "were" and the -ing form of a verb
Use
for something which continued before and after another action:
The children were doing their homework when I got home.
for something that happened before and after a particular time
It was eight o’clock. I was writing a letter.
to show that something continued for some time
My head was aching.
for something that was happening again and again
They were meeting secretly after school.
with verbs which show change or growth
The children were growing up quickly.