Simple vs. Continuous
I (watch) ____________ TV when the power went out.
was watching
By the time we got to the station, the train (leave) ____________.
had left
"I was buying a new car two days ago."
I bought a new car two days ago
The time signal "yesterday" usually goes with this past tense.
Past simple
What are the Past Simple (V2) and Past Participle (V3) forms of "fly"?
Flew and Flown
They (play) ____________ soccer yesterday afternoon from 2 PM to 4 PM.
were playing
She didn't want to see the movie because she (see) ____________ it twice before.
had seen
"While we played cards, it started to rain."
While we were playing cards, it started to rain
The word "while" is most frequently followed by this tense.
Past Continuous
What are the Past Simple (V2) and Past Participle (V3) forms of "freeze"
froze and frozen
While Sarah was cooking dinner, her brother (listen) ____________ to music.
was listening
His feet were sore because he (walk) ____________ all day long.
had been walking
"He had been knowing her since childhood."
He had known her since childhood
The expression "By the time..." strongly hints that the main clause will use this tense.
Past Perfect Simple (or Past Perfect Continuous)
What are the Past Simple (V2) and Past Participle (V3) forms of "sink"
sank and sunk
The snow (fall) ____________ softly as we stepped outside the cabin.
was falling
They (know) ____________ each other for ten years before they became business partners.
had known (stative verb rule)
"Before she called me, I already went to bed."
Before she called me, I had already gone to bed
Fill in the blank with the correct tense: "At exactly 7:30 last night, we ____________ (eat) dinner."
were eating (Action in progress at a specific past moment)
What are the Past Simple (V2) and Past Participle (V3) forms of "shrink"
shrank and shrunk
When the bell (ring) ____________, the teacher (explain) ____________ the assignment.
rang and was explaining
Explain why this sentence uses Past Perfect: "When I arrived home, someone had stolen my bicycle."
Because the theft happened before I arrived home
"They were waiting for two hours before the bus finally arrived."
They had been waiting for two hours before the bus finally arrived
Combine into one sentence using "until": 1) He studied for 4 hours. 2) He finally took a break.
He had been studying for 4 hours until he finally took a break
Name three irregular verbs where all three forms (V1, V2, V3) are identical!
cut/cut/cut, put/put/put, hit/hit/hit, hurt/hurt/hurt, let/let/let, cost/cost/cost, set/set/set, shut/shut/shut