Past tense
What is the past tense?
An action that has happened or a state that previously existed.
I walked to the shop.
Yesterday I was happy.
What is the past continuous ( or past progressive)?
It describes actions or events in a time before now, which began in the past and were still going on when another event occurred.
What Is the Past Perfect Tense?
It refers to a time earlier than before now. It is used to make it clear that one event happened before another in the past.
How do we form the past tense?
Regular verbs add - ed.
Irregular verbs - change the verb form.
How can we form the past continuous (progressive)?
The past continuous is made from the past tense of the verb be and the –ing form of a verb:
We were walking when we saw the bird.
How do we form the past perfect tense?
It is composed of two parts: the past tense of the verb to have (had) + the past participle of the main verb.
John had gone out when I arrived in the office.
When they arrived we had already started cooking.
He was very tired because he hadn't slept well.
When do we use the past continuous (past progressive tense)?
For something which happened before and after another action:
The children were doing their homework when I got home.
This use of the past continuous is very common at the beginning of a story:
Last week, as I was driving to work, …
For something that happened before and after a specific 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 happened again and again:
I was practising every day, three times a day.
With verbs which show change or growth:
Her English was improving.
How do we form the past participle?
Past participles usually end with:
-ed, -d, -t, -en, or -n.
ring, rang, rung
go, went, gone
think, thought, thought
cry, cried, cried