PAST TENSES

USE OF PAST TENSES

100

An activity or situation began and ended at a particular time in the past

PAST SIMPLE

200

An action that was in progress at a particular time in the past

PAST CONTINUOUS

300

An action that happened before something else occurred

PAST PERFECT SIMPLE

400

The idea that something happened before now at an unspecified time in the past. THe exact time is not important

PRESENT PERFECT SIMPLE

500

Emphasis on the duration of an action or on its result

PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS

PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS

EXERCISES

100

I ______________ (post) the letter yesterday.

POSTED

past simple

200

Yesterday something very unusual happend to us. We ______________ (drive) down the hill when a strange object ____________ (appear) in the sky.

WERE DRIVING    past continuous

APPEARED    past simple

300

I felt really tired when I took the train to work yesterday beacause Sarah and I __________ (be) to a party the evening before.

HAD BEEN 

past perfect simple

400

The aircraft ____________ (land). It's on the ground now.

HAS LANDED

present perfect simple

500

Look at Andrew! He is tired because he _____________ (work) all day.

HAS BEEN WORKING

present perfect continuous

IRREGULAR VERBS

100

be

have

do

WAS/WERE - BEEN

HAD - HAD

DID - DONE

200

go

see

tell

WENT - GONE

SAW - SEEN

TOLD - TOLD

300

come

drive

make

CAME - COME

DROVE - DRIVEN

MADE - MADE

400

choose

take

think

CHOSE - CHOSEN

TOOK - TAKEN

THOUGHT - THOUGHT

500

forbid

get

throw

FORBADE - FORBIDDEN

GOT - GOT (gotten US)

THREW - THROWN

FOR and SINCE

100

It is used with a period of time that can be quantified (seconds, hours, weeks, years etc.)

FOR

200

It is used with a point in time that is the starting moment of the action

SINCE

300

We haven't had a party _______ last Christmas.

We haven't had a party _______ ages.

SINCE

FOR

400

It can also be used with a clause + simple past 

SINCE

I haven't seen him since I was a child.

500

It is omitted with expressions beginning with all

FOR

They have been singing all night.

USED TO - WOULD TO vs.BE USED TO - GET USED TO

100

It means "be accustomed to"

BE USED TO

200

It means "get accustomed to" and gives the idea of the process between "not beign" and "beign used to"

GET USED TO

300

They can be followed either by a noun or -ing form

BE USED TO

GET USED TO

400

Past habit (activity or situation) that is in contrast with the present

USED TO

500

It can be used only when action are involved, it cannot be used for situations.

WOULD TO