Past Tenses

What is the tense?

100

What tense do we use to talk about things that have just happened?

Present Perfect

200

When there is an action that happened before another past action, what tenses do we use?

Past Perfect for the previous action and Past Simple for the last one.

300

What tense do we use to talk about concrete actions in the past?

Past Simple

400

When there is a long action in the past which is interrupted by a shorter action, what tenses do we use?

Past Simple for the short action and Past Continuous for the long action.

500

What tense do we use to talk about recent past actions that still have an effect on the present time?

Present Perfect

Irregular verbs

100

Past Simple of "put"

Put

200

Past Simple of "light"

Lit

300

Past Simple of "hang"

Hung

400

Past Participle of "Awake"

Awoken

500

Past Participle of "broadcast"

Broadcast

Fill in the gaps

100

I _________ (just/finish) my homework.

I have just finished my homework.

200

The Pilgrims only _________ (reach) America after they _________ (sail) the Atlantic for 66 days.

The Pilgrims only reached America after they had sailed the Atlantic for 66 days.

300

Yesterday, I _________ (go) to the library, next I _________ (have) a swim and later I _________ (meet) Julie for coffee.

Yesterday, I went to the library, next I had a swim and later I met Julie for coffee.

400

When I _________ (walk) into the room, everybody _________ (work).

When I walked into the room, everybody was working.

500

I can't take any pictures because I _________ (not/buy) a new camera yet.

I can't take any pictures because I haven't bought a new camera yet.

Time expressions

100

What tense would you use with the expression "in 1999"?

Past Simple.

200

What do we use "already" for? Justify and exemplify.

‘Already’ is used to say that something has happened early – or earlier than it might have happened.

300

When do we use "while"? Justify and exemplify.

To describe the longer action of two events. 

400

What do we use "since" for? Justify and exemplify.

We use "since" to refer back to a previous point in time.

500

Which is the difference between the Past perfect tense and the Past Perfect Continuous?

The past perfect simple highlights completed actions, while the past perfect continuous emphasizes the duration of actions leading up to another past event

Make the sentence

100

You/keep a pet/for five years.

You've kept a pet for five years.

200

The receptionist/welcome/the guests/and/ask/them to fill in the form.

The receptionist welcomed the guests and asked them to fill in the form.

300

After Fred/spend/his holiday in Italy/he/want/to learn Italian.

After Fred had spent his holiday in Italy he wanted to learn Italian.

400

Luna / run five miles a day before he twist/ this ankle.

Luna had been running five miles a day before he twisted his ankle.

500

This/happen/about ten years ago./I/stay/with a college friend, in the country./They/recently/buy/an old house near Cambridge/and she/invite/me/down to see it.

This happened about ten years ago. I was staying with a college friend, in the country. They had recently bought an old house near Cambridge and she had invited me down to see it.