Past Tenses Review

Identify the tense

100

I was eating my lunch when all of a sudden...

Past Continuous

200

I've been to Africa three times

Present Perfect Simple

300

I've been living in Spain for two months

Present Perfect Continuous

400

I had only just been born when a dragon flew out of Space

Past Perfect Simple

500

They had been travelling for seven months before they broke up

Past Perfect Continuous

Form

100

How do we form the past continuous?

sub + ? + ?

sub + was/were + verb(ing)

200

How do we form the present perfect simple?

sub + ? + ?

sub + has/have + past participle verb

300

How do we form the present perfect continuous?

sub + ? + ? + ?

sub + has/have + been + verb(ing)

400

How do we form the past perfect simple?

sub + ? + ?

sub + had + past participle

500

How do we form the past perfect continuous?

sub + ? + ? + ?

sub + had + been + verb(ing)

When?

100

When do we use the past continuous?

To talk about an ongoing action in the past

To give background information to a story

e.g. I was listening to the radio when all of a sudden I head a loud bang

200

When do we use the present perfect simple?

To talk about something in the past that has happened recently

e.g. I've just had my hair cut

To talk about a life experience that happened in the past but we're not interested in when it happened

e.g. I've lived in three different cities

300

When do we use the present perfect continuous?

To talk about an action that started in the past and has continued up to now

e.g. I've been living in Spain since July

400

When do we use the past perfect simple?

When there are two events in the past and we want to refer to the first thing that happened

e.g. By the time she was 21, she had already learned to speak five languages.

500

When do we use the past perfect continuous?

To talk about an ongoing past event or situation that started before another event in the past.

e.g. It had been raining heavily by the time she woke up.

Correct the error

100

Past Continuous

I were eating my breakfast when all of a sudden I saw a bird fly into my window

I was eating my breakfast when all of a sudden I saw a bird fly into my window

200

Present Perfect Simple

She has ate lunch already.

She has eaten lunch already.

300

Present Perfect Continuous

We have watching to TV all day.

We have been watching the TV all day.

400

Past Perfect Simple

They has always wanted to visit Paris but never got the chance.

They had always wanted to visit Paris but never got the chance.

500

Present Perfect Continuous

We had been look out for them for hours, but didn't manage to find them.

We had been looking out for them for hours, but didn't manage to find them.