Past Tenses. Grammar in Use

1.

Past Tenses
Grammar in Use
Our objectives for today are:
- to develop our grammar skills
- to revise new vocabulary and use it in our speech

2.

Simple
Present
Continuous
Perfect
Perfect
Continuous
V/ Vs
am, is, are + have/ has
do/ does
Ving
+ V3
have/ has been
+ Ving
Past
Ved/ V2
did
was, were
+ Ving
had
+ V3
had been
+ Ving
Future
will + V
will be
+ Ving
will have +
V3
will have been
+ Ving

3.

1
Past Simple
a complete action in the past.
The plane landed at the airport at nine o’clock yesterday
morning.
(The time is stated. The action is complete. The plane
landed.)
Past continuous
an action which was in progress at a stated
time in the past;
we do not mention when the action started or
finished.
At five o’clock yesterday morning the plane was flying to
Moscow from Rome.
(We do not know when it left or reached its destination.)

4.

2
Past Simple
actions which happened one after the other in
the past.
I saw a beautiful bird in the garden.
I went to get my camera.
The bird flew away.
I returned with my camera.
Past continuous
two or more actions that were in progress at
the same time.
I was jogging while my brother was walking our dog.

5.

3
Past Simple
to talk about the lives of people who are no
longer alive.
Albert Einstein made a lot of scientific discoveries.
Past continuous
to describe the atmosphere, weather or place
before we describe the main event.
The music was playing. Tom was lying on the sofa and
doing nothing.

6.

Past Simple
Past continuous
to talk about an action that happened while another action was in progress.
We were still arguing when a bright flash of lightning appeared in the sky.
longer action
shorter action
Past Simple
While I was talking on the phone, someone grabbed me and pulled me away
from the tree.
when + Past Simple
while + Past Continuous
Past Continuous

7.

Time markers
Past Simple
Past Continuous
yesterday
while
last night/week/month/year
when
two days/weeks/months ago
as
then
all day/morning yesterday
When … ?
at noon yesterday
How long ago...?
the whole night yesterday
in 1992/1845
from 5 to 6 yesterday

8.

Complete my story with the Past
Simple or the Past Continuous.
Harry was at my house one day. We (play) a computer game when my
mum (open) the door.
When we (come) to the kitchen, Kate (put) the plates on the table. Harry
(sit) down at the table.
My mum (fill) a big bowl with spaghetti and tomato sauce and (give) it to
me. While I (carry) the bowl to the table, I (trip) and the bowl flew into
the air.
Unfortunately, spaghetti landed on Harry!
Harry (go) back to his house next door and (change) clothes, but it
wasn’t his lucky day!
While he (walk) back to my house, it (start) to rain. He didn’t have an
umbrella, so he quickly ran to the house. While he (run), he (slip) and
fell into a pool of muddy water!

9.

Check.
Harry was at my house one day. We were playing a computer game
when my mum opened the door.
When we came to the kitchen, Kate was putting the plates on the table.
Harry sat down at the table.
My mum filled a big bowl with spaghetti and tomato sauce and gave it to
me. While I was carrying the bowl to the table, I tripped and the bowl
flew into the air.
Unfortunately, spaghetti landed on Harry!
Harry went back to his house next door and changed clothes, but it
wasn’t his lucky day!
While he was walking back to my house, it started to rain. He didn’t
have an umbrella, so he quickly ran to the house. While he was running,
he slipped and fell into a pool of muddy water!

10.

1
Past perfect
Past perfect
continuous
one past action which happened before
another past action or a stated time in the
past.
older action
shows the duration of an action which started
and finished in the past before another past
action or a stated time in the past.
younger action
past
present
Past Perfect
Past Simple
She got up late because I had forgotten to set the alarm
clock.
Ben hadn’t slept well the night before, so he was very tired.
We had been living in the same house for twelve years
before we decided to move.

11.

2
Past perfect
an action which finished in the past and
whose result was visible in the past.
All the plants on my balcony were dead. I had watered
them too much.
Past perfect
continuous
an action which lasted for some time in the
past and whose result was visible in the past.
Her feet ached because she had been shopping all day.

12.

3
Past perfect
the past equivalent of the Present Perfect.
Past perfect
continuous
the past equivalent of the Present Perfect
Continuous.
Past Perfect
Past Perfect Continuous
a) There was no cake left; he had eaten it all.
(The action “had eaten” happened in the past and the
result “there was no cake left” was visible in the past, too.)
a) Simon was frightened. He had been watching a horror
film for half an hour.
(The action “had been watching” lasted for some time in
the past and the result “was frightened” was visible in the
past.)
Present Perfect
b) There is no cake left; he has eaten it all.
(The action “has eaten” happened in the past and the
result “there is no cake left” is still visible in the present.)
Present Perfect Continuous
b) Simon is frightened. He has been watching a horror film
for half an hour.
(The action “has been watching” started in the past and the
result “was frightened” is still visible in the present.)

13.

Time
markers
I had been trying to find him for years but I failed.
for
They had known each other for a long time.
since
It’s 11 a.m. Paul had been talking on the phone since 9 a.m.
how long
How long had you been waiting there?
before
Pam had been doing the same job for ten years before she
after
decided to do something different.
ever/never
Matt phoned after I had finished my homework.
They had never seen such a beautiful sunset in their lives.
by the time
By 12 o’clock they had drunk four cups of tea each.

14.

Complete with the Past Perfect or the Past Perfect Continuous.
Last was both the happiest and the worst day in my parents’ life.
It was the happiest because my dad (win) the lottery, and the worst because we
couldn’t find the lottery ticket!
After my parents (look) everywhere for it, they began to panic. Then my dad
remembered something: on the day he (buy) the lottery ticket, he (wear) his old
black jacket. The ticket was in the pocket! When dad told this my mum, her face
went white. The previous day, she (give) the jacket to a charity for homeless
people!
My dad didn’t waste any time. After he (explain) the situation to all our friends
and relatives, they agreed to help. They (search) everywhere for a week.
Nobody (see) the jacket.
By then, my dad (lose) 5 kilos. He walked the streets with red eyes, talking to
himself. He looked terrible.
That Sunday, seven days after he (win) the lottery, he was out in the street
again. He was cold and tired so he sat on the grass to rest for a while…

15.

Check.
Last was both the happiest and the worst day in my parents’ life.
It was the happiest because my dad had won the lottery, and the worst
because we couldn’t find the lottery ticket!
After my parents had looked everywhere for it, they began to panic.
Then my dad remembered something: on the day he had bought the
lottery ticket, he had been wearing his old black jacket. The ticket was
in the pocket! When dad told this my mum, her face went white. The
previous day, she had given the jacket to a charity for homeless people!
My dad didn’t waste any time. After he had explained the situation to
all our friends and relatives, they agreed to help. They had been
searching everywhere for a week. Nobody had seen the jacket.
By then, my dad had lost 5 kilos. He walked the streets with red eyes,
talking to himself. He looked terrible.
That Sunday, seven days after he had won the lottery, he was out in the
street again. He was cold and tired so he sat on the grass to rest for a while.

16.

17.

was
was thinking
called
Did I tell
happened
were shopping
were looking
came
was showing
opened
had
was
didn’t expect