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PAST SIMPLE Definition of the simple past tense The simple past tense, sometimes called the preterite, is used to talk about a completed action in a time before now. The simple past is the basic form of past tense in English. The time of the action can be in the recent past or the distant past and action duration is not important. Examples John Cabot sailed to America in 1498. My father died last year. He lived in Fiji in 1976. We crossed the Channel yesterday. You always use the simple past when you say when something happened, so it is associated with certain past time expressions frequency: often, sometimes, always I sometimes walked home at lunchtime. I often brought my lunch to school. a definite point in time: last week, when I was a child, yesterday, six weeks ago We saw a good film last week. Yesterday, I arrived in Geneva. She finished her work at seven o'clock I went to the theatre last night an indefinite point in time: the other day, ages ago, a long time ago People lived in caves a long time ago. She played the piano when she was a child. PAST CONTINUOUS The past continuous describes actions or events in a time before now, which began in the past and is still going on at the time of speaking. In other words, it expresses an unfinished or incomplete action in the past. It is used: Often, to describe the background in a story written in the past tense, e.g. "The sun was shining and the birds were singing as the elephant came out of the jungle. The other animals were relaxing in the shade of the trees, but the elephant moved very quickly. She was looking for her baby, and she didn't notice the hunter who was watching her through his binoculars. When the shot rang out, she was running towards the river..." to describe an unfinished action that was interrupted by another event or action, e.g. "I was having a beautiful dream when the alarm clock rang." to express a change of mind: e.g. "I was going to spend the day at the beach but I've decided to get my homework done instead." with 'wonder', to make a very polite request: e.g. "I was wondering if you could baby-sit for me tonight." Examples They were waiting for the bus when the accident happened. Caroline was skiing when she broke her leg. When we arrived he was having a bath. When the fire started I was watching television. To play, past continuous Affirmative Negative Interrogative I was playing I was not playing Was I playing? You were playing You were not playing Were you playing? He was playing He wasn't playing Was he playing? We were playing We weren't playing Were we playing? PAST PERFECT The past perfect refers to a time earlier than before now. It is used to make it clear that one event happened before another in the past. It does not matter which event is mentioned first - the tense makes it clear which one happened first. In these examples, Event A is the event that happened first and Event B is the second or more recent event: Event A Event B John had gone out when I arrived in the office. Event A Event B I had saved my document before the computer crashed. Event B Event A When they arrived we had already started cooking. Event B Event A He was very tired because he hadn't slept well. They were playing They weren't playing Were they playing? She had given. She hadn't asked. Had they arrived? Hadn't you finished? I had decided I hadn't decided Had I decided? You had decided You hadn't decided Had you decided? She had decided She hadn't decided Had she decided? We had decided We hadn't decided Had we decided? They had decided They hadn't decided Had they decided? 'Just' is used with the past perfect to refer to an event that was only a short time earlier than before now, e.g. The train had just left when I arrived at the station. She had just left the room when the police arrived. I had just put the washing out when it started to rain. PAST PERFECT CONTINOUS The past perfect continuous corresponds to the present perfect continuous, but with reference to a time earlier than 'before now'. As with the present perfect continuous, we are more interested in the process. I had been buying I hadn't been buying Had I been buying? You had been buying You hadn't been buying Had you been buying? She had been buying She hadn't been buying Had she been buying? We had been buying We hadn't been buying Had we been buying? They had been buying They hadn't been buying Had they been buying? Had you been waiting long before the taxi arrived? We had been trying to open the door for five minutes when Jane found her key. It had been raining hard for several hours and the streets were very wet. Her friends had been thinking of calling the police when she walked in. NOTE: Simple Past for actions starting and ending in the past. Past Continuous for actions starting in the past and continuing to the present. Past Perfect for actions that started and ended in the past before another action that is also in the past. Past Perfect Continuous for actions that were going on in the past up until another action in the past happened.