PAST SIMPLE, PAST PROGRESSIVE AND

PAST PERFECT.

Its uses and contrasts.

PAST SIMPLE

Use the Simple Past to express the idea that an action

started and finished at a specific time in the past.

Sometimes, the speaker may not actually mention the

specific time, but they do have one specific time in mind.

Examples: - I worked for “Techo para Chile” last year.

- She did not study for the test.

- Did you go to Barcelona two years ago?

PAST SIMPLE IN USE

We use past simple affirmative in the following way:

Subject + Verb in the past + complement

(regular/irregular)

-Regular verbs: Verbs in the past that are used in the same

way, specifically, they have the same ending ED. Example.

Played

-Irregular verbs: Verbs in the past that do not have an

specific form or ending in common, they are different and

independent. Example. Write/Written.

PAST SIMPLE IN USE

•Negative form:

Subject + did not + verb in present+ complement

Example.

I did not forget your gift.

•Interrogative form:

Did + subject + verb in present + complement

Example.

Did you make bread yesterday?

PAST PROGRESSIVE

Past progressive is used to express an action that was

happening in the past, that means it lasted for a while or

that the subject was performing the action at some point in

the past. Also the action may happened while something

else was happening at the same time.

Examples: -I was thinking about that girl.

-He was working in a coffe shop.

-They were studying for the test.

PAST PROGRESSIVE IN USE

How to use it:

Subjects: II HeHe

SheShe ItIt

WASWAS

YouYou WeWe

TheyThey

WEREWERE

Verb + ing

PAST PROGRESSIVE IN USE

We use past progressive affirmative in the following way:

Subject + was/were + verb ING + complement

I was going to the stadium.

You were reading an interesting book.

She was not flying on a plane.

PAST PROGRESSIVE IN USE

We use past progressive negative in the following way:

Subject + was/were + not + verb ING + complement

She was not flying on a plane.

PAST PROGRESSIVE IN USE

We use past simple interrogative in the following

way:

WAS/Were + subject + verb ing + complement

Was I going to the stadium?

Were you reading an interesting book?

Was she flying on a plane?

PAST PERFECT

We use past perfect to express that something happened in the past

before the past. In simple terms past perfect is an action that happened

before something else in the past in a correlative order.

Examples:

-She had broken the window before you played football.

-I had read the book before I wrote a sum up.

-We used the pencil after you had written your paper.

PAST PERFECT IN USEWe use past perfect affirmative in the following way:

Subject + had + verb (past participle)+ complement

-Alternative 1: Subject + had+ verb(past participle)+ complement+

preposition of time + subject + past simple + complement

-Alternative 2: Subject + verb (past simple)+ complement+

preposition of time+ subject+ had+ verb(past participle)+

complement.

PAST PERFECT IN USEExample :

I had played football before.

-Example alternative 1 :

She had done the homework before she read the book.

-Example alternative 2 :

We ran to the beach after the tsunami had hit.

PAST PERFECT IN USE

We use past perfect negative in the following way:

Subject + had + not+ verb (past participle)+ complement

I had not prepared lunch before you cooked.

-We use past perfect interrogative in the following way:

Had + subject+ verb(past participle)+ complement ?

Had you played football before she played basketball?

CONTRAST BETWEEN THEM

Past perfect Past progressive Past simple

Present

Time linePast perfect

Past progressive

Past

Continues in time

EXERCISES

Complete the story in the next slide using the past

simple, past perfect, or past continuous of the verbs in

brackets.

STORYIt 1 (be) Tuesday evening and I 2(get) ready to go to bed when the phone

3(ring). To my surprise it 4(be) my friend Peter. He 5(call) from his mobile and

he was very annoyed because he 6(lose) his keys and he 7(cannot) get into

his flat. He 8(think) he 9(leave) them at work but now it was midnight and

the office was closed so he 10(cannot) get in to check. Luckily I had the keys to

his flat because a month before he 11(give) me a spare set so that I could look

after his cat while he was on holiday. When he finally 12(arrive) to pick them

up, it was three o'clock in the morning, and I 13(lie) on the sofa fast asleep.

THE END