Past Tense

PAST SIMPLE

USE: We use PAST SIMPLE to talk about an action which happened and completely finished in the past (past action or situation) with the definite time expression.

Here are some definite time expressions.

last Monday, last week, last month, last year, last summer, yesterday, before yesterday, one year ago, in January, in 2008…

Example:

- I went to Russia last month.

- They arrived Cambodia at 5 p.m.

- She joined a part with me yesterday.

FORMULA

Positive Sentence:

Subject + past verb + Object/Complement

Example:

- I met my old friend this morning.

- Jony watched TV alone last night.

- They had a party last week.

Negative Sentence₁:

Sub + did + not + infinitive + obj/comp

Example:

- She did not buy anything from the market this evening.

- He did not get married last month.

Negative Sentence₂:

Sub + past modal verb + not + infinitive + obj/comp

Example:

- They could not sing yesterday.

- You would not wish anything last night.

Negative Sentence₃:

Sub + was/were + not + obj/comp

Example:

- She was not happy yesterday.

- We are not at Phnom Penh this morning.

Question₁:

Did + sub + infinitive + obj/comp ?

Example:

- Did you finish you work this afternoon?

- Did they get a letter from USA last week?

Question₂:

Past modal verb + sub + infinitive + obj/comp ?

Example:

- Could she dance in the wedding party last night?

- Would you leave the party early last night?

Question₃:

Was/Were + sub + obj/comp ?

Example:

- Was he good-looking in the event yesterday?

- Were you bored this evening?

 

PAST CONTINUOUS

USE: We use PAST CONTINUOUS to talk about something which is in progress in the past time. The action or situation had started but it had not finished at that time.

Example:

- I saw you were waiting for the train this morning.

- Last week this time, I was driving a car.

- Yesterday evening, they were playing tennis.

FORMULA

Positive Sentence:

Subject + was/were + verb-ing + object/complement

Example:

- I was reading my lesson at 9 o’clock last night.

- They were doing exercise this morning.

- Sophy was writing a letter to her friend at 10 a.m.

Negative Sentence:

Sub + was/were + not + verb-ing + obj/comp

Example:

- Yesterday morning, I was not cleaning my clothes.

- Last night this time, Dany was not sleeping.

- You were not doing your homework at 8 o’clock last night.

Question:

Was/Were + sub + verb-ing + obj/comp ?

Example:

- Where were you going yesterday morning?

- Were you watching TV this evening?

- What were you doing at 11 o’clock this afternoon?

 

PAST PERFECT SIMPLE

USE: We use PAST PERFECT SIMPLE to talk about a past situation or activity that took place before another past situation or activity, or before a particular time in the past.

Example:

- When I got home, my mother had cooked already.

- When Chenda arrived at the party, Nara had gone home.

- We aren’t hungry because we had just had lunch.

FORMULA

Positive Sentence:

Subject + had + past participle + object/complement

Example:

- The train had left at 7:00.

- John had gone to Camcodia.

- We had gotten a letter from USA.

Negative Sentence:

Sub + had + not + past participle + obj/comp

Example:

- Dara had not visited anywhere.

- They had not gone to China.

- She had not changed her house.

Question:

Had + sub + past participle + obj/comp ?

Example:

- Had you studied English before?

- Had they lived in Malaysia?

- Had she left home to Japan?

 

PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS

USE: We use PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS to talk about the continuity or duration of a situation or activity which had been in progress up to the past time.

Example:

- We had been playing about half an hour when it started to rain very heavy.

- Jim had been drinking coffee for 20 years before he quitted it.

- I was very tired when I got home because I had been walking hard all day.

FORMULA

Positive Sentence:

Subject + had + been + verb-ing + object/complement

Example:

- I had been waiting for you for an hour.

- We had been playing soccer for three hours.

- They had been working hard today.

Negative Sentence:

Sub + had + not + been + verb-ing + obj/comp

Example:

- She had not been suffering from flu.

- They had not been working for two years

- I had not been expecting the news for some time.

Question:

Had + sub + been + verb-ing + obj/comp ?

Example:

- Had Jame been driving for five hours before his car broke down?

- Had you been sitting at the platform for an hour?

- Had they been dancing all night?