Last Updated on September 9, 2020 by Skillslelo
In English, Tenses are used to show the time of actions and situations. There are three types of tenses; Present tense, Past tense and Future tense.
But here we will discuss only the types, formation, and examples of Past tense.
There are four types of Past tense;
1. Simple Past Tense
The simple past tense is used to describe an action that happened in the recent past. The simple past tense is also called the past simple.
Follow the rules to create the simple past tense.
“Subject + Past Form + Object”
Past Simple with Regular Verbs
- We use regular verbs in the simple past that always end with a -d. We usually add -ed to the base form of the verb to make past form:
| Base Form | Add -ed | Past Form | Sentence Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Visit | -ed | Visited | I visited Australia. |
| Open | -ed | Opened | I opened the door. |
| Start | -ed | Started | I started a business. |
| Work | -ed | Worked | I worked in the local bank. |
2. We add only -d if the verb ends in e
| Base Form | Add -d | Past Form | Sentence Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Owe | -d | Owed | You owed me money. |
| Believe | -d | Believed | I believed your story. |
3. Delete y and add ied to the base form of the verb if the verb ends in y preceded by a consonant.
| Base Form | Add -ied | Past Form | Sentence Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marry | -ied | Married | My cousin married a doctor. |
| Deny | -ied | Denied | The man denied everything. |
How to pronounce -ed
-
- When -ed is added to verbs that end in d pronounce the last syllable separately.
- When -ed is added to verbs that end in t, pronounce the last syllable separately.
- The ending of all other regular verbs is pronounced as one syllable when -ed is added.
Past Simple with Irregular Verbs
Some verbs do not use the -ed ending to express the past tense. These are irregular verbs, and they have unique past tense forms.
Examples;
Shake – Shook, Buy- Bought, Do – Did, Break – Broke
The house shook a lot during the earthquake.
We bought a nice gift for our parents.
I did the dishes after supper.
You broke my favorite cup.
Simple Past Sentence
Negative form
“Subject + Did not + Verb + Others”
Place did not after the subject and use the simple form of the verb to create the negative form of the simple past tense for regular and irregular verbs.
I did not forget to tell him.
She did not waste my valuable time.
Marcia did not report her income.
I did not shake the bottle of medicine.
My uncle did not shave his head.
He did not apologize to his friend
Simple Past Sentence
Question form
“Did + Subject + Verb + Others”
Place did before the subject to create questions in the simple past tense. The base form of the verb is always used when creating questions in the simple past tense with regular and irregular verbs.
Did Jessica find a starfish on the beach?
Did the squirrel eat the peanuts?
Did he shoot a deer last weekend?
Did I indicate my overtime hours on my timesheet?
Did they remain friends after the argument?
Uses of Simple Past Tense
1. In case of story/history etc:
Akbar was a great king.
There was a beautiful fairy who lived in a dream world.
2. Incident/Accident etc
A pilot as killed in a plane crash.
Yesterday, the bus was hijacked by terrorists.
3. Last + point of time/point of time + ago
She met Adam last Monday.
Last year, we were in London.
I met her a week ago.
2. Past Continuous Tense
The past progressive is used to describe an activity that happened and continued for a period of time in the past.
It is formed using the past tense of the verb to be (was/were) and by adding -ing to the simple form of the verb.
“Subject + Was/Were + Verb-ing + Object”
Examples;
We were walking in the snow with our snowshoes.
I was changing the lightbulb when I got a shock.
My daughter was blowing her nose.
The kids were playing ball there.
Past Continuous Sentence
Negative form
“Subject + Was/Were + not + Verb-ing + Object”
Place not after the past tense form of the verb to be to create the negative form of the past progressive tense.
He was not smiling at you.
It was not nipping my ankle.
The collar was not choking the dog.
The guests were not eating the potato salad.
They were not joking.
Past Continuous Sentence
Question form
“Was/Were + Subject + Verb-ing + Object”
Place the past tense form of the verb to be before the subject to create questions in the past progressive tense.
Was the meat thawing on the counter?
Were the wounds on his body healing?
Was she hoping for a new nightgown for Christmas?
Was the ice cracking on the lake?
Were the actors rehearsing for the play?
Was it drifting on the sea?
Uses of Past Continuous
1. Anything that was continuously happening in the past
You were doing your homework.
I was swimming in the river.
2. Past Tense + While + Past Continuous
My mother was cooking food while I was playing chess.
She was correcting her mistakes while you were laughing.
3. Past Perfect Tense
The past perfect tense is used to describe a past action that occurred before another past action.
Use had for all persons and the past participle of the verb to create the past perfect tense.
“Subject + Had + Past Participle + Object”
Examples;
The rain had stopped, so we went for a walk.
My grandmother had died when I was born.
She had seen the movie before, so she went to bed.
Past Perfect Sentence
Negative Form
“Subject + Had + Not + Past Participle + Object”
Place not after had to create the negative form of the past perfect tense. The past participle of the verb is always used in the negative form.
He had not held a baby before today.
It had not arrived, so I called the store.
I had not noticed that you were standing there.
Past Perfect Sentence
Question Form
“Had + Subject + Past Participle + Others”
Place had before the subject to create the question form of the past perfect tense.
The past participle of the verb is used when forming questions in the past perfect tense.
Had the play ended when she arrived?
Had you given him your phone number?
Had your aunt worn this dress before?
Had they tasted seafood before today?
4. Past Perfect Continuous Tense
We use the past perfect progressive to talk about actions or situations which had continued up to the last moment that we are thinking about, or shortly before it.
Use had been for all persons and add -ing to the main verb to create the past perfect continuous.
“Subject + Had been + Verb-ing + Object”
Examples;
At that time we had been living in the caravan for about six months.
When I found Emily, I could see that she had been crying.
I went to the doctor because I had been sleeping badly.