Past Tenses

Relationship of
Past Events/Actions
to Each Other

Past Tenses
Past Tenses Examples
__
3 Simple Past
1
__ Past Continuous
4

1) When I arrived, they were

talking
about me.
2) When I arrived, they had
been
talking about me for an hour.

__ Past Perfect
2

3) When I arrived, they talked

about
me.

__ Past Perfect

4) When I arrived, they had

Past Tenses

Past Tenses Formulas

__
3 Simple Past

1) had been + vb-ing

__
2 Past
Continuous

2) was/were + vb-ing

__
4 Past Perfect

3) verb + ed (*regular verbs)

__
1 Past Perfect
Continuous

4) had + past participle

Past Tenses
COMPAR
E
Simple Past (verb + ed )
When I arrived, they talked about me..

Past Continuous (was/were + present participle )

When I arrived, they were talking about me..

(They started talking about me before I arrived. When I
arrived, they were still talking about me.)

Past Tenses
Complete the sentences with the simple past or the past
continuous.
was
1) My mother _______________
(cook) something when I
walked into thecooking
room. The smell of the food was
wonderful.
cooke
2) My mother _______________
(cook) something when I
d
walked into the room.
She said she was waiting for me to
help her decide what she would make for dinner.
almost (have, almost) a car accident last
3) I _______________
had
night. was
I _______________
(drive) down Washington Avenue
saw
driving I _______________
when suddenly
(see) a car in my lane. It
was
steppe
_______________
(come) right at my car. I _______________
swerve
coming
d
(step)
on the brakes and _______________
(swerve)
to the
d
right. The other car just
_______________
(miss, just) my car at
missed
about an inch.

Past Tenses
COMPAR
E
Simple Past (verb + ed )
Action 2 occurring right after action 1.
When I arrived, they talked about me..
(First, I arrived. Then they started talking about me.)
Past Perfect (had + past participle )
Action 2 occurring before action 1.
When I arrived, they had talked about me..
(They started and finished talking about me before I
arrived. I didnt see them talking about me.)

Past Tenses
Complete the sentences with the simple past or the past
perfect.
cooke
1) My mother _______________
(cook) something when I
d
walked into the room.
She said she was waiting for me to
help her decide what she would make for dinner.
had
2) My mother _______________ (cook) something when I
cooked
walked into the room. The food was waiting for me on the
table.
had
3) He _______________ (be) a newspaper reporter before he
been
becam
_______________
(become) a businessman.
e
fel
4) I _______________
(feel) a little better after I
had
tookt
_______________
(take) the medicine.
taken

Past Tenses
COMPAR
E
Past Perfect (had + past participle )
Action 2 occurring before action 1.
When I arrived, they had talked about me..
(They started and finished talking about me before I
arrived. I didnt see them talking about me.)
Past Perfect Continuous (had been + present
participle )
Action 2 occurring during some time before action 1.
When I arrived, they had been talking about me for one
hour..
(They were talking about me for one hour. Then I
arrived. I didnt see them talking about me for that first

Past Tenses
Complete the sentences with the past perfect or the past
perfect continuous.
1) My mother _______________
had
(cook) something when I
walked into thecooked
room. The food was waiting for me on the
table.
had
been
cooked (cook) something for more
2) My motherhad
_______________
cooking
than one hour
when I walked in the room. She was
already exhausted, so I helped her finish preparing the
food.
been
had
cooked (cook) something for more
3) My motherhad
_______________
cooking
than one hour
when I walked in the room. She was
exhausted, but the dish looked wonderful!
had
4) Michael _______________
(work) as a lawyer before he
had
had
been
worked (work) in that
worked
became a singer.
In fact, he
_______________
company for more than 10working
years.

Past Tenses
COMPARE ALL THE PAST
TENSES

Simple Past (verb + ed )

Action 2
occurring right after action 1.
Past Continuous
(was/were + present
participle ) Action 2
continuing at the same time
as action 1.
Past Perfect
(had + past participle )
Action 2 occurring before
action 1.
Past Perfect Continuous
(had been + present
participle ) Action 2
occurring during some time

When I arrived, they talked

about me..

When I arrived, they were

talking about me..

When I arrived, they had talked

about me..

When I arrived, they had been

talking about me for one hour..

Past Tenses
Match the pictures with their corresponding sentences.

When Ellen arrived home,

Mark cooked dinner.

When Ellen arrived home,

Mark was cooking dinner.

When Ellen arrived home,

Mark had cooked dinner.

Past Tenses
Complete the sentences with the BEST past tense.
had already
1) I was late. The teacher ____________________
(already
given
go
/give) a quiz when I ____________________
(get) to class.
t
were
still
2) The kids ____________________ (still / sleep) when their
sleeping
calle
father _______________
(call). And I didnt want to wake
d they didnt talk to him.
them up, so
3) My mother ____________________
slep
(sleep) when I
____________________
(arrive)
t
home. She was always anxious
arrived
about what could happen to me. As for my father, he
didnt seem to worry. When I arrived home from parties,
he ____________________
(already / go) to bed.
had already
gone
4) I ____________________
had
hadstudied
been
(study) English for almost 2 years
when I first____________________
studying
(travel) abroad.
traveled

Past Tenses

The
End !!!!!!