Past Tense

Examples of past tense

Here are some examples of the past tense in context:

Fig 1. I watched TV all day is an example of the past tense

Types of past tense

Let's explore the different types of past tense a little further.

Each of the three main tenses (past, present, and future) is divided into four aspects. An aspect is a verb form concerned with time and indicates an action's completion, duration, or repetition. Aspects work alongside tenses to show the duration of an action within a particular tense.

The four aspects are: simple, continuous (sometimes called 'progressive'), perfect, and perfect continuous (progressive). Therefore, the types of past tense are also simple, continuous, perfect, and perfect continuous.

• The simple aspect is used to express facts.

• The continuous aspect shows that an action is ongoing and yet to be completed.

• The perfect aspect is used for actions that started in the past but have some connection to the present.

• The perfect continuous aspect is a combination of the continuous aspect and the perfect aspect. It is used to show that an action has/had/or will have been in progress since a specific point in time.

Now that we have a good idea of how tenses and aspects work together, let's look at the four different types of past tense.

Using the past simple tense

The past (simple) tense is the most common past form in the English language. It is used to talk about a completed action or event that started and ended in the past. In other words, the past simple tense describes a completed action in the past (e.g. He went to school yesterday).

The past simple tense can also be used to refer to a habitual or repeated action/event that occurred regularly (e.g. I used to go to London every Christmas).

You can form the past simple tense by using this formula:

Subject + past tense verb

For regular verbs, we form the past simple (Verb form 2) by adding the inflection -d or -ed to the verb's root. E.g. I dance → I danced

Take a look at these examples:

Notice how each of these examples contains a finished action/event that took place in the past (e.g. travelled, danced). We may also reference the specific point of time/frequency of the verb (e.g. often, all night long).

Things are a bit more tricky with irregular verbs such as 'run → ran' and 'be → was/were/been' which don't follow the same inflection rule. Unfortunately, we just have to memorise the spellings for these irregular verbs. Here are some more examples of irregular past tense verbs.

Other ways to form the past simple tense include the following:

Past continuous (progressive) tense

The past continuous tense (also known as the past progressive) is used to describe an ongoing action or event in the past.

The past continuous (progressive) tense is formed like this:

subject + was/were + verb root + -ing

The past continuous can be used to 'set the scene' for another event and is often used to describe an action that was interrupted by another action. Like this:

Both examples show an ongoing past action (walking/having lunch) interrupted by another past action (dog jumped out/started to rain).

Notice how the sentences contain the past form of 'to be' (was/were) as well as the verb ending with '-ing'. This helps us recognise that the past progressive (continuous) is being used.

Other ways to form the past progressive (continuous) include the following:

Fig 2. The sun was shining is another example of the past tense.

Past perfect tense

The past perfect tense is used to talk about an action/event that was completed in the past, often before another action/event took place.

You can use this formula to make the past perfect tense:

Notice how each sentence uses the past participle verb form (or verb type 3). In the example sentences, the part participle verbs are slept, taken, and gone. We always use past participles when forming perfect tenses.

We often use the past perfect to talk about an action/event that was completed before a second action/event occurred. Take a look at these examples:

Notice how each example includes two actions/events which are both in the past, one after the other.

Other ways of forming the past perfect include the following:

Past perfect continuous (progressive) tense

The past perfect continuous (progressive) tense describes an action that started in the past and continued into another time in the past.

A past perfect progressive sentence is formed by using the auxiliary verbs had and been together with the main verb + -ing (e.g.walking). For example, 'I had been walking'.

We can form the past perfect progressive (continuous) tense by using this formula:

subject + had been + verb root + -ing

Check out these examples:

Like the past perfect, the past perfect progressive can also be used to 'set the scene' for another past action.

Other ways to form the past perfect continuous (progressive) tense include:

Past tense revision sheet

Using the past tense to refer to the present or future

It may sound unlikely, but the past tense can be used to refer to the present or future in particular situations. Some examples of these situations include:

• To express urgency - e.g. The train is here soon. It's time we left.

• To talk about plans - e.g. I was thinking of booking a flight to Barbados for my birthday'. Here, the past continuous expresses uncertainty about plans (although it sounds like a good plan to us!).

• To be polite - e.g. I was wondering if you could send me the documents or I was hoping that you'd come this weekend. Here, the past continuous sounds more polite than the simple present 'I hope you come this weekend' as it is less direct.

• To express possibility/wishes/hypothesise - e.g. Suppose someone called me tomorrow, I wish I had a bigger TV or What if you missed the train?