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The past tense is one of the three main verb forms in the English language, alongside the present tense and the future tense.
The main functions of the past tense are: to express that an action / state of being happened in the past ( ' Ava went to the farm ') , to talk about habitual actions / events in the past that were repeated or occurred regularly (' we used to go to Wales all the time ') , to refer to the present ( ' I wish I had a dog ') or to refer to the future ( ' Imagine if we moved to Italy ').
The past tense has other uses such as talking about hypotheses / imagining something (' What if you fell ? ' ) or to be polite (' I was wondering if you could send me the file ').
Let's explore the past tense in more detail. We will also learn about the different types of past tense and look at plenty of examples along the way!
Here are some examples of the past tense in context:
Let's explore the different types of the 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 the completion , duration , or repetition of an action.
The four aspects are: simple, progressive (sometimes called 'continuous'), perfect, and perfect progressive (continuous).
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.
The past simple tense can also be used to refer to a habitual or repeated action / event that occurred regularly ( 'I used to go to London every Christmas'' ).
You can form the past simple 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 root of the verb eg '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 (' traveled ', 'danced ' ) . We may also reference the specific point of time / frequency of the verb ( '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. 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:
Negatives |
Subject + did not (didn't) + verb root (the infinitive without 'to') eg. I didn't wear my new jacket eg. She did not like the zoo |
Interrogative |
Did + subject + verb root (the infinitive without 'to') eg. Did you go? eg. Did she see the monkeys? |
The past progressive tense (also known as the past continuous) 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:
He was walking down the road when the dog jumped out.
We were all having lunch when it started to rain.
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 -ing. This helps us recognise that the past progressive (continuous) is being used.
Other ways to form the past progressive (continuous) include the following:
Negatives |
Subject + was / were not + verb root + -ing eg. Ella was not sleeping eg. We weren't enjoying the music |
Interrogative |
Were / was + subject + verb root + -ing eg. Was Chloe singing last night? eg. What is it (not) raining? |
You can use this formula to make the past perfect tense:
subject + had + past participle |
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:
They had left by the time the bus arrived.
After Sarah had finished school, she went for dinner
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:
Negatives |
Subject + had not + past participle eg. Emma hadn't slept eg. We hadn't understood the test |
Interrogative |
Had + subject + past participle eg. Had you studied? eg. Had she (not) come home? |
The past perfect progressive (continuous) 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 eg '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 progressive (continuous) tense include:
Negatives |
Had not (hadn't) + been + verb root + -ing eg. John had not been eating eg. The dog hadn't been barking |
Interrogative |
Had + subject + been + verb root + -ing eg. Had she been running? eg. Had they not been working all day? |
Tense | Explanation | Examples |
Past simple | The past simple tense is used to talk about a completed action or event that started in the past and ended in the past . | eg We cycled to the beach eg Did you go outside? eg I danced all night |
Past continuous | Past continuous tense (also known as past progressive tense) is used to express that an action or event is ongoing in the past. | eg I was cooking all evening e.g. He wasn't happy when he arrived. eg Was it raining last night? |
Past Perfect | The past perfect tense expresses a completed action in the past that occurs before another action / event happened in the past . | eg She had been ill all week e.g. We had adopted a new puppy for Christmas e.g. I had won the game |
Past Perfect Continuous | The past perfect continuous expresses that an action started in the past and continued into another time in the past. | eg I had been laughing all day e.g. She had been trying to fix her bike e.g. You hadn't been working hard |
The past tense is the most commonly used tense in literature.
In fiction, writers use the past tense to show events that have already happened, even if the characters feel like it's happening in the present. A writer might also use the past tense in a flashback, as the tense places the events in the past. In nonfiction, writers are able to state facts and describe events that have already happened in the past.
The past tense can be used to refer to the present or future in particular situations including:
The past tense is one of the three main tenses in the English language.
There are four aspects of the past tense: past (simple), past progressive (continuous), past perfect, and past perfect progressive (continuous).
The main functions of the past tense are: to express that an action / state of being has happened in the past , to talk about habitual actions / events in the past that were repeated or occurred regularly , to refer to the present tense, or to refer to the future tense.
The past tense is commonly used in literature and can also be used in certain situations to refer to the present and future tense.
Past tense tells us that something has already happened.
The past progressive tense is used to describe an activity/action that happened in the past but is ongoing.
The simple past tense is the most basic past form. It is used to talk about a completed action in the past.
The past tense uses verbs to show that an action has already happened. Some examples of past tense verbs are walked, ran, and cooked.
It is a tense that expresses an action that has happened already or describes a state that has already existed.
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