Past Forms: Theory and Exercises

PAST FORMS
Past simple:
How do we form it?
Affirmative SB + VERB(ed or irregular) + COMPL
I played football yesterday afternoon (regular verbs)
I fell down yesterday (irregular verbs)
Negative SB + DIDN’T + VERB + COMPL
I didn’t play football yesterday afternoon.
I didn’t fall down yesterday.
Question DID + SB + VERB + COMPL + ?
Did you play football yesterday afternoon?
Did you fall down yesterday?

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PAST EVENT

- Single completed actions in the past.

- Ex: I went to Cambridge during the summer.
- Repeated actions or habit in the past.
- Ex: I went to the conservatory for four years.
- States in the past*
- Ex: I enjoyed cakes when I was young.
- With expressions such as:
- The first: The first time I saw you, you were 5.
- Last time: The last time I went to Italy, I was 17.
- To explain the main events in a story or narrative.
- Ex: The child ran to the school because he arrived very late. It was a
windy day, and he had to fight against the rain.
- Past simple with DID + INFINITIVE for emphasis.
- Ex: I heard you didn’t go to the school late?
- No, I DID go to the school, I had a maths exam.

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Past Forms: Theory and Exercises

Past Continuous:
How do we form it?
Affirmative SB + WAS/WERE + VERB(ing) + COMPL
I was dancing on Tuesday from 5 to 7pm.
We were playing basketball on Saturday at 12pm.
Negative SB + WASN’T/WEREN’T + VERB(ing) + COMPL
I wasn’t dancing on Tuesday from 5 to 7pm.
We weren’t playing basketball on Saturday at 12pm.
Question WAS/WERE + SB + VERB(ing) + COMPL + ?
Was I dancing on Tuesday from 5 to 7pm?
Were we playing basketball on Saturday at 12pm?

X X

PAST ACTION

- To emphasise that an event was IN PROGRESS or UNFINISHED during a past

period of time.
o Ex: Yesterday, at ten o’clock, I was having a really interesting class in
Uni.
- To describe the BACKGROUND of a story.
o Ex: It was raining a lot when he arrived.
- Used with PAST SIMPLE, to describe long actions interrupted by short events.
o Ex: I was doing my homework when my sister knocked at the door.
- NEVER USE WITH  STATE VERBS and HABITS AND ROUTINES IN THE PAST.

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Past Forms: Theory and Exercises

Present Perfect Simple:

How do we form it?
Affirmative SB + HAVE/HAS + VERB(past participle) + COMPL
My mum has lived in Córdoba for 5 years.
We have finished our homework recently.
Negative SB + HAVEN’T/HASN’T + VERB(past participle) + COMPL
My mum hasn’t lived in Córdoba for 5 years.
We haven’t finished our homework recently.
Question HAVE/HAS + SB + VERB(past participle) + COMPL + ?
Has my mum lived in Córdoba for 5 years?
Have we finished our homework recently?

X X

PAST PRESENT

- To talk about experiences.

o Ex: Have you ever visited London?
- STATES and activities that started in the past and continue in the PRESENT.
o Ex: I’ve lived in Córdoba since last September, but I may leave the city
next year.
- Completed actions that have happened recently (we don’t say when)
o Ex: Have you seen Marta recently?
o I have just finished my breakfast.

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Past Forms: Theory and Exercises

Present Perfect Continuous:

How do we form it?
Affirmative SB + HAVE/HAS + BEEN + VERB(ing) + COMPL
I have been doing homework for 5 hours now.
Sarah has been waiting for you.
Negative SB + HAVEN’T/HASN’T + BEEN + VERB(ing) + COMPL
I haven’t been doing homework for 5 hours now.
Sarah hasn’t been waiting for you.
Question HAVE/HAS + SB + BEEN + VERB(ing) + COMPL + ?
Have you been doing homework for 5 hours?
Has Sarah been waiting for you?

X X

PAST PRESENT

- To refer to activities  active processes that began in the past and are still
going on or ended a short time ago.
o Ex: I have been studying English my whole life.
- To express complaint or to criticise.
o Ex: Tom, you should have come earlier, I have been waiting for you for 3
hours.
- To express a present evidence.
o Ex: Your face is totally red; have you been sunbathing?
- BE CAREFUL  we don’t use the state verbs with present perfect continuous:
like, hate, love, enjoy

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Past Forms: Theory and Exercises

Past Perfect Simple:

How do we form it?
Affirmative SB + HAD + VERB(past participle) + COMPL
I had done homework before mum arrived home.
Emily had quitted her job before she found a new one.
Negative SB + HADN’T + VERB(past participle) + COMPL
I hadn’t done homework before mum arrived home.
Emily hadn’t quitted her job before she found a new one.
Question HAD + SB + VERB(past participle) + COMPL + ?
Had I done homework before mum arrived home?
Had Emily quitted her job before she found a new one?

X X

FURTHER PAST EVENT PAST EVENT

- We use it to refer to an event that happened before something else in the past.
o Ex: I had watched Tangled before I took the car to come here.  1st I
watched the movie, then I took the car. Past event before a different
past event.
o Ex: My sister had arrived home before my aunt called her.
- To express something that happened before an event in the past.
o Ex: I had arrived home when the alarm rang.
o Ex: She had just got to her job when she got robbed.
- We use it in third conditionals.
o Ex: If I had done my homework before, I wouldn’t have stayed at home
yesterday.
o Ex: If she had come before, we wouldn’t have been late for the concert.
- We use it in reported speech.
o Ex: “I have finish my homework” – Clara said.  Clara told me that she
had finished her homework.
o Ex: Martha said: “I have waited for a long time”.  Martha said that she
had waited for a long time.

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Past Forms: Theory and Exercises

Past Perfect Continuous:

How do we form it?
Affirmative SB + HAD+ BEEN + VERB(ing) + COMPL
I have been doing homework for 5 hours now.
Sarah has been waiting for you.
Negative SB + HADN’T+ BEEN + VERB(ing) + COMPL
I haven’t been doing homework for 5 hours now.
Sarah hasn’t been waiting for you.
Question HAD + SB + BEEN + VERB(ing) + COMPL + ?
Have you been doing homework for 5 hours?
Has Sarah been waiting for you?

X X

FURTHER PAST ACTION PAST EVENT

- To refer to long past actions that happened until a point in the past  active
processes that began in the past and were still going until a point in the past.
o Ex: She had been reading for six hours when she fell asleep.
o Ex: She had been queuing for a long time when they closed the shop.
- To express an action in the past that had an explanation further in the past.
o Ex: I was very tired because I had been partying the previous night.
o Ex: I was very excited that week because I had been visiting my family.
- BE CAREFUL  we don’t use the state verbs with present perfect continuous:
like, hate, love, enjoy

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Past Forms: Theory and Exercises

Exercises:

Choose the appropriate tense.

1. He __________________ (sleep) when the doorbell __________________

(ring).
2. We __________________ (eat) dinner at 8pm last night (we started eating at
7:30).
3. Yesterday I __________________ (go) to the post office, __________________
(buy) some fruit at the supermarket and __________________ (read) a book in
the park in the afternoon.
4. Julie __________________ (be) in the garden when Laurence
__________________ (arrive).
5. A: What __________________ (you / do) at 3pm yesterday?
B: I __________________ (clean) my house.
6. Last year I __________________ (visit) Paris and Rome.
7. They __________________ (have) dinner when the police
__________________ (come) to the door.
8. He __________________ (work) in the garden when he __________________
(find) the money.
9. Laura __________________ (study) at 11pm last night.
10. I __________________ (walk) along the road when I __________________
(meet) an old friend.
11. It __________________ (be) a day in December. Snow __________________
(fall), children __________________ (sing) carols and people
__________________ (do) their Christmas shopping.
12. My ex-boyfriend __________________ (be) so annoying! He
__________________ (always / miss) the bus and __________________
(arrive) late.
13. When I __________________ (call) Julie, she __________________ (work).
14. Why __________________ (you / cry) when I __________________ (arrive)?
15. When he __________________ (get) home, we started to eat dinner.
16. At 10am yesterday I __________________ (sit) on a bus.

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Past Forms: Theory and Exercises

17. I __________________ (enjoy) my book so much that I __________________

(not / notice) the train had stopped.
18. David __________________ (not / sleep) when I __________________ (arrive),
he __________________ (study)!
19. Mr Black __________________ (not / work) in the garden at 10pm last night.
20. While I was away on holiday, my sister (fall) _________________ ill and I had to
come home.
21. By the time we reached Frankfurt I (already/be) _______________ very tired of
driving.
22. There was a terrible atmosphere in the room. They (have) _________________
an argument just before I came.
23. First she (be) _________________ a teacher, then she became a journalist.
24. I gave my friend directions to my house, but later realised that I (forgot)
_________________ to give her the exact address.
25. I got to work this morning and was angry when I saw that no one (arrive)
_________________ yet.
26. He awoke thinking he was in a prison and that he'd been arrested for robbery.
He then realised that it (all/be) __________________ just a bad dream.
27. Michael had a black eye. It looked as if he (be) __________________ in a fight.
28. I ____________________ (lose) my car keys.
29. Robert ________________________ (break) his leg.
30. Her eyes are all red. Yes, she ________________________ (cry).
31. I’m afraid I have some bad news: your uncle ___________________________
(die).
32. Expect long delays on the motorway: a lorry ____________________________
(overturn) and two lanes are blocked.
33. Why is your hair wet, _______________________ (wash)?
34. Why are your out of breath?
Because I ___________________ (run) up the stairs from the bottom floor.
35. Watch out, the grass is slippery. It ____________________ (rain).

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Past Forms: Theory and Exercises

Fill the gaps with Past Perfect Simple

1. I ___________________ (do) my homework before I went to the cinema.

2. She ___________________ (work) before going out with her friends.
3. Mark _________________________ (go) to the beach before he came with us
to France.
4. Lauren ___________________________ (visit) Liverpool before she went to
live there last April.
5. I wouldn’t have been living with my parents if I __________________ (find) a
job before.
6. They wouldn’t have gone to Croatia if they ___________________ (have)
money to visit a different country.
7. We ___________________ (buy) a new toaster, when we got one on a contest.
8. My friend and I _______________________ (get) tickets for a concert, when
we received them as a present.
9. Sarah ________________ (read) the book, when Matt spoiled her the ending.
10. If you ______________________ (study) for the test, you wouldn’t have passed
it last week.

Fill the gaps with Past Perfect Continuous

1. My sister ____________________ (do) the activities when she remembered

she didn’t need to.
2. Paul _________________ (work) in that business for 4 years when they fired
him. It was so unfair.
3. Nate was exhausted because he ___________________ (climb) Mount Everest
the previous week.
4. Martha was thrilled because she _________________ (live) in Paris. She had
loved the city since she was a little girl.
5. I ____________________ (party) when the police arrived. It was super scary.

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Past Forms: Theory and Exercises

Used to + Infinitive:
- Past habits and routines that do not happen anymore.
o Ex: I used to hate spinach but now I love them.
- STATES that are no longer true.
o Ex: I used to have short hair but now I prefer it long.
- BE CAREFUL WE HAVE TO DISTINGUISH IT FROM:
BE USED TO or GET USED TO + NOUN OR ING
- Be used to: when you are used to something, you’ve been doing it for a long
time
o Ex: I’m used to waking up late in the weekends.
- Get used to: when you get used to something, it has recently changed and you
are getting familiarised with it.
o Ex: I’m not getting used to wearing the facemask everywhere.

Would + Infinitive:
- Past habits and routines:
o Ex: I would hate spinach when I was little but now I love them.
- BE CAREFUL:
- We don’t use WOULD to describe PAST STATES:
o Ex: I would have long hair when I was young.
o I used to have long hair when I was young.
- We use PAST SIMPLE to say how many times something has happened.
o Ex: I went to the swimming pool twice a week.
o Ex: I used to go / would go/ went to the swimming pool a lot when I was
young.

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