Past Forms - Theory and Activities
Past Forms - Theory and Activities
Past Forms - Theory and Activities
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
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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
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Past Forms: Theory and Exercises
X X
PAST PRESENT
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Past Forms: Theory and Exercises
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
X X
- 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
X X
- 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:
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Past Forms: Theory and Exercises
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Past Forms: Theory and Exercises
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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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