The document provides examples and explanations for using different tenses in the past, including the past simple, past continuous, past perfect, and past perfect continuous. It discusses using these tenses to describe short completed actions, longer ongoing situations, repeated events, actions happening at a specific time, background actions, and actions that occurred before or after other past events. Examples are given for different time conjunctions and situations involving these past tenses.

1. Thanks to Isabel Bastida

2. • Past Simple
• Past Continuous
• Past Perfect
• Past Perfect Continuous
• Time conjunctions.

3. Short and quickly finished actions, longer situations
and repeated events in the past.
Peter threw a stone and broke a car
window last night.
I spent all my childhood in
Scotland
Every summer Rachel fell in love.
(Used to/ Would)

4. It’s (high) time + past simple
We are destroying the planet. It’s
(high) time we did something about it.
My shoes are falling apart. It’s (high)
time I bought a new pair.

5. I would rather (I prefer)
Compare:
I’d rather be a vegetarian.
I’d rather you didn’t eat so much meat.
I’d rather stay a little longer.
I’d rather you could stay longer.
Different subjects  past simple in 2nd
clause.

6. Distancing
I wanted to speak to the manager.
I wondered if I could return this item
without the receipt.
Did you want some cream with your coffee,
sir?

7. Action in progress
during a period of
time
What were you doing at eight
o’clock yesterday evening?
We were getting ready to go
out.
They were quarrelling the
whole time they were
together

8. 1. Background actions
(AS, WHILE, WHEN, etc.)
As I was walking down the road, I saw Bill.
The phone rang while I was having a bubble
bath.
The crowd was cheering them up.
Photographers were jostling each other for
the best positions. Suddenly a woman
screamed.
2. Repeated and
unexpected events
(frequency adverb)
Aunt Mary was always turning up without
warning and bringing us loads of presents.
* Some verbs do not exist in the continuous form.

9. After I told/
wondered/ thought
When I arrived at the party,
they had just set fire to the
sparklers.
I wondered who had left the
door open with the keys in
the lock.

10. AS/WHILE/ WHEN
As/ While/ When I was watching a horror movie, I heard a
noise outside.
As/ While/When I was slaving away, my brother was
chilling out.
BEFORE/ AFTER
Before we left, I (had) filled up with petrol.
I (had) filled up with petrol before we left.
After I (had) filled up with petrol, we left.
We left after I (had) filled up with petrol.
AS SOON AS
(immediately after)
BY THE TIME
As soon as he went/had gone outside, it started raining.
It started raining as soon as he went/had gone outside.
By the time the police arrived, the robbers had run away.
The robbers had run away by the time the police arrived.