This document provides a summary of using past tenses in English, including: - The past simple is used to talk about finished actions in the past, both for regular and irregular verbs. Common irregular verbs are listed. - The past continuous describes an action that was in progress at a specific time in the past. - The past simple is used for completed actions, while the past continuous is used for ongoing actions happening simultaneously with other events in the past. Examples are given to illustrate using the past simple and past continuous appropriately.

1. Grundlagen Englisch
- revision: present tenses
- past simple and continuous
HFW Bern
Philipp Brunner

2. Repetition: Present simple &
continuous
Present simple for facts:
- Regularly repeated actions
- Generalisations
Present continuous for actions:
- Actions at the time of speaking
- Limited periods of time
(processes)
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Englisch Grundlagen, Past tenses

3. Revision:
Present simple & continuous
• present simple: focus on facts & truths
The Aare flows through Berne.
Bobby doesn‘t go out every Friday.
Do you like cartoons?
• present continuous: focus on actions
Don‘t disturb me. I am eating.
He is writing an important letter just now.
Are you using the computer at the moment?
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Englisch Grundlagen, Past tenses

4. The past simple
regular verbs
irregular verbs
+ -
I
you
he/she/it
we
you
they
stayed in a hotel.
went on holiday.
didn‘t stay in a hotel.
didn‘t go on holiday.
Did you stay in a hotel? – Yes, I did.
Did you go on holiday? – No, I didn‘t.
We use the past simple to talk about finished actions in the past.
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Englisch Grundlagen, Past tenses

5. The past simple (2)
infinitive past
work
stay
like
study
stop
worked
stayed
liked (just add d if verb finishes in e)
studied (y  i after consonant)
stopped (double consonant if verb
finishes consonant-vowel-consonant)
Spelling rules: see appendix 3, p152.
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Englisch Grundlagen, Past tenses

6. The past simple (3) – irregular verbs
• Three groups of irregular verbs:
Infinitive Past Past participle
1 hit hit hit
put put put
2 tell told told
sell sold sold
3 wake woke woken
take took taken
Irregular verbs: See appendix 2, p150.
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Englisch Grundlagen, Past tenses

7. your turn!!
Work on
• Work on Appendix 2: cross out all the irregular
verbs you already know. Compile the ones you
have to learn into a new list.
• Grammar Book Unit 4, p16-17
• Murphy copies
20 minutes
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Englisch Grundlagen, Past tenses

8. The past continuous
+ I
he was working.
she
it
you
we were working.
they
- I
he wasn‘t working.
she
it
you
we weren‘t working.
they
? Was he working? Yes, he was. No, he wasn‘t.
Were they working? Yes, they were. No, they weren‘t.
We use the past continuous to describe an action in progress at
a specific moment in the past.
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Englisch Grundlagen, Past tenses

9. Past simple or past continuous?
• Study the following examples. What‘s the
rule?
– When I took the photo, they were writing a song.
– I was sitting at home when I saw the news on TV.
– They were waiting for us when we arrived.
– I was driving when you phoned me.
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Englisch Grundlagen, Past tenses

10. Past simple or past continuous?
• Use the past simple for a completed action:
– I took the photo. / I saw the news.
– We arrived. / You phoned me.
• Use the past continuous for an action in
progress:
– They were writing a song. / I was sitting at home.
– They were waiting. / I was driving.
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Englisch Grundlagen, Past tenses

11. Summary
O
past future
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Englisch Grundlagen, Past tenses

12. your turn!!
Work on
• Grammar Book Unit 5, p18-19
• Murphy Copies
15 minutes
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Englisch Grundlagen, Past tenses