The document discusses various English tenses: 1) The simple past tense is used to talk about completed actions in the past. It forms the past tense using regular verbs by adding "-ed", irregular verbs have varying forms. 2) The past continuous tense describes actions that were ongoing in the past, formed with "was/were + verb+ing". 3) The past perfect tense talks about actions completed before something else in the past, formed with "had + past participle". The document provides examples and rules for forming, negatives, and questions for each past tense along with common time expressions used with each.

1. Tenses in the English Language
The Past Time Tenses
Prepared & Presented by:
ELBAIDA OTTMAN

2. The PAST TENSES
• Past Tenses in English are very tricky ; mastering uses, rule(s) & time
expressions / Adverbs of each tense can help you to improve your fluency in
English. The Past tenses are: The simple past, past continuous, past perfect and
past perfect continuous.
The Simple PAST TENSE
• Uses:
We use the simple past to express
- 1- an action or series of action that took place ( happened ) in the past
time
- 2- wishes / regrets in the present time
-
Examples:
1- Today, I woke up early,but I got up late. After I had taken a bath, I went to work.
2 - I wish I had some exercises for you.
- If only I had my own laptop.
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3. Rules of SIMPLE PAST
•Affirmative Use:
1- If the verb is regular, at the end of the verb YOU MUST ADD [ed] [ied] [ed]
‘to like, to hate…-(e) ------> add [d]
‘ to cry, to study … -Consonant ₊ Y -> change y into i and add ed [ ied]
‘ to play, to listen…. -Any other verb-> add [ed]
This Rule is applied only in all subject PRONOUS :
2- If the verb is an IRREGULAR, it depends on the verb itself ( i.e., some verbs change their
forms, other verbs either change pronunciation, slightly change or do not change AT ALL)
• Negative Form:
To form negative of any verb in simple past ( a verb ₊ not), you use:
Did not ₊ base form
( didn’t<- a form used in SPEAKING)
•Yes-No Questions Use
did₊ Subject ₊ base form ₊ Complement?
-Yes, I did / Yes, she did/ yes we did ----- AFFIRMATIVE RESPONSE
-No, I didn’t /No, he didn’t/ no we didn’t  Negative Response
N.B.: the rules of negative and question forms are applied to all verbs
but a verb. What is this VERB?
IT IS ……. ( THE VERB TO BE ! : ) )
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4. Time Expressions/ Adverbs
• When we use the Simple past, these expressions are
usually used :
- Last Monday/week/ year/ class/ time/ second/ hour/ month/
…….
- On Monday/ On the 12th of……./ On or at weekend/
- In morning, in afternoon, in evening, in July, in summer,
….At night/ at 5:55/ ….
- First……..Then, ………..After then, ……Next, …….after that,
……… Finally, ………….
- I wish / she wishes/ if only ……
- If ( simple past)…..
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5. Pronunciation of the suffixes [ed]
and [d]
• Pronunciation of [ed] and [ied]
1- [Ed] or [d] is pronounced /t/ after regular verbs
that end in: Sh, ch, p, k, f, ss,
To watch: watched/ to cook: cooked/ to hope->
hoped / to help-> helped / to miss: missed
2- [ed] or [d] is pronounced /id/ after verbs that
end in : t or d
To start: started/ to defend: defended
3- If it is a verb that doesn’t belong to the first or
second rule, it is pronounced as /d/
Played-cried-listened
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6. The Past Continuous
• Uses:
We use the Past Continuous to talk about:
- Actions that were happening in the past; that is to say, to express
an action that started in the past and continued for a while.
Examples:
At that moment, I was typing this presentation as a way to help
you understand the present tense.
This morning, The boys were playing football at 6:OO morning!
I had taught you Last week. While I was teaching you, you were
listening to my teachings.
Last night, I was not traveling at all when you call. I was
studying Spanish extra hours at 7.00.
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7. Rules of Past Continuous
• Affirmative Use:
Auxiliary ‘ to be’ in Simple Past
was- were₊ base form₊ ing
This Rule is applied to all verbs in English, except the STATIVE
VRBS
Negative Form:
was not/ were not ₊ base form ₊ ing
( wasn’t / weren’t<- these are shorts forms used in SPEAKING)
• Yes-No Questions Use
Was/were ₊ Subject ₊ base form ₊ ing ₊ Complement?
Yes, I was ./ Yes, he was/ Yes, we were ….*
No, I wasn’t. / No, you were not ( weren’t in speaking)./ No, he
wasn’t.
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8. Time Expressions / Adverbs
- At that moment,
- Last night / last week at 7:OO,…..
- While ( past continuous) ₊ ( Past continuous)
- When ( SIMPLE PAST), PAST CONTINUOUS
- PAST CONTINUOUS when ( SIMPLE PAST)
- While PAST CONTINUOUS, SIMPLE PAST
- Last weekend/yesteryears/ at that
evening ...
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9. The Past Perfect Simple
Uses:
The Past Perfect Simple is used to :
- Talk about an action that started and
completed in the past before another
action/time
- Show Past regrets or express Past
wishes
- Express hypothesis ( Conditional
TYPE 3)
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10. Rules of the Past Perfect
• Affirmative:
Auxiliary to have in Simple Present
Had₊ Past Participle form of the Verb
( I’d----- short forms)
Negative:
Had not ₊ P.P. Form
(hadn’t<- Short forms)
Questions:
had₊ Subject ₊ P.P. Form ₊ Comp.?
Yes, I had/ Yes, he had/…..
No, I hadn’t/ no, he hadn’t/…………….
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