Uses of Past Tense

THE PAST

Simple Past Tense

The Simple Past is used to indicate an action completed in the past. It often occurs with adverbs or adverb phrases of past time.

The steamer sailed yesterday. I received his letter a week ago. She left school last year.

Sometimes this tense is used without an adverb of time. In such cases the time may be either implied or indicated by the context.

I learnt Hindi in Nagpur.

I didn't sleep well (i.e, last night).

Babar defeated Rana Sanga at Kanwaha.

The Simple Past is also used for past habits; as, He studied many hours every day.

She always carried an umbrella.

Past Continuous Tense

The Past Continuous is used to denote an action going on at some time in the past. The time of the action may or may not be indicated.

We were watching TV all evening.

It was getting darker.

The light went out while I was reading.

When I saw him, he was playing chess.

As in the last two examples above, the Past Continuous and Simple Past are used together when a new action happened in the middle of a longer action. The Simple Past is used for the new action.

This tense is also used with always, continually, etc. for persistent habits in the past. He was always grumbling.

Past Perfect Tense

The Past Perfect describes an action completed before a certain moment in the past;

as,

I met him in New Delhi in 1996. I-had seen him last five years before.

If two actions happened in the past, it may be necessary to show which action happened earlier than the other. The Past Perfect is mainly used in such situations. The Simple Past is used in one clause and the Past Perfect in the other; as,

When I reached the station the train had started (so I couldn't get into the train).

I had done my exercise when Han came to see me.

I had written the letter before he arrived.

Past Perfect Continuous Tense

The Past Perfect Continuous is used for an action that began before a certain point in the past and continued up to that time; as,

At 'hat time he had been writing a novel for two months.

When Mr. Mukerji came to the school in 1995, Mr. Anand had already been teaching there for five years.

Exercise in Composition

Choose the correct verb form from those in brackets:

The earth --- round the sun. (move, moves, moved)

My friends --- the Prime Minister yesterday, (see, have seen, saw)

I --- him only one letter up to now. (sent, have sent, send)

She --- worried about something, (looks, looking, is looking)

It started to rain while we --- tennis, (are playing, were playing, had played).

He --- fast when the accident happened, (is driving, was driving, drove)

He --- asleep while he was driving, (falls, fell, has fallen)

I'm sure I --- him at the party last night, (saw, have seen, had seen).

He --- a mill in this town, (have, has, is having)

He --- here for the last five years, (worked, is working, has been working).

He thanked me for what I ---. (have done, had done, have been doing)

I --- a strange noise, (hear, am hearing, have been hearing).

I --- him for a long time, (know, have known, am knowing) '.

We ---,English for five years, (study, am studying, have been studying) .

     Don't disturb me. I --- my homework, (do, did, am doing)  .

Abdul --- to be a doctor, (wants, wanting, is wanting)

The soup --- good, (taste, tastes, is tasting)

He --- TV most evenings, (watches, is watch, is watching)

He --- out five minutes ago. (has gone, had gone, went)

When he lived in Hyderabad, he --- to the cinema once a week, (goes, went, was going)

The baby --- all morning, (cries, has been crying)

I --- Rahim at the zoo. (saw, have seen, had seen)

I --- Kumar this week, (haven't seen, didn't see, am not seeing)

This paper --- twice weekly, (is appearing, appearing, appears)

Ashok fell off the ladder when he --- the roof, (is mending, was mending, mended)

Exercise in Composition

Choose the correct alternative from those given in brackets:

The Headmaster --- to speak to you. (wants, is wanting, was wanting)

I --- a new bicycle last week, (bought, have bought, had bought)

Here are your shoes ; I --- them, (just clean, just cleaned, have just cleaned)

It --- since early morning, (rained, is raining, has been raining)

I --- a lot of work today, (did, have done, had done)

I --- something burning, (smell, am smelling, have been smelling)

Look ! The sun --- over the hills, (rises, is rise, is rising)

She --- unconscious since four o'clock, (is, was, has been)

He used to visit us every week, but he --- now. (rarely comes, is rarely coming, has rarely come)

We --- for his call since 4.20. (are waiting, have been waiting, were waiting)

Every day last week my aunt --- a plate, (breaks, broke, was breaking)

I know all about that film because I --- it twice, (saw, have seen, had seen)

Our guests ---; they are silting in the garden, (arrived, have arrived, had arrived).

I --- him since we met a year ago. (didn't see, haven't seen, hadn't seen)

We --- our breakfast half an hour ago. (finished, have finished, had finished)

She jumped off the bus while it ---. (moved, had moved, was moving).

When we went to the cinema, the film --- (already started, had already started, would already start)

I --- for half an hour when it suddenly started to rain, (have walked, have been walking, had been walking)

Did you think you --- me somewhere before? (have .seen, had seen, were seeing)

The town --- its appearance completely since 1980. (is changing, changed, has changed)

Sheila --- her case, look. (packed, has packed, had packed)

When I was in Sri Lanka. I --- Negombo. Beruwela and Nilaveli. (visited, was visited, have visited)

1 meant to repair the radio, but --- time to do it today (am not having, haven't

had. hadn't)

When I --- my dinner I went to bed. (had, have had, had had)

Men --- to abolish wars up to now, but maybe they will find a way in the future, (never managed, have never managed, will have never managed)