Past Tense

What is Past Tense?

Past tense is a grammatical tense used to describe actions, events, or states that have already happened. It typically refers to something that occurred in the past and is no longer happening in the present.

Definition of Past Tense from Other Sources:

Oxford Learner’s Dictionary: Past tense is the form of a verb used to describe actions that happened in the past.

Cambridge Dictionary: The past tense is the form of a verb that refers to actions, events, or conditions that happened or existed before the present time.

Merriam-Webster Dictionary: Past tense is a verb tense used to express an action or state that occurred in the past and did not continue into the present.

There are four main types of past tense:

1. Simple Past Tense

The Simple Past Tense is used to describe actions or events that happened and were completed in the past. It is often used with time expressions like yesterday, last week, in 2020, two days ago, etc.

Structure and Example:

Positive: Subject + past form of verb + object

• She visited the museum.
• I played football yesterday.
• She cooked a delicious dinner last night.

Negative: Subject + did not + base form of verb

• They did not go to the park.
• He did not understand the lesson.

Question: Did + subject + base form of verb + ?

• Did you watch the movie?
• Did you see the sunrise this morning?

2. Past Continuous Tense

The Past Continuous Tense describes actions or events that were happening at a specific moment in the past. It is used to show that an action was ongoing (not finished) at a particular time.

Structure and Example:

Positive: Subject + was/were + verb(+ing)

• I was reading a book.
• They were playing football.
• She was cooking dinner.

Negative: Subject + was/were + not + verb(+ing)

• I was not reading a book.
• They were not playing football.
• He was not sleeping.

Question: Was/Were + subject + verb(+ing) + ?

• Was she reading a book?
• Were they playing football?
• Was he working?

3. Past Perfect Tense

The Past Perfect Tense is used to show that one action was completed before another action in the past.

Structure and Example:

Positive: Subject + had + past participle (V3) + rest of the sentence

• I had finished my lunch before he came.
• She had visited the museum before it closed.

Negative: Subject + had not (hadn't) + past participle (V3) + rest of the sentence

• I had not seen that movie before.
• They had not finished the work when I checked.

Question: Had + subject + past participle (V3) + rest of the sentence + ?

• Had you eaten before I came?
• Had she left when the rain started?

4. Past Perfect Continuous Tense

The Past Perfect Continuous Tense describes an action that started in the past, continued for some time, and ended before another action or point in the past.

Structure and Example:

Positive: Subject + had been + verb-ing + (object) + (for/since + time)

• I had been studying for three hours before the lights went out.
• She had been working at that company for five years.

Negative: Subject + had not been + verb-ing + (object) + (for/since + time)

• He had not been sleeping well for a few days.
• They had not been talking to each other since the argument.

Question: Had + subject + been + verb-ing + (object) + (for/since + time)?

• Had you been waiting long before I arrived?
• Had she been crying when you saw her?

Irregular verbs in English do not follow the standard pattern of adding -ed to form the past tense. Instead, they have unique forms. Here are some examples:

• Be – was/were – been
  • She was happy. / They were there.
• Go – went – gone
  • He went to the store.
• Have – had – had
  • I had breakfast this morning.
• Eat – ate – eaten
  • She ate pizza last night.
• Take – took – taken
  • He took the bus yesterday.
• Come – came – come
  • They came to the party.
• See – saw – seen
  • I saw him at the mall.
• Go – went – gone
  • She went to work early.
• Do – did – done
  • They did their homework.
• Write – wrote – written
  • She wrote a letter to her friend.

Each of these verbs has unique past tense and past participle forms that you have to memorize since they don't follow regular patterns.

In English, the negative form in the past tense is created by using the auxiliary verb "did" along with "not." This structure is used for both regular and irregular verbs.

Here’s the structure: Subject + did + not + base form of the verb

For example:

• I did not go to the party yesterday.
• She did not like the movie.
• They did not finish their homework.

For contractions:

• I didn’t go to the party yesterday.
• She didn’t like the movie.
• They didn’t finish their homework.

Note that the verb after "did not" (or "didn't") always stays in its base form, regardless of whether the verb is regular or irregular.

Questions in the past tense are formed by using the auxiliary verb "did" followed by the base form of the main verb. Here’s how to form different types of past-tense questions:

1. Yes/No Questions (General questions): For these questions, you use "did" (or "didn't" for negative) before the subject, followed by the base form of the main verb.

• Affirmative: Did you go to the party?
• Negative: Didn't she call you yesterday?

2. Wh- Questions: These questions begin with question words like who, what, when, where, why, and how.

• Who: Who did you meet at the event?
• What: What did you eat for breakfast?
• When: When did they leave?
• Where: Where did you find that book?
• Why: Why did she leave early?
• How: How did you solve the problem?

3. Questions with "Be" (Past Tense): When the main verb is "to be" in the past tense (was/were), it’s used without "did."

• Affirmative: Were they at the concert?
• Negative: Wasn't he at work yesterday?

Examples of forming past-tense questions:

• Did you see that movie last night? (Yes/No question)
• Why did they cancel the meeting? (Wh- question)
• Where were you last Friday? (Question with "be")

Time expressions for the past tense help to indicate when an action or event occurred in the past. Here are some common time expressions used with the past tense in English:

• 1. Yesterday
  • I saw her yesterday.
• 2. Last (week, month, year, etc.)
  • We went to the beach last summer.
• 3. In (a specific year or decade)
  • He was born in 1990.
• 4. Ago
  • She left two hours ago.
• 5. The day before yesterday
  • I met him the day before yesterday.
• 6. Earlier (today, this week, etc.)
  • I called her earlier today.
• 7. In the past
  • People used to travel by horse in the past.
• 8. Once
  • I once lived in New York.
• 9. Previously
  • She had previously visited the museum.
• 10. When I was (a child, young, etc.)
  • I loved playing outside when I was a child.

These time expressions are typically used with the past simple tense, but some can also work with the past perfect, depending on the context.

Here are some common mistakes to avoid when using the past tense:

1. Using the wrong verb form:

• ✘ I have went to the store.
• ✓ I went to the store.

Explanation: The past tense of "go" is "went," not "have went."

2. Confusing regular and irregular verbs:

• ✘ He buyed a new car yesterday.
• ✓ He bought a new car yesterday.

Explanation: "Buy" is an irregular verb, so the past tense is "bought," not "buyed."

3. Using the present tense instead of the past tense:

• ✘ I eat lunch at 1 PM yesterday.
• ✓ I ate lunch at 1 PM yesterday.

Explanation: Since the sentence refers to a past event, the verb "eat" should be in the past tense: "ate."

4. Using the wrong auxiliary verb:

• ✘ She didn't went to the party.
• ✓ She didn't go to the party.

Explanation: When using "didn't" as a negative auxiliary, the main verb should be in its base form (not past tense).

5. Overusing the auxiliary verb "have":

• ✘ He has played the game yesterday.
• ✓ He played the game yesterday.

Explanation: The auxiliary verb "have" is not needed when referring to a specific time in the past (e.g., yesterday). Just use the simple past.

6. Using "was" instead of "were" in the past tense:

• ✘ They was at the meeting.
• ✓ They were at the meeting.

Explanation: "Were" is used with plural subjects and "you," whereas "was" is used with singular subjects.

7. Using the past tense with non-specific time references:

• ✘ I worked here for 5 years." (when referring to an ongoing action
• ✓ I have worked here for 5 years.

Explanation: For ongoing or unspecified time periods, use the present perfect tense ("have worked") instead of the simple past.

8. Using double negatives:

• ✘ I didn't saw him at the park.
• ✓ I didn't see him at the park.

Explanation: After "didn't," use the base form of the verb (e.g., "see" instead of "saw").