USE 2 A Series of Completed Actions

We use the Simple Past to list a series of completed actions in the past. These actions happen 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and so on.

Examples:

· I finished work, walked to the beach, and found a nice place to swim.

· He arrived from the airport at 8: 00, checked into the hotel at 9: 00, and met the others at 10: 00.

· Did you add flour, pour in the milk, and then add the eggs?

USE 3 Duration in Past

The Simple Past can be used with a duration which starts and stops in the past. A duration is a longer action often indicated by expressions such as: for two years, for five minutes, all day, all year, etc.

Examples:

· I lived in Brazil for two years.

· Shauna studied Japanese for five years.

· They sat at the beach all day.

· They did not stay at the party the entire time.

· We talked on the phone for thirty minutes.

· A: How long did you wait for them?
B: We waited for one hour.

USE 4 Habits in the Past

The Simple Past can also be used to describe a habit which stopped in the past. It can have the same meaning as " used to." To make it clear that we are talking about a habit, we often add expressions such as: always, often, usually, never, when I was a child, when I was younger, etc.

Examples:

· I studied French when I was a child.

· He played the violin.

· He didn't play the piano.

· Did you play a musical instrument when you were a kid?

· She worked at the movie theater after school.

· They never went to school, they always skipped class.

USE 5 Past Facts or Generalizations

The Simple Past can also be used to describe past facts or generalizations which are no longer true. As in USE 4 above, this use of the Simple Past is quite similar to the expression " used to."

Examples:

· She was shy as a child, but now she is very outgoing.

· He didn't like tomatoes before.

· Did you live in Texas when you were a kid?

· People paid much more to make cell phone calls in the past.

IMPORTANT When-Clauses Happen First

Clauses are groups of words which have meaning but are often not complete sentences. Some clauses begin with the word " when" such as " when I dropped my pen..." or " when class began..." These clauses are called when-clauses, and they are very important. The examples below contain when-clauses.

Examples:

· When I paid her one dollar, she answered my question.

· She answered my question when I paid her one dollar.

When-clauses are important because they always happen first when both clauses are in the Simple Past. Both of the examples above mean the same thing: first, I paid her one dollar, and then, she answered my question. It is not important whether " when I paid her one dollar" is at the beginning of the sentence or at the end of the sentence. However, the example below has a different meaning. First, she answered my question, and then, I paid her one dollar.

Example:

· I paid her one dollar when she answered my question.

ADVERB PLACEMENT

The examples below show the placement for grammar adverbs such as: always, only, never, ever, still, just, etc.

Examples:

· You just called Debbie.

· Did you just call Debbie?

Past Continuous

FORM

[was/were + present participle]

Examples:

· You were studying when she called.

· Were you studying when she called?

· You were not studying when she called.

Complete List of Past Continuous Forms

USE 1 Interrupted Action in the Past

Use the Past Continuous to indicate that a longer action in the past was interrupted. The interruption is usually a shorter action in the Simple Past. Remember this can be a real interruption or just an interruption in time.

Examples:

· I was watching TV when she called.

· When the phone rang, she was writing a letter.

· While we were having the picnic, it started to rain.

· What were you doing when the earthquake started?

· I was listening to my iPod, so I didn't hear the fire alarm.

· You were not listening to me when I told you to turn the oven off.

· While John was sleeping last night, someone stole his car.

· Sammy was waiting for us when we got off the plane.

· While I was writing the email, the computer suddenly went off.

· A: What were you doing when you broke your leg?
B: I was snowboarding.

⇐ Предыдущая12345678910Следующая ⇒

Поделиться:

Популярное:

1. Write the sentences with contractions.