Past Tense

 Simple Past Tense

The simple past tense is used to express an action which took place in the past and is completed by the time of speaking.

We always use simple past to say when something happened, so it is associated with certain past time expressions.


General form: 


subject +was/were/past tense verb


I / He / she / it / all singular subject - was / past tense verb


We / you / they / all plural subjects - were / past tense verb


Rule 1:


To express an idea that an action started and finished at a specific time in the past. 


Examples:


✤He saw a movie yesterday.

✤I didn't see him yesterday.

✤Last year, I traveled to Delhi.

✤Last month, I didn't travel to Mumbai.


Rule 2:


To list a series of completed actions in the past


Examples:


✤He finished work, walked to the road, and found a big shop to purchase.

✤I arrived from the railway station at 6:00, lodged into the hotel at 7:00, and met my friends at 8:00.


Rule 3:


To express the certain duration which starts and stops in the past (for two years, for five minutes, all day, all year) . That means to describe events that happened over a period of time in the past but not now.


Examples:


✤I lived in Chennai for three years.

✤Ramya studied German for five years.

✤They ran at the ground all day.

✤She did not stay at the meeting the entire time.

✤I talked on the phone for five minutes


Rule 4:


To talk about habitual or repeated actions that took place in the past 


Examples:


✤He studied English when he was a child.

✤He played the cricket.

✤She didn't play the Violin.

✤Did he play tennis when he was a kid?

✤She worked at the shop as a part timer.


Rule 5:


To describe past facts or generalizations which are no longer true.


Example:


✤Sheena was shy as a child, but now she is very outgoing.

✤He didn't like meat before.

✤Did she live in London when she was a kid?

✤People paid much more to make telephone calls. 


Keywords:


✓Yesterday 

✓One day,last week, last month/ last year 

✓In 1980, last in 1985/in 1975/in 1947

✓Ago (long long ago/ two years ago) 

✓In ancient times 

✓Ago 

✓Once 

✓In early days 

✓Once upon a time 

✓In my childhood 

✓In those day 

✓In my boyhood days.

✓In olden days last week last month/ last year 

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