Past tenses – form & function
Listen in British and American English
PAST SIMPLE TENSES
| Past Simple Form: • I, you he,she, we, they saw / didn’t see…. • He, she it didn’t see • • Did you see…? “Yes I did/ no I didn’t” » …ed past endings |
Past Simple Passive Form: (subject + have/has + been + past participle) • I , you, we, they were seen • He/she, it was seen • Was he seen? •Were you/they seen …….? “Yes he was / No you/they weren’t” |
“I saw the film last Thursday”
“I went to Greece in 2003″
“This jacket was made in India”
PAST CONTINUOUS TENSES
| Past Continuous Form: • I, you we, they were seeing / weren’t seeing. • He, she it was seeing / wasn’t seeing • Were you seeing/ was he seeing? “Yes I was /no I wasn’t” |
Past Continuous Passive Form: (subject + was/were + being + past participle) • I , you, we, they were being seen • He/she, it was being seen • Was he being seen? • Were they being seen …….? “Yes he was / No they weren’t” |
“Everyone was talking and having a good time. The sun was shining and people were sitting outside the cafes by the river.”
“I was waiting for him in the wrong place. He was waiting outside the cinema but I was waiting outside the theatre”
“He was being met from the airport by his brother.”
PAST PERFECT TENSES
| Past Perfect Simple Form: • I, you, he, she, it, we, they had seen / hadn’t seen… • Had you seen? “Yes I had /no I hadn’t” |
Past Perfect Simple Passive Form: (subject + had + been + past participle) • I, you, he, she, we, they had been seen…
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“I arrived at work but realised that I’d forgotten my keys?”
PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS TENSES
| Past Perfect Continuous Form: • He, she it has been seeing / hasn’t been seeing… • Has he been seeing/ have they been seeing? “Yes he has /no he hasn’t” |
Past Perfect Continuous Passive Form: NOT NORMALLY USED IN PASSIVE
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“I’d been looking for my keys in the office then a friend called and said she’d found them in the car park.”
