Dif Past

Various Past Tenses

Past Progressive or Continuous

• It is used in a narrative context to set the scene and give background information

• When I got the trade fair, it was still early. Some of the exhibitors were setting up their stands and others were unpacking their publicity materials.

STRUCTURE

• Verb to be in past (was / were) + -ing form of the action verb

• I was working / He was writing an email / they were looking for a definition

Past continuous

Simple Past

• It is used to describe the main events in the past

• I lost my keys yesterday / I had lunch with my mom

• When writing a negative sentence in past we need auxiliary Did : I didn't lose my keys / I didn't have lunch with my mom

• Also when writing questions: Did you lose your keys? / Did you have lunch with your mom?

• When using verb to be, you don't need auxiliary: You were here yesterday. You weren't here yesterday. Were you here yesterday?

Past Perfect

It is used when we are already talking about the past and want to refer to an earlier action, event or state.

Both actions happened in the past

I had already bought a coffee when I went to the office.

We use the Past Perfect to describe the action that happened first then simple past to describe the following action.