Past Tenses

Past Tenses

Past Simple, Past Continuous,

used to

Past simple

• finished actions and states in the past (when we say, ask or know WHEN something happened)

• we see these actions as finished

• some verbs are irregular in Past Simple

Past Simple

• When I was a teen, my grandma died.

• How did you spend your summer?

• My students didn't pass their test.

Multiple Select

Which verbs are irregular (you can tick more than one)

• work

• be

• go

• walk

• see

Past Continuous

• to talk about an action or situation in progress at a specific time in the past

• to describe a past action in progress which was interrupted (expressed in past simple)

Past Continuous

• He was texting a friend when the accident happened.

• Sorry, what did you say? I wasn't listening...

Multiple Choice

Which is correct?

• I watched TV when you arrived

• I was watching TV when you arrived

Used to

• to describe a HABIT or state that was true in the past (and has finished)

• we often use past simple instead of used to especially with adverbs of frequency usually, often, etc.

Used to

• I used to live in the countryside

• I didn't use to travel by trams.

• Did you use to read a lot as a teen?

Open Ended

What kind of music did you use to like when you were in primary school?

Open Ended

When I was in school, I used to...