Past Tenses Review

​Life Unit 2

Vocabulary, Past Tenses & Passive Review​

Fill in the Blank

the ..................... for a particular activity is the amount of money that is available to be spent on it

Fill in the Blank

someone's ..................... country, town, city, etc. is the country, town, or city where they were born and grew up

Fill in the Blank

the ................... for the story in a book or film is the place and

time where the action happens

Fill in the Blank

an ......................... is a visual charts or graph that represents

information in an interesting and understandable way

I got up and switched off the radio.

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Every day I went to the park.

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Back then, I didn't like reading.​

Examples

Completed actions:

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habits:

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states.

Past Simple

​Past Time - Past Simple

I was drinking my coffee at the time.

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I looked around. Most people were working, but Jane was staring out the window.

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Examples

Actions in progress:

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Background in a narrative:

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Past Continuous

​Past Time - Past Cont.

Examples

Past Continuous

Changing conditions:

(but not states!)

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Annoying behavior:

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​Past Time - Past Cont.

The car was getting worse all the time. The engine was making more and more noise.

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He was always losing my things!

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Examples

Past Perfect

Taking about the past, but mentioning a further past event:

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​Past Time - Past Perfect

By the time I got to the station, the train had already left!

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Once I saw the monkey, I knew it was the one that had escaped.

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Examples

Past Perfect Cont.

Actions taking place up until or immediately before another point in past time:

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​Past Time - Past Perfect Cont.

I had been living in London right up until the Brexit vote.

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While I had been talking on the phone, my monkey escaped!​

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Examples

Used to

Contrasts with the present tense; contrast may only be implied/understood.

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Can be used with states. ​

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​Past Time - Habits

I used to like swimming a lot.

(...but I don't enjoy it now.)

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I didn't use to drink coffee.​

​(...but now I do drink a lot.)

Examples

Would

Describes repeated actions typical of a person or time period.

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Can not be used with states.​

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​Past Time - Habits

Every week he would (he'd) buy his mother the Sunday paper.

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I would go out every Friday with my friends from scouts.​

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Multiple Choice

When you passed the town hall clock_________what time it was?

• did you notice

• were you noticing

Multiple Choice

Last night my neighbors _________for hours and I couldn't get to sleep!

• were shouting

• would shout

Multiple Choice

When you lived in London, _________by bus?

• did you use to travel

• were you travelling

Multiple Choice

Everyone was having a good time right then, although not many people _________ .

• danced

• were dancing

Multiple Choice

We decided to go to the cinema, but before that we _________ for pizza.

• went

• had gone

Multiple Choice

It took me a while to notice, but then I did. Everyone _________ at me!

• stared

• was staring

Examples

​When we don't know who did/does/will do something.

​The Passive - Use Cases

My groceries have been stolen!

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The elevator button was pushed.​

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Examples

​When it is obvious who did/does/will do something.

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The actor(s) should already be mentioned. ​

​The Passive - Use Cases

A young man was arrested in town yesterday for stealing a car.​

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The pizza was being eaten by everyone at the party.​

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Examples

​When it is not important or the point who does/did/will do something.

​The Passive - Use Cases

The French bistro around the corner is being knocked down. ​

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It will have been restored by August, 2023. ​

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Examples

​To express opinions or new information in a formal/ journalistic style, using the infinitive.

​The Passive - Use Cases

The drone is said to have killed members of a wedding party.

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​It was estimated that the program would cost £50 million.

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​Turn the following sentences from active to passive:

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Use formal English, i.e. correct capitalization and punctuation.

​The Passive

Fill in the Blank

They called off the meeting.

Fill in the Blank

His grandmother looked after him.

Fill in the Blank

John was asked to make a speech at the meeting.