PAST TENSES FORM AND USAGE

Transcription

1 Basic English Verb Tenses: Tense Aspect PAST PRESENT FUTURE Simple Worked Work/works Will work Progressive Was/were working Am/is/are working Will be working Perfect Had worked Have/has worked Will have worked Perfect Progressive Had been working Have/has been working Will have been working PAST TENSES FORM AND USAGE etomov2003 1

2 PAST SIMPLE TENSE past tense of verbs: -ed ending for regular verbs; 2 nd form of irregular verbs 1. I worked. 1. I did not work. 1. Did I work? 2. You worked. 2. You did not work. 2. Did you work? 3. He/she/it worked. 3. He/she/it did not work. 3. Did he/she/it work? 1. We worked. 1. We did not work. 1. Did we work? 2. You worked. 2. You did not work. 2. Did you work? 3. They worked. 3. They did not work. 3. Did they work? did not = didn t NOTE: Mind that when the auxiliary verb did is used in negative/interrogative/emphatic structures, the main verb is in its present form. 1. Actions/activities typical for a past period: I lived in a dorm when I was a college student. When I was a kid, John lived in my neighborhood and we attended the same sports club. Note: Some habitual past actions/activities can also be expressed with the following structures: When I was a kid, my Granny would often come to see me on Sunday after church. In high school, I used to play on the school baseball team. 2. One-time actions completed in the past: They met on a holiday cruise. I played tennis with my cousin last Saturday. 3. Historic events: The blending of the English language started after William the Conqueror invaded the British Isles in Story telling: The first time I met Mary was soon after her marriage to John. We both were invited to the annual company conference that year. When a friend of mine introduced us to each other,. When using past simple tense, make sure your listener/reader has a clear idea about the past period you talk/write about. This can be specified by phrases/clauses like the following: last year month week century a minute 3 weeks 5 years a few months ago When I was a high-school student, she got married, we first came to the USA, etomov2003 2

3 PAST PROGRESSIVE TENSE WAS/WERE + V+ING 1. I was 1. I was not 1. Was I working? 2. You were 2. You were not 2. Were you working? 3. He/she/it was 3. He/she/it was not 3. Was he/she/it working? 1. We were 1. We were not 1. Were we working? 2. You were 2. You were not 2. Were you working? 3. They were 3. They were not 3. Were they working? was not = wasn t were not = weren t NOTE: Some spelling particularities with the -ing ending: make making rub rubbing die dying live living stop stopping create creating begin - beginning no mute e after short stressed syllable 1. Action taking place at a certain past moment: When he looked out of the window, it was raining outside. They were discussing the membership fee when we entered the conference hall. 2. Temporary action/condition in the past: At that time, I was living with my aunt. (I normally did not live with her.) 3. Expressing two parallel actions: The kids were playing in the park while their mothers were chatting on a bench. Very often an action expressed with past progressive is combined with another action either in the same tense (parallel actions, example in Usage 3) or in past simple (examples in Usage 1). etomov2003 3

4 PAST PERFECT TENSE HAD + PAST PARTICIPLE 1. I had worked. 1. I had not worked. 1. Had I worked? 2. You had worked. 2. You had not worked. 2. Had you worked? 3. He/she/it had worked. 3. He/she/it had not worked. 3. Had he/she/it worked? 1. We had worked. 1. We had not worked. 1. Had we worked? 2. You had worked. 2. You had not worked. 2. Had you worked? 3. They had worked. 3. They had not worked. 3. Had they worked? had not = hadn t NOTE: Past participle of regular verbs coincides with the past-tense form: Work (present) worked (past) worked (past participle) Past participle of irregular verbs is the 3 rd form of the verb: Write (present) wrote (past) written (past participle) 1. To express an action/activity that took place before another action/activity in the past: I had washed the car before it started raining. The movie had started when we went into the hall. 2. To express an action that started in the past, continued for some time, and finished at a later moment again in the past: We had worked together for three years before I moved to another company. They had been married for ten years when he wanted a divorce. etomov2003 4

5 PAST PERFECT PROGRESSIVE TENSE HAD + BEEN + V+ING 1. I had been 1. I had not been 1. Had I been working? 2. You had been working 2. You had not been 2. Had you been working? 3. He/she/it had been 3. He/she/it had not been 3. Had he/she/it been working? 1. We had been 1. We had not been 1. Had we been working? 2. You had been 2. You had not been 2. Had you been working? 3. They had been 3. They had not been 3. Had they been working? had not = hadn t An action that started in the past, continued for some time without interruption, and finished at a later moment again in the past: I had been talking on the stage for fifteen minutes before I realized that the microphone was off. They had been discussing the issue for two long hours when the chairman finally gave a break. The usage is similar to usage # 2 of Past Perfect Tense, but it supposes a continuous and uninterrupted action/activity. etomov2003 5