The Past Tenses (времена английского глагола в прошедшем времени)

В английском языке имеется четыре формы прошедшего времени в активном залоге: Past Simple (прошедшее простое), Past Continuous (прошедшее длительное), Past Perfect (прошедшее завершенное), Past Perfect Continuous (прошедшее завершенно-длительное).

Все эти видовременные формы выражают действия, происходившие в прошлом. Выбор необходимой формы определяется тем, каким образом действие соотносится с указанным моментом в прошлом: совпадает с ним, предшествует ему, совершается в указанный период и т. д. Например:

I translated the article yesterday. I was translating the article at 5 o’clock yesterday. I had translated the article by 5 o’clock yesterday. I had been translating the article for two hours already when he came.

Я вчера перевел статью. Я переводил статью вчера в 5 часов. Я перевел статью вчера к 5 часам. Я переводил статью уже два часа, когда он пришел.

Образование и употребление форм прошедшего времени в активном залоге

	Simple	Continuous	Perfect	Perfect Continuous
P	V+ed	was/were +Ving	had + Ved / V3	had been + Ving
A	worked wrote	was + working were writing	worked had + written	had been + working writing
S	– регулярное повторяющееся действие, констатация факта в прошлом	– длительное незаконченное действие, происходившее в определенный момент в прошлом	– действие свершилось к определенному моменту в прошлом	– длительное действие, которое началось до указанного момента в прошлом и продолжалось до этого момента
T	in 1995, yesterday, the other day, last week (month), a year ago, long ago, during the war, when he was a pupil	at 5 o’clock yesterday, at that moment yesterday, all day long last Sunday, at noon, when I entered the room, from 3 to 4 o’clock yesterday	by 5 o’clock yesterday, by that time yesterday, by the end of the month, before I came	for two weeks before he came, for years, all his life, all day, since childhood, when she came

Типы вопросов
Общие вопросы
Cadets took exams last week. We were writing a test from 1 to 2 p.m. yesterday. He had done the task by that time yesterday. They had been discussing the article for 20 minutes when he came.		Did cadets take exams last week? Were we writing a test from 1 to 2 p.m. yesterday? Had he done the task by that time yesterday? Had they been discussing the article for for 20 minutes when he came?
Специальные вопросы
The computers were on the tables. They knew my friend well. We were reading the English book at 7 o’clock yesterday. He had done many exercises by 7 o’clock yesterday. He had been writing a report for 2 hours at home when his friend phoned.		What was on the tables? Who knew my friend well? What book were we reading at 7 o’clock yesterday? What had he done by 7 o’clock yesterday? Where had he been writing a report for 2 hours when his friend phoned.
Альтернативные вопросы
Cadets got up at 7 a.m. last Sunday. He studied at the Academy. They were reading the text yesterday at 2 o’clock. We had already done the whole work by the end of last lesson. I had been writing the letter for 2 hours already when he came.		Did cadets get up at 6 or at 7 last Sunday? Did he study at the Academy or at the University? Were they reading the text yesterday at 2 o’clock or at 3 o’clock? Had we done the whole work by the end of last lesson or by 7 o’clock yesterday? Had I been writing the letter for 2 or for 3 hours already when he came?
Разделительные вопросы
He passed English exam well. Tom didn’t know English well last year. They were reading the English book the whole evening yesterday. My sister had finished school by 2008. I had been reading the text for 3 hours already when you phoned me.	He passed English exam well, did not (didn’t) he? Tom didn’t know English well last year, did he? They were reading the English book the whole evening yesterday, weren’t they? My sister had finished school by 2008, hadn’t she? I had been reading the text for 3 hours already when you phoned me, hadn’t I?

Ex. 13. Define the tenses of the predicates and choose the suitable indication of time.

1. I was sitting in class. 2. We had finished our work. 3. I had been waiting for Mary. 4. He prepared for the lesson. 5. I met my friends. 6. We had made our experiment. 7. They had been reading these articles. 8. My brother entered the Academy. 9. The cadets were discussing the text. 10. My friends had passed all the exams well.

1. for two hours before she came; 2. two days ago; 3. yesterday at that moment; 4. an hour ago; 5. by the end of the month; 6. last week; 7. before our professor came; 8. in 2008; 9. for an hour before I came; 10. yesterday; 11. from 2 till 3 yesterday; 12. before I met them.

Ex. 14. Make up sentences according to the models.

Model 1: Every day I go to the University. (yesterday) – Yesterday I went to the University.

1. My elder brother attends lectures on law in the evening (last night). 2. Our cadets are very busy in the lab now (yesterday). 3. I usually make no mistakes in English tests (last month). 4. Sometimes he reads some newspapers and watches TV programmes at home (the day before yesterday). 5. We often translate some texts and answer the teacher’s questions at our English classes (last week). 6. I always write down all new words into my copybook (at the last lesson).

Ask your friend if he translated this text at home last night. Model 2: Did you translate this text last night? – No, I didn’t translate this text last night.

1. Ask your friend if his sister went to the conference last Friday. 2. Ask your friend if his father worked at a lawyer’s office 3 years ago. 3. Ask your friend if his grandfather served in the army many years ago. 4. Ask your friend if his relatives lived in Moscow in 2007. 5. Ask your friend if his mother taught State Law at the Institute last year. 6. Ask your friend if he had any good news yesterday.

Model 3: Why did Vladimir look so happy? (to pass the entrance exam well) – Vladimir looked happy because he had passed the entrance exam well.

1. Why did the teacher want Pete to revise the rule? (to make a lot of mistakes)

2. Why did your brother come home so late from the University? (to defend a diploma paper)

3. Why did she refuse to read the article? (to read before)

4. Why was your friend so unhappy? (to fail in the exam)

5. Why were you late? (to clean the territory)

Model 4: Why didn’t you want to translate the article? – I didn’t want to translate the article because I had already translated it.

1. Why didn’t you make notes on the lecture?

2. Why didn’t you answer the teacher’s questions?

3. Why didn’t you want to listen to the tape?

4. Why didn’t you clean submachine-guns?

5. Why didn’t you prepare for the next seminar?

Ex. 15. Fill in the blanks with one of the alternatives.

1. We … a report last lesson.

a) were making; b) had been making; c) had made; d) made;

2. I … a letter before my mother came.

a) wrote; b) had written; c) had been writing; d) was writing;

3. She … a book while he was watching TV.

a) read; b) was reading; c) had been reading; d) had read;

4. They … the text for an hour when the teacher came.

a) had translated; b) was translating; c) translated; d) had been translating;

5. We … the new words by 9 p.m. yesterday.

a) had learnt; b) learnt; c) were learning; d) had been learning;

6. It … all the day yesterday.

a) rained; b) was raining; c) had been raining; d) had rained;

7. My brother … a bath when the phone rang.

a) took; b) had taken; c) had been taken; d) was taking;

8. My parents … the USA two years ago.

a) had visited; b) visited; c) were visiting; d) had been visited;

9. He … TV for three hours when his friend came.

a) watched; b) was watching; c) had watched; d) had been watching.

Ex. 16. Put the verbs in brackets in the proper form.

1. The other day I (to meet) a friend of mine who (to tell) me about his plans for the summer vacation. 2. Our cadets (to discuss) their plans for their future leave yesterday. 3. When my parents came, I (to write) the report on law. 4. By the end of that month the students already (to pass) all the exams. 5. I (to do) my home assignment, when my brother phoned me. 6. After his service in the army he (to take) entrance examinations and (enter) the Law Institute. 7. A year ago this lawyer (to work) as a judge at the court. 8. The prosecutor (to make) notes for an hour already when the witness came in. 9. At that time last Friday the cadets of our group (to listen) to the lecture on the Theory of State and Law. 10. They (to translate) this article by the end of the lesson. 11. "Whom you (wait) for yesterday when I met you in the corridor? " – "For our section commander. He (come) from Moscow two days ago. We (talk) about his courses of studies".

Ex. 17. Ask questions to the words in bold.

1. My friend became a lawyer last year. 2. I was reading an interesting book from 7 to 8 p.m. yesterday. 3. They had been writing tests for a long time when the teacher came in. 4. By that time he had graduated from the University. 5. The cadets were discussing the results of their study at 3 o’clock yesterday. 6. My friend’s parents were lawyers. 7. Our students had their first classes in English last week. 8. His father had been working for 2 years as a clerk at a court. 9. It was evening. My group-mate was preparing for a seminar and I was copying a lecture.

Ex. 18. Give the negative answers to the following questions.

1. Were you watching a very interesting film at 8 o’clock yesterday? 2. Did they leave far from here last year? 3. Had you prepared the story about yourself by the end of the lesson? 4. Had you been taking part in the discussion for 30 minutes when your section commander came in? 5. Did the entrance exams at the institutes begin in June last year? 6. Had the cadets improved their pronunciation by the end of the term? 7. Were they listening to the new words in the language laboratory from 3 till 4 p.m. yesterday? 8. Had your friend lived in Moscow before he came to Orel? 9. Did your grandfather serve in the military units during the war? 10. Was your sister working at her report on law in the reading hall at that moment?

Ex. 19. Translate the verbs in brackets using the Past Tenses.

My grandparents are pensioners. 5 years ago they (жили) in the village of Voronovo, Moscow region. By the end of 2007 they (переехали) to our family and they (проживали) with us for three years already before I (поступил) the Academy. My grandfather (родился) in the postwar years and (пошел) to school in 1954. He (учился) there from the 1st till the 7th form and then he (вынужден был переехать) to Omsk with his parents. When he (был) a pupil, he was interested in history and then (поступил) the Law Institute in Moscow. By the end of 1969 he (закончил) from the Law Institute. For 2 years he (служил) in the Army and by the end of his service he (женился) my grandmother.