Need for Speech 2011:Past Forms

Past Simple	Past Continuous	Past Perfect	Past Perfect Continuous
Consecutive events (one after another) – a succession of past actions I bought the eggs, mixed them together and cooked a pie.	Actions happening at a particular moment in the past At five o’clock I was reading Gone with the Wind	Situations and states before the past We had lived next to the gym for a couple of month before I decided to join	Actions coming up to a moment in the past When you saw us we had been running for six miles- and we still had a mile to go!
Habits in the past Did you collect stamps when you were young? Scarlett O’Hara went dancing on foot	Actions in progress over a period of time Daniel was playing Mario all morning yesterday While I was getting dressed th bell rang	Completed actions before a moment in the past The train had arrived before I got to the railway station	Actions stopping just before a moment in the past/actions of certain durations in the past which had visible results Sarah looked tired because she had been exercising all morning
Complete actions which happened at a stated past time I found out a solution to the “String theory” yesterday/an hour ago/in 1992	Annoying past habits (usually with always) When we were young, my brother was always borrowing my toys and cutting their head off.	After we’ve use PPS once, we normally then use PS instead of continuing PPS I had already had one flying lesson, which was a great fun and I knew immediately I wanted to get my pilot licence
Repeated actions are normally expressed by used to+ infinitive/ would+ infinitive * When I was young I used to/would go to the cinema with my father	Two actions in progress at the same time Were Ulla and her friends playing Monopoly while we were playing NFS?	It was the first/the second/etc time I was the first time I’d been on a plane
General truth and facts about the past (even when the time is not stated, but we know it is a definite past time) Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald wrote “Tender is the night”	Background information in the story The sun was shining, the birds were singing. I opened the window and saw an amount of strange passers-by holding Harry Potter in their hands.	Completed actions where the important thing is the result at a moment in the past We didn’t feel like playing Scrabble because we had just finished a long game of Monopoly (мы долго играли и нам надоело, именно поэтому мы не хотели играть ещё и в Скраббл)
We can use “did” in past simple statements for emphasis: Why didn’t you win your match yesterday? – I did win. Who told you I didin’t?	When some action in the past interrupts another action in progress, we use the Past Simple and the Past Continuous together I was playing on my computer when it suddenly crashed

*Used to/Would + bare infinitive

1) Would – past habits

When I was young I would work much more than I do now

We don’t normally use “would” in negative statements and questions with this meaning. In negative questions we can use “would never”

When I was young, I would never work much- I had a lot of other things to do

2) Used to – past habits and states

My mother used to play tennis before she moved to London (we can use also would play tennis, because it is a habit)

We used to live in a big house with pink floors, which is now an art museum (we cannot use would live, because it is not a habit, it is a state)

For negative statements we can use the following structures:

• Didn’t use to

• Never used to

• Used not to

Be/get used to + ing form/ noun

1. A situation which is familiar and no longer strange (мы к чему-то привыкли, но раньше это было нетипичным)

• I didn’t like eating porridge at first, but now I am used to it.

2. When we want to talk about the process of becoming familiar with something we use get used to.

• Do you think you can get used to living without twitter?

Tasks

1. Julia ______________ (always/want) to be famous, ever since she was young. ______________ (take) acting classes for years and last week someone ______________ (offer) hear a part in an advertisement. They only ______________ (need) her voice, though, because it’s going to be on the radio. At least her career ______________ (start)

2. Good news! I ______________ ask) to take over as a new managing director.

3. When I last ______________(see) you, you ______________(think) of moving to a new flat

That’s right, but in the end I ______________to stay where I was

4. Last week we finally moved into a new house. We______________(wait) to move for so long that I ______________(begin) to wonder if we ever would. We______________(unpack) for days now and we still______________(not/finish)

5. Matha______________of going on a three-month trip to Mexico next year ad______________(wonder) for some time if any of her fellow students would like ______________(accompany) her

6. While Tomas______________(spend) the last few months working hard at his studies, his sisters______________(concentrate) their attention on how to get their new business off the ground

7. There______________(be) a terrible storm last month and several trees______________(fall down). The telephone lines______________(bring down) and some______________(not/fixed) Roads______________(be blocked) for several hours. Several homes______________(suffer) damage to their roofs.

8. About three yesterday Jessica______________(lie) in bed reading a book. Suddenly she______________(hear) a loud noise and______________(get) up to see what it was. She______________(look) out of the window. A truck______________(just/beck) into her new car!

9. Last summer some friends and I______________(arrange) to go camping. We______________(look) forward to going for weeks when finally the date of departure______________(arrive)

10. The weather ______________(be) terrible lately. It______________(rain) off and on for two days, and the temperature______________(drop) dramatically. It______________(be) really cold today. Just three days ago, the sun ______________(shine) and the weather______________(be) pleasant. The weather certainly______________(change) quickly here.

11. How many times_____________(Wendy/be late) for work this week?

12. I was delighted when I______________(become) a doctor because it______________(be) my ambition since childhood. I______________(work) at this hospital for six years now. Although there______________(be) bad times over years, I______________(enjoy) my work at moment

13. John and Marry______________(complain) to the landlord many times since they moved into their new apartment, but so far nothing______________(do) about the leak in the roof and the broken window in the bedroom/

Past simple and present perfect

1. Time expressions this morning/week/month/today can be used with either past simple or present perfect, depending weather we think of a completed period ot time or a time period which includes the present moment

• I didn’t eat this morning (the morning is over and the only hope is to eat in the afternoon)

• I haven’t eaten this morning (I still may do it)

2. In news reports recent events are usually introduced in this way: The first sentence is in Present Perfect, then goes Past Simple:

• The US space shuttle Atlantis has returned safely to earth. It landed in Florida this morning…

3. Time clause with since

Past simple in time clause and Present Perfect in the main clause

She hasn’t been able to play tennis since she broke her arm (not has broken)

! We can use the Present Perfect in the time clause if the two situations (described in the main clause and in the time clause) extend until the present:

• Have you met any of your neighbours since you’ve lived there?

4. With time clauses introduced by after/when/until/as soon as/once/ by the time and the time expressions with minute/second/moment the Past simple refers to Past and the Present Simple refers to future events

-After she left hospital she had a long day (past)

-After Dominic has left school, he will be spending six months in India (future)

-The minute I got the news about Sue I telephoned her parents (past)

-I’ll contact you the minute I’ve got my exam results (future)

In these sentences it is possible to use the Past Perfect instead of the Past simple and the Present simple instead of the Present Perfect

Tasks

Past Simple and Present Perfect