Unit 2 – Past tenses

It’s easier to understand when we

use the different past tenses if we
compare them.
Let’s look at:
1. The past simple, past continuous, past perfect simple, and past perfect
continuous – we often call these the past narrative tenses.
2. used to and would.

When do we use the

past narrative tenses?

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 Function: When do we use them?
1. past narrative tenses Read the sections of the
story and answer the
questions.
In 1997, my dad got a new job in London, so we had to leave Liverpool. The day we
moved, I was unpacking my things in my new bedroom when my older sister came
in. When we were younger, she was always taking my clothes without asking, and I
hated her being in my room. But today was different. She started crying – she was
hoping to stay in Liverpool near her friends, but it didn’t happen.
An
It finished I was annoying It was a failed
in the unpackin habit – a plan/expectatio
Look at this
past g my criticism n
sentence: In 1997,
(1997) things.
my dad got a new
job. Does this action
She was always
have any relation to Look at this
taking my clothes.
the present or did it sentence: I was She was hoping to
Does this action refer
finish in the past? unpacking when stay in Liverpool.
to an event in the
my sister came This was an
story or an annoying
in. Which of the expectation or plan.
habit that happened
two actions was Was it successful or
many times in the
interrupted? did it fail?
past?
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 Function: When do we use them?
1. past narrative tenses Read the sections of the
story and answer the
questions.

Earlier that day, she had visited her best friend to say goodbye. At 3 p.m. when I
arrived to say we were leaving, they had been crying for about two hours!

Look at this section of the A continuous

Earlier that It started earlier
story: Earlier that day, action over
day (the in the day and
she had visited her best a period of
day of the finished at 3
friend. The main part of time
move) p.m.
this story is set in the new
house in London. What At 3 p.m. when I
other time is mentioned At 3 p.m. when I
arrived, they had
here? arrived, they had
been crying. Was it
been crying. When did
one event or a
this action start and
continuous action over a
when did it finish?
period of time?

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 Function: When do we use them?
1. past narrative tenses Read the sections of the
story and answer the
Put these events from the story on the timeline: questions.

1. We left Liverpool.
2. My sister had visited her friend.
3. I went to collect my sister from her
friend’s
house.
4. They had been crying.
5. I was unpacking.
We don’t know if this action
6. My sister came into my bedroom.
stopped or continued after it
was interrupted.

4 1 5

2 3 6
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 Function: When do we use them?
1. past narrative tenses
past simple past continuous past perfect simple past perfect continuous
Single or repeated Actions in progress or Past actions and events A continuous action that was
finished events in interrupted when another action that happened before happening over a period of
the past. happened. another action in the past. time up to another action in
the past.
With always to express irritation
or criticism.
For failed plans and unfulfilled
expectations.
This was a
These are in the past perfect We don’t know if this
continuous
tenses because they happened was interrupted and
action which
before the main part of the stopped, or
stopped when I
story (further in the past). continued.
arrived.
They had been crying We left Liverpool. I was unpacking.
for two hours.

She had visited her I arrived at her friend’s My sister came into my
friend. house. bedroom.
Earlier that day in Liverpool Later that day in London

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Something to consider…

Earlier that day, she had visited her best friend to say goodbye. They sat and
looked at old photos.

Remember that we also

don’t use state verbs in
Look at the continuation the continuous tenses
of this part of the story. (see Unit 1 for more
details on this).

Notice how:

We do not continue talking in

the
past perfect simple or
continuous after the first
The story continues in
original sentence because the When do we use
the past simple tense.
listener now knows what time
used to and
period the speaker is referring
to. would?
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 Function: When do we use them?
2. used to and would

When I was a I remember that! You

teenager, I used to used to have blue hair
rollerblade to and we would point at
school every day. you from the bus!

I used to rollerblade Take notice of when

every day. Was this a we use used to
one-time event or an and/or would here.
action that was It was
repeated/a habit? repeated
/a habit.
We would point at
you. In this sentence, is
I used to rollerblade this an activity/habit or
every day. In this a situation/state?
sentence, is this an You used to have
activity/habit or a An blue hair. In this An
situation/state? activity/ha sentence, is this an activity/ha
A
bit activity/habit or a situation/stat bit
situation/state? e
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 Function: When do we use them?
2. used to and would
used to would
For past habits or activities For past habits or activities
I used to rollerblade to school every day. We would point at you from the bus!

For past situations or states

You used to have blue hair.

When referring to the past,

Notice how we can only
we can only use would with
use used to for states and
habits and activities. We
situations. E.g.
CANNOT say, for example,
When I was a child, I would
State: She used to have a
live in New York, as this is a
Ferrari.
situation, not an activity.
Situation: She used to live
in New York.
How do we form the
present tenses?
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 Form: How do we make these
structures? Look at the example for the past
simple. Work out the breakdown of
form for the other three tenses.

past simple past continuous past perfect simple past perfect continuous

+ Subject + verb in past + Subject + was/were + + Subject + had + past + Subject + had + been
simple verb -ing participle + verb -ing

- Subject + did + not + - Subject + was/were + - Subject + had + not + - Subject + had + not +
verb bare infinitive not + verb -ing past participle been + verb -ing

? (Question word) + did + ? (Question word) + ? (Question word) + had ? (Question word) + had
subject + verb bare was/were + subject + verb + subject + past + subject + been + verb -
infinitive -ing participle ing
Remember that we
In connected In connected speech,
commonly use
speech, /wɒz/ this is pronounced
contractions, e.g. didn’t,
becomes /wəz/. /bɪn/, not /bi:n/.
hadn’t, wasn’t. …and used to
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 Form: How do we make these
structures?
You used to have blue hair and we would
point at you from the bus!

You used to have

What form of the verb
blue hair. Change this
follows used to and
into the negative and
would?
question form.

The bare You didn’t use to

infinitive (with have blue hair.
no ‘to’). Did you use to have
blue hair?

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 Form: How do we make these
structures?
You used to have blue hair and we would
point at you from the bus!

used to would

+ Subject + used to + bare infinitive + Subject + would + bare infinitive

− Subject + did not (didn’t) + use to + bare − Subject + would not (wouldn’t) + bare
infinitive infinitive
? (Question word) + did + subject + use to +
bare
infinitive
Notice how this
We tend not to use We do not stress the
changes in the
would in the to in used to, so we
negative and
question form. pronounce it /tə/.
question form.

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Practice activities
Correct the mistakes and justify your answers.

used to got
1. Jimmy would work in a bank when he was younger, but he was getting a job as a pilot after he finished
university.
had already finished
2. When I went to Tim’s earlier, he was sitting on the sofa watching TV! He was already finishing the
cake – it had been cleaning

was in the oven – and was cleaning all day.

bought
3. Helena didn’t use to like cats, but three years ago, she had bought one.

was hoping
4. I hoped to pass the exam, but I only got 40%. I can’t believe it!

had been dancing

5. Jude was dancing for hours when her husband turned up at the party. They went home soon after.

slept/was sleeping
6. While the baby would sleep, I phoned Tina to wish her luck in her exam.

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