There are several tenses which express past in English:
- The simple present tense: It is the historic present and it refers to past time. It is characteristic of popular narrative style. It conveys the dramatic immediacy of an event happening at the moment of narration.
– Just as we arrived, up comes Ben and slaps me on the back.
- The simple past tense:
Form:
A. In regular verbs it is formed by adding –ed to the infinitive: work / worked
Pronunciation of -ed:
1. /t/ when the verb ends in a voiceless consonant: finish
2. /d/ when the verb ends in a voiced consonant and a vowel: love, play
3. /id/ when the verb ends in /t/ or /d/: need, visit
Verbs ending in –e add d only: love/loved
The same form is used for all the persons
The negative of regular and irregular verbs is formed with did not (didn´t) and the infinitive: I did not work / : I didn´t work
The interrogative of regular and irregular verbs is formed with did + subject + infinitive: did I work?
The negative interrogative: did you not work?/ didn´t you work?
Spelling notes:
1. When a verb of one syllable has one vowel and ends in a single consonant, this consonant is doubled before –ed: Hit/ hitted
2. Verbs of 2 or more syllables whose last syllable contains only one vowel and ends in a single consonant ¡, double this consonant if the stress falls on the last syllable: Admit/ admitted
But if the stress is not on the last syllable, it doesn´t double: enter/entered
A final l after a single vowel is, however, always doubled except in American English: Travel/ travelled (B.E.) traveled (A.E.)
3. Verbs ending in –y following a consonant, change the y into I before adding –ed: carry/ carried
But y following a vowel doesn´ t change: obey/ obeyed
B. Irregular verbs: Many verbs vary considerably in their simple past form
Verb | Verb –ed 1 | Verb –ed 2 | |
3 forms alike | cut | cut | cut |
Verb –ed 1= Verb –ed 2 | meet | met | met |
Verb = Verb –ed 1 | beat | beat | beaten |
Verb = Verb –ed 2 | come | came | come |
3 forms different | speak | spoke | spoken |
So the simple past of each irregular verb must be learned by heart. But once this is done, there is no other difficulty as irregular verbs have no inflexions in the past tense.
Uses of the Simple past:
1. For actions completed in the past at a definite time. It is therefore used for:
A. A past action when the time is given
– I met him yesterday
B. When the time is asked about
– When did you meet him?
C. When the action clearly took place at a definite time even though this time is not mentioned
– I bought this car in Montreal
D. Sometimes the time becomes definite as a result of a question and answer in the present perfect
– Where have you been? I´ve been to the opera. Did you enjoy it?
2. It is used for an action whose time is not given but which occupied a period of time now terminated
– He worked in that bank for four years (but he doesn´t work there now)
Or which occurred at a moment in a period of time now terminated
– My grandmother once saw Queen Victoria
3. It is used for a past habit
– They never drank wine
4. It is used in conditional sentences type 2:
– If I went to London, I would visit Buckingham Palace
- The past continuous tense:
Form: It is formed with the past tense of the auxiliary verb + be + present participle:
– Affirmative: I was working
– Negative: I was not working/ I wasn´t working
– Interrogative: was I working?
– Negative interrogative: wasn´t I working?
Uses:
1. It is used for past actions which continued for some time but whose exact limits are not known and are not important
– She was having lunch
2. It is used without a time expression to indicate gradual development
– The wind was rising
3. Used with a point in time, it expresses an action which began before that time and probably continued after it
– At 8 he was having breakfast
4. We can replace the time expression with a verb in the simple past tense
– When I arrived, Tom was talking with Mary.
We convey the idea that the action in the past continuous started before the action I the simple past and probably continued after it
5. We use the continuous in descriptions:
– A wood fire was burning on the hearth and a cat was sleeping in front of it.
Past continuous as an alternative to the simple past:
It can be used to indicate a more casual, less deliberate action
– I was talking to Tom the other day
It gives the impression that the action was in no way unusual or remarkable. It also tends to remove responsibility from the subject. If we say “ I talked to Tom” it indicates that I took the initiative.
The continuous tenses are used only for apparently continuous uninterrupted actions. If we divide the action up or say how many times it happened, we must use the simple past
– I talked to Tom several times
We may use the continuous for apparently parallel actions
– Between one and two I was doing the shopping and walking the dog
In questions about how a period was spent, the continuous often appears more polite than the simple past.
– What were you doing before you came here?
- The present perfect tense:
Form: It is formed with the present tense of have + the past participle: I have worked. The past participle in regular verbs has the same form as the simple past and in irregular verbs the past participles vary.
This tense is a sort of mixture of present and past. It always implies a strong connection with the present and is chiefly used in conversations, letters, newspapers, television and radio reports.
Uses:
- The present perfect used with just for a recently completed action
– He has just gone out
Just must be placed between the auxiliary and the main verb. It is not normally used in the negative.
- The present perfect used for past actions whose time is not definite:
A. Used for recent actions when the time is not mentioned
– I´ve read the instructions but I don´t understand them
B. Recent actions in the present perfect often have results in the present
– I´ve washed the car (it looks lovely)
It can be compared to the simple past which do not normally have results in the present
– I washed the car (it may be dirty again now)
Actions expressed by the present perfect + yet usually have results in the present
– He hasn´t come yet (so we are still waiting for him)
C. Used for actions which occurred further back in the past, provided the connexion with the present is still maintained, that is the action could be repeated in the present
– I have seen wolves in that forest (it is possible to see them)
- The present perfect used for actions occurring in an incomplete period. An incomplete period may be indicated by today/ this morning/ this afternoon/ evening/ week/ month/ year. It implies that the action happened or didn´t happen at some undefined time during this period
– Have you seen him today? (at any time today)
Lately and recently used with the present perfect also indicate an incomplete period of time
– Has he been here recently?
The present perfect can be used with ever, never, always, occasionally, often, several times and since + a point in time and since + a clause or since adverb
– Have you ever fallen off a horse?
The present perfect can be used here for habitual actions:
– I´ve never been late for work
We can use for + a period of time as an alternative to since + a point in time
– I´ve worn glasses for 10 years
We can use this construction with the first, the second and the only
– This is the only book he has written
- The present perfect used for an action which lasts throughout an incomplete period
A. The action begins in the past and continues past the time of speaking in the present
– I´ve smoked since I left school (I still smoke)
B. Sometimes, however the action finishes at the time of speaking
– Ann (on meeting someone) I haven´t seen you for ages (but I see you now)
C. Verbs of knowing, believing and understanding cannot be used in the present perfect except as shown in A.
– I´ve known him for a long time
- The present perfect used with for and since.
For is used for a period of time. With the simple past tense it denotes a terminated period of time and with the present perfect, it denotes a present perfect
– We have lived in London for 10 years (and still live there)
For can be omitted after be, live, and wait and before expressions beginning with all.
Since is used with a point in time and means from that point to the time of speaking
- It is + period+ since + past or perfect tense:
– It is 3 years since I last saw Bill
– It is 3 years since I have seen Bill
- The present perfect is often used in newspapers and broadcasts to introduce an action which will then be described in the simple past.
– Two prisoners have escaped from jail. They used a ladder….
- The present perfect is often used in letters
– I´m sorry I haven´t written before but I´ve been very busy.
- The present perfect continuous tense:
Form: It is formed by the verb to be + the past participle
– Affirmative: I have been working
– Negative: I have not been working/ haven´t
– Interrogative: Have I been working?
– Negative interrogative: Haven´t I been working?
The present perfect continuous tense does not exist in the passive.
Uses: It is used for an action which began in the past and it is still continuing or has only just finished.
– I have been waiting for an hour and he still hasn´ t turned up.
We have to remember that a number of verbs are not normally used in the continuous form but some of them can be used in certain cases such as
– I´ve been thinking it over
Comparison of the present perfect simple and continuous:
An action which began in the past and is still continuing or has only just finished can , with certain verbs, be expressed by either the present perfect simple or continuous. These verbs are learn, live, study, teach, wait, want, work.
– How long have you learnt/ been learning English?
This is not possible with verbs which are not used in the continuous forms.
The present perfect continuous can be used with or without a time phrase but the present perfect simple needs a time phrase.
A single action in the present perfect simple is different from an action in the present perfect continuous.
– I´ve polished the car (the job has been completed)
– I´ve been polishing the car (it doesn´t mean the job has been completed)
- The past perfect tense:
Form: It is formed with had + the past participle.
– Affirmative: I had worked
– Negative: I had not worked not / had´t
– Interrogative: Had I worked?
– Negative interrogative: Hadn´t I worked?
Uses: The past perfect is the past equivalent of the present perfect.
1. Unlike the present perfect, the past perfect is not restricted to actions whose time is not mentioned
– He had left his case on the 4.40 train.
2. The past perfect can be used for an action which began before the time of speaking in the past and is still continuing at that time or stopped at that time or just before it like the present perfect, but it can also be used for an action which stopped some time before the time of speaking.
– He had served in the army for 10 years, then he retired and married. The children were now at school.
3. The past perfect is also the past equivalent of the simple past tense and is used when the narrator or subject looks back on an earlier action from a certain point in the past.
– Tom was 23 when our story begins. His father had died 5 years before.
Past and Past perfect in time clauses:
- Clauses with when. When one past action follows another, we can combine them by using when. It is clear from the sense that the second action followed the first and they didn´t happen simultaneously.
– When he called her a liar she smacked his face
The Past perfect is used after when when we wish to emphasize that the first action was completed before the second one started
– When he had shut the window, we opened the door
The Past perfect can be used with as soon as, the moment, immediately.
- The past perfect can be used with till, until and before to emphasize the completion of an action
– He refused to go till he had seen all the pictures
- After is normally followed followed by a perfect tense
– After the will had been read, there were angry exclamations
- Verbs of knowing, understanding etc. are not normally used in the past perfect tense in time clauses except when accompanied by an expression denoting a period of time
– When she had known me for a year she invited me to tea
Uses of the Past perfect in indirect speech:
Present perfect tenses in direct speech become past perfect tenses in indirect speech
– He said: “I´ve been in England for 10 years”
– He said that he had been in England for 10 years
- The past perfect continuous tense:
Form: It is formed with had been + the present participle.
– Affirmative: I had been working
– Negative: I had not been working/ had´t
– Interrogative: Had I been working?
– Negative interrogative: Hadn´t I been working?
It is not used with verbs which are not used in the continuous forms, except want and wish.
The past perfect continuous tense does not exist in the passive.
Uses:
- When the action began before the time of speaking in the past and continued up to that time or stopped just before it
– It was now six and he was tired because he had been working since dawn.
- A repeated action in the past perfect can sometimes be expressed as a continuous action by the past perfect continuous.
– He had been trying to get her on the phone.
Comparison of the past perfect simple and continuous:
1. Completion of the action
– By six o´ clock he had repaired the engine (this job had been completed)
– He had been repairing the engine (we see how he had spent the previous hour but it doesn´t tell us whether the job was completed or not)
2. The action in the past perfect continuous continues up to or beyond the time of speaking in the past and an action in the past perfect may occur shortly before the time of speaking.
– He had been painting the door (the door was probably still wet)
– He had painted the door (perhaps recently, perhaps some time ago)