PAST TENSE

Simple Past Tense:

Format:Subject + past simple form of the verb + rest of the sentence.

USES

1.Actions Completed in the Past:

She graduated from university last year.

We visited the Grand Canyon during our summer vacation.

He finished reading the book yesterday.

2.Simple Past with Specific Time Expressions:

I met her at the conference last month.

They bought a new car in 2015.

He celebrated his birthday on Saturday.

In these examples, the Simple Past Tense is used to describe actions that were completed in the past. The specific time expressions such as "last year," "during our summer vacation," "yesterday," "last month," "in 2015," and "on Saturday" help establish the timeframe in which these actions took place.

 Past Continuous Tense:

Format:Subject + was/were + present participle (-ing form of the verb) + rest of the sentence.

Usages:

1. Describing an ongoing action at a specific time in the past.

2. Depicting two parallel actions in the past.

3. Setting the scene or providing background information.

Examples:

1. Describing an ongoing action:

   • I was studying when the power went out.

   • They were playing basketball when it started raining.

   • While she was cooking dinner, the phone rang.

2. Depicting two parallel actions:

   • He was reading a book while she was watching TV.

   • While I was working on the computer, my roommate was listening to music.

   • They were chatting online as they were waiting for the movie to start.

3. Setting the scene or providing background information:

   • It was a dark and stormy night. Lightning was flashing, and thunder was rumbling in the distance.

   • The children were playing in the park, laughing and shouting.

   • As the sun set, the sky was turning shades of orange and pink.

In these examples, the Past Continuous Tense is used to convey actions that were ongoing at a specific time in the past, depict parallel actions, and set the scene or provide background information.

 Past Perfect Tense:

Format:Subject + had + past participle of the verb + rest of the sentence.

Usages:

1. Expressing an action completed before another action in the past:

   • By the time we arrived, they had already left the party.

   • She realized she had forgotten her keys after locking the door.

   • They couldn't watch the movie because someone had taken their seats.

2. Describing a past action that happened before a specific point in time:

   • He had lived in New York before moving to London.

   • By 5 PM, she had finished all her work for the day.

   • The concert had started by the time we got to the venue.

3. Narrating events in the past in a chronological order:

   • The plane had already taken off when we arrived at the airport.

   • They had known each other for years before they got married.

   • She realized she had left her phone at the restaurant after getting home.

      Past Perfect Continuous Tense:

     Format:Subject + had been + present participle (-ing form of the verb) + rest of the sentence.

     Usages:

1. Emphasizing the duration of an ongoing action before another action in the past:

   • She was out of breath; she had been running before we met.

   • He couldn't sit still because he had been waiting for hours.

   • They looked tired because they had been working on the project all day.

2. Indicating the cause of a past situation or result:

   • The floor was wet because someone had been cleaning.

   • His clothes were dirty because he had been gardening.

   • She was exhausted because she had been exercising intensely.

3. Expressing actions that were ongoing and had a duration before a specific point in the past:

   • By the time they arrived, we had been waiting for two hours.

   • He had a sunburn because he had been lying in the sun all day.

   • The room smelled delicious; dinner had been cooking for hours.