past tense

a.       The simple past tense

The simple past tense use to talk about ations situations in the past.

Adverbs of time :

Ø  Yesterday

Ø  Last ..

Ø  This morning

Ø  Just now

Ø  A few minute ago

Ø  ... ago

1.       If a sentence use a verbs, use Vpast for the possitive from and did for the negative and introgative sentences :

Patterns :

Ø  ( + ) = S + Vpast (V₂) + O + (adv. of time)

Ø  ( - ) = S + did not + Vbase + O + (adv. of time)

Ø  ( ? ) = Did + S + Vbase + O + (adv. of time) + ?

2.       If a sentences use a noun, an adjective or an adverbs, use to be : was, were.

Patterns :

Ø  ( + ) = S + was/were + N/adj./adv + (adv. of time)

Ø  ( - ) = S + was/were + not + N/adj./adv + (adv. of time)

Ø  ( ? ) = Was/Were + S + N/adj./adv + (adv. of time) + ?

b.      The simple past continous tense

The simple past continous tense use to indicate that an action was going an at a certain time in the past. The patterns of sentences in the past continous tense are :

1.       ( + ) = S + was/werw + Ving + (O/adv.)

2.       ( - ) = S + was/were + not + Ving + (O/adv.)

3.       ( ? ) = Was/werw + S +Ving + (O/adv.) + ?

You use the past continous tense :

1.       To say that someone was in the middle of doing something at a certain time.

2.       To say that something happened as something else was going on. You use the past continous tense for the longer event which started before the shorter event. For the shorter event, you use the simple past tense.