Semester 1 - Group 1 & Group 2 - GRAMMAR 1 - Pr M.

KARAM

PART 3 :

THE SIMPLE PAST TENSE

FORM:

With regular verbs : the infinitive form of the verb + « ed » : waited, kicked, missed,
worked, helped …

With regular verbs ending in « e » : the infinitive form of the verb + « d » only :
danced, cited, escaped, wasted, distributed …

As for the forms of English irregular verbs, it is essential that you learn them by
heart since they do not follow the common conjugation pattern. There are no
specific rules that govern their formation. Look at the examples below :

Verb Past tense form Past participle form

cut cut cut (3 similar forms)

begin began begun (3 different forms)

build built built (pt=pp)

beat beat beaten (inf=pt)

run ran run (inf=pp)

stink stank/stunk stunk (pt : 2 possible forms)

tread trod trod/trodden (pp : 2 possible forms)

dream dreamed/dreamt dreamed/dreamt (regular /irregular)

Extra notes on the form :

The same form of the verb is used for all persons.

The auxiliary verb « do » is very helpful in the formation of the negative,
interrogative and negative interrogative forms.

The rules about doubling the final consonant when adding « ing » also apply when
adding « ed » : knitted, ripped, tipped, preferred, admitted, occurred …

In British English final « l » is also doubled before « ed » when it is preceded by a
single vowel.

Verbs ending in « y » following a consonant change the « y » into « i » before adding
« ed » : studied, carried, tried …

But « y » following a vowel does not change : played, obeyed, conveyed …

Affirmative : You produced a very nice piece of writing.

John understood my joke.

Negative : You did not/didn’t score high on your exams.

John did not/didn’t get an answer to his question.

Interrogative : Did you dance the cha-cha-cha yesterday ?

Did John read science fiction stories when he was young ?

Negative interrogative : Did you not/Didn’t you apply for a scholarship ?

Did John not/Didn’t John eat a whole chicken at lunch ?

USES :

1- For a past action when the time is given (directly or indirectly) :

The American president held a press conference late last night.

I bought my first car in June 1997.

Elizabeth travelled on the 14 :20 train.

Thomas emigrated to Canada when he was 10. (Calculations can be made to know
the exact time of the action.)

Secretary to Boss : A Miss Thompson phoned you when the postman delivered
today’s mail. (The postman usually calls during a specific period of the day.)

2- For an action which obviously took place in the past at a definite time although
this time is not mentioned :

Did you ever speak to Diego Maradona ? (Diego Maradona is no longer alive.)

Professor Alexander studied at my university for two years only. (He is no longer a
student.)

I bought this dictionary in Paris.(This is where I spent my last summer holidays.)

My great-grandfather went to Mecca on foot. (He is no longer of this world.)

It was through the Internet that I got to know my wife. (Here is a special event
whose date can never be forgotten.)

3- When the time is asked about :

When did your next-door neighbour move out ?

When did you last speak to your former husband ?

When did our country become a French colony ?

When and where were you born ?

4- For a past habit :

Mr Spenlow always criticised his wife’s conduct. (She is dead now.)

Maggie never crossed the border before 2002.

Miss Astell never drank wine when she was living in Saudi Arabia.

Dr Wilson always started his day with a smile and orange juice. (He is dead now)

5- In conditional sentences (Type 2) to express either unreality or improbability.

The verb in the main clause is usually used in the conditional tense :

If I were you, I would plant some trees round the house. (But I am not you.)

If I lived near my office, I would always be in time for work. (But I don’t live near my
office.)

If our boss dismissed Kenneth from work, both would be in trouble.(I don’t expect
that the boss will dismiss him.)

If someone presented me with an elephant, I would sell it to the local zoo. (But I
don’t expect that anyone will give me such a gift.)

6- It replaces the present simple in reported speech when the reporting verb is
used in the past :

Kevin said, "I appreciate your generosity." = Kevin said that he appreciated my

generosity.

The new teacher said, "My name is Betty Horne." = The new teacher said that her
name was Betty Horne.

7- This tense can also express unreal past after as if, as though and It is (high)
time  :

Sandy is always giving me instructions as if/as though he were my boss. (Past tense
but present meaning. He is not my boss.)

It is (high) time we stopped working. (Past tense but present meaning again = We
should stop working now.)
THE PAST CONTINUOUS TENSE

FORM :

The past tense of « to be » used as an auxiliary verb + the present participle of the
main verb (= the infinitive form of the verb + «ing»)

Affirmative : John was driving his truck.

Mary and her sister were knitting new sweaters.

Negative : John was not/wasn’t driving his car.

Mary and her sister were not/weren’t knitting new scarves.

Interrogative : Was John driving his car or his truck ?

Were Mary and her sister knitting sweaters or scarves ?

Negative interrogative : Was John not/Wasn’t John driving his truck ?

Were Mary and her sister not/Weren’t Mary and her sister

Knitting new sweaters ?

USES :

1- To describe a past action which continued for some time (= a relatively long
action) . The exact limits of the action are not known and are not important :

Yesterday night Kenny was sleeping. (He was not dancing at the night club.)

Yesterday afternoon the Smiths were playing cards.(This is how they spent the
afternoon.)

Yesterday morning traffic was building up along Winston Churchill Street.

NB : When the exact limits of the action are indicated the past simple can also be
used :

I was listening to a foreign radio station this morning from 9 to 11 =

I listened to a foreign radio station this morning from 9 to 11.

Now look at this special example :

A wood fire was burning on the hearth and a cat was sleeping in front of it. A girl
was playing the piano and singing softly to herself. Suddenly, there was a knock on
the door. The girl stopped playing. The cat woke up.

Here we have four long actions followed by three short actions, hence the use of
both continuous and simple past tense forms respectively.

2- Used with a point in time, it expresses an action which began before that time
and probably continued after it :

We were holding a grammar class at 3 p.m. last Monday. (Our grammar class is held
every Monday from 2 to 4 p.m.)

At nine the Trotwoods were having breakfast. (= They were in the middle of the
meal.)
Now compare the above examples with :

We held a grammar class at 3 p.m. last Monday. (Here the meaning is : Our class
started at 3 p.m.)

At nine the Trotwoods had breakfast. (= Here again the meaning is : At nine the
Trotwoods started eating their breakfast.)

3- Can combine with the simple past tense to show that the action in the past
continuous started before the action in the simple past and continued (or did not
continue) after it .In other words, the short action in the simple past interrupted
the action in progress :

Tony was doing his homework when the lights went out.

My uncle was living in Germany when World War II broke out.

Our teacher was reading a medieval poem when the inspector knocked on the door.

The soldiers were bombing a theatre when it started raining.

Now compare the above sentences with :

When Mary saw me she smiled at me.

When Albert recognised his childhood friend he gave him a big hug.

Here we have a combination of two simple past tenses to indicate two successive
actions. Mary saw me first (a short action), and then smiled at me (another short
action). Similarly, Albert recognised his friend first, and then hugged him tightly.
4- This tense can also be used as a past equivalent of the present continuous :

a- in reported speech when the reporting verb is used in the past :

Mrs White said,"I am waiting for a response to an email." =

Mrs White said (that) she was waiting for a response to an email.

b- to express a definite future arrangement in the past :

Peter could not see me off at the airport on Sunday night , for he was meeting his
fiancée that night.

Compare with :

Peter will not be able to see me off at the airport around 22:00 , for he is meeting
his fiancée tonight.

5- For frequently repeated actions in the past :

Before he got married Boris was always ringing me up. (The frequency annoyed the
speaker.)

Brigitte was always washing her car. (The frequency seemed unreasonable to the
speaker.)

Mr Harisson was always taking care of his garden. (This has been said in a tone of
approval.)

Note that with the past simple no personal feelings are involved. For example :

Brigitte always washed her car.(This is a simple piece of information about Brigitte
and her car.)