Explanation + Extra Activities
Here’s an easy explanation of ALL PAST verb tenses—Simple, Progressive, Perfect, and Perfect Progressive:
1️⃣ Simple Past Tense
When to use:
- We use the Simple Past to talk about actions that happened and finished at a specific time in the past.
Structure:
Subject + verb in past form
Examples:
- I visited my grandma yesterday.
(The action happened and finished yesterday.) - They played soccer last weekend.
Key Words:
Yesterday, last week, two days ago, in 1995, etc.
2️⃣ Past Progressive Tense (also called Past Continuous)
When to use:
- We use the Past Progressive to talk about actions that were happening at a specific moment in the past.
- It’s often used when a shorter action interrupts a longer action.
Structure:
Subject + was/were + verb (ing)
Examples:
- I was reading a book when the phone rang.
(The reading was happening, then the phone rang.) - They were eating dinner at 7 p.m. yesterday.
Key Words:
At 5 p.m., when, while
3️⃣ Past Perfect Tense
When to use:
- We use the Past Perfect to talk about an action that happened before another action or time in the past.
- Think of it as the “past of the past.”
Structure:
Subject + had + past participle of the verb
Examples:
- By the time I arrived at the party, they had already left.
(They left before I arrived.) - She had finished her homework before dinner.
Key Words:
Before, by the time, already, just
4️⃣ Past Perfect Progressive Tense (also called Past Perfect Continuous)
When to use:
- We use the Past Perfect Progressive to talk about an action that started before a point in the past and continued up until that point (or just before it).
- It emphasizes how long the action was happening before something else happened.
Structure:
Subject + had been + verb (ing)
Examples:
- I had been waiting for 2 hours when the bus finally arrived.
(I was waiting for a long time before the bus came.) - She had been studying all night before the test.
Key Words:
For, since, before, until
Summary of Differences:
- Simple Past: Talks about a completed action at a specific time.
- Example: “I played soccer yesterday.”
- Past Progressive: Talks about an action that was happening at a certain time, often interrupted.
- Example: “I was playing soccer when it started raining.”
- Past Perfect: Talks about an action that happened before another past action.
- Example: “I had played soccer before I did my homework.”
- Past Perfect Progressive: Talks about an action that was happening for some time before another past event.
- Example: “I had been playing soccer for two hours when it started raining.”
Extra Practice!
Here is an ESL quiz covering all the uses of past tense verbs: Simple, Progressive, Perfect, and Perfect Progressive. The quiz is divided into 3 levels: Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced. Each level has 15 questions, with the difficulty increasing in complexity. The answers are provided at the end of each level.
BEGINNER LEVEL:
- She ______ (watch) TV when I called her last night.
a) watched
b) was watching
c) had watched - They ______ (visit) their grandparents last weekend.
a) visited
b) were visiting
c) had been visiting - I ______ (not / see) him since last summer.
a) didn’t see
b) hadn’t seen
c) wasn’t seeing - We ______ (play) basketball for two hours before it started raining.
a) played
b) had played
c) had been playing - The kids ______ (sleep) when their mom got home.
a) slept
b) were sleeping
c) had slept - She ______ (already / finish) her homework before dinner.
a) finished
b) had finished
c) was finishing - I ______ (work) in that company for three years when I quit.
a) worked
b) had worked
c) was working - He ______ (not / eat) breakfast this morning.
a) didn’t eat
b) hadn’t eaten
c) wasn’t eating - When the teacher came in, the students ______ (talk).
a) talked
b) were talking
c) had talked - By the time we arrived at the party, everyone ______ (leave).
a) left
b) had left
c) was leaving - They ______ (swim) in the pool yesterday.
a) swam
b) were swimming
c) had swum - I ______ (finish) my project last night.
a) finished
b) had finished
c) was finishing - We ______ (study) for two hours when she called.
a) studied
b) had studied
c) had been studying - He ______ (not / visit) his friend in a long time.
a) hadn’t visited
b) didn’t visit
c) wasn’t visiting - I ______ (write) a letter when the lights went out.
a) wrote
b) was writing
c) had written
Answers (Beginner):
- b, 2. a, 3. b, 4. c, 5. b, 6. b, 7. b, 8. a, 9. b, 10. b, 11. a, 12. a, 13. c, 14. a, 15. b
INTERMEDIATE LEVEL:
- We ______ (talk) about it for hours before we finally made a decision.
a) talked
b) had talked
c) had been talking - He ______ (live) in Spain for three years when he moved to Italy.
a) lived
b) had lived
c) had been living - By the time the show ended, I ______ (already / see) it three times.
a) already saw
b) had already seen
c) was seeing - She ______ (try) to solve the problem for two days before she asked for help.
a) tried
b) had tried
c) had been trying - When I woke up, it ______ (rain) for hours.
a) rained
b) had rained
c) had been raining - They ______ (finish) the book before the deadline.
a) finished
b) had finished
c) were finishing - I ______ (not / see) my cousins for years before the reunion.
a) didn’t see
b) hadn’t seen
c) wasn’t seeing - We ______ (wait) for the bus when it started snowing.
a) waited
b) were waiting
c) had waited - She ______ (already / cook) dinner when I got home.
a) cooked
b) had cooked
c) had been cooking - By the time we got to the restaurant, the kitchen ______ (close).
a) closed
b) had closed
c) was closing - He ______ (read) the book before watching the movie.
a) read
b) had read
c) was reading - They ______ (run) in the park for an hour before they stopped.
a) ran
b) had run
c) had been running - I ______ (clean) the house when my friends arrived.
a) cleaned
b) had cleaned
c) was cleaning - She ______ (work) all day before she took a break.
a) worked
b) had worked
c) had been working - We ______ (see) the movie twice before we understood it.
a) saw
b) had seen
c) had been seeing
Answers (Intermediate):
- c, 2. b, 3. b, 4. c, 5. c, 6. b, 7. b, 8. b, 9. b, 10. b, 11. b, 12. c, 13. c, 14. c, 15. b
ADVANCED LEVEL:
- By the time they got back from vacation, they ______ (spend) all their money.
a) spent
b) had spent
c) had been spending - He ______ (work) at the company for 10 years before he retired.
a) worked
b) had worked
c) had been working - We ______ (discuss) the project for weeks before we presented it.
a) discussed
b) had discussed
c) had been discussing - When we arrived, the guests ______ (already / leave).
a) had already left
b) left
c) were leaving - She ______ (live) in the city for 5 years before moving to the countryside.
a) lived
b) had lived
c) had been living - The teacher ______ (already / give) us the instructions before the test started.
a) gave
b) had given
c) had been giving - They ______ (talk) for hours before they realized it was late.
a) talked
b) had talked
c) had been talking - I ______ (work) on my assignment when the power went out.
a) worked
b) had worked
c) was working - We ______ (not / hear) the news before it was announced.
a) hadn’t heard
b) didn’t hear
c) wasn’t hearing - The team ______ (prepare) for the game for weeks before it got canceled.
a) prepared
b) had prepared
c) had been preparing - By the time the rain stopped, we ______ (drive) for hours.
a) drove
b) had driven
c) had been driving - He ______ (study) French for years before he became fluent.
a) studied
b) had studied
c) had been studying - When she called, I ______ (cook) dinner.
a) cooked
b) had cooked
c) was cooking - They ______ (repair) the car for hours when they realized they needed new parts.
a) repaired
b) had repaired
c) had been repairing - By the time we reached the summit, we ______ (hike) for 8 hours straight.
a) hiked
b) had hiked
c) had been hiking
Answers (Advanced):
- b, 2. b, 3. c, 4. a, 5. c, 6. b, 7. c, 8. c, 9. a, 10. c, 11. c, 12. c, 13. c, 14. c, 15. c