Simple Past vs. Past Progressive
Use the simple past for:
1) action that happened in the past and is . . .
over, done, finished
Use the past Progressive for:
2) focusing on an action that continued for a long time in the past
Simple Past (Examples)
Action that was completed in the past:
Tom went fishing last week.
I worked until 2:00 p.m. yesterday.
My family came to visit me last year.
*Time Expressions frequently used with the simple past:
yesterday, last ______,
past dates (in 1990), _____ ago, etc.
Past Progressive (Examples)
Action that was in progress at a particular point in the past:
At 2:00 yesterday, Tom was playing soccer.
Sophia wasn’t home last night when I called her. I think she was working.
Lisa and her husband were visiting us last week.
Grammar Structure:
Here are some reminders about how to make the simple past and past Progressive:
The simple past: structure
English has two types of verbs in the past tense:
Look at the following list of past tense verbs…
which verbs are regular, and which are irregular?
For regular verbs, simply use the –ed form of the verb in a positive sentence.
When I was a child, I ___________ the piano.
Donna ______________ and _______________ in Paris when she was younger.
For irregular verbs, use the correct past tense form in positive sentences.
Last week, I ___________ you a letter.
The students _____________ a speech in English. They __________ a great job!
The verb BE
Remember the forms of verb BE for the simple past tense:
I, He, She, It WAS
They, We, You WERE
Simple Past (Negative)
For all verbs (EXCEPT be), use:
1) Sara worked yesterday.�Sara didn’t work yesterday.��2) They had an argument.�They didn’t have an argument.��3) Sam took classes last year.�Sam didn’t take classes last year.��4) I learned how to sew.�I didn’t learn how to sew.
The Past Progressive:
Don’t forget that VERB BE is part of this structure.
I, He, She, It WAS
You, We, They WERE
Examples:
My mom was trying to call me last night, but I wasn’t home.
The kids were studying last night at 9:00.
I was cleaning my house all day yesterday.
Past Progressive (Negative)
For this tense, simply ADD the word NOT after the verb BE.
They were arguing last night.
They were NOT arguing last night.
She was yelling at me.
She was NOT yelling at me.
Important Note about
Past Progressive!
Some verbs are NOT typically used in the continuous tense. Instead, we prefer to use these verbs in the simple tenses (simple present or past).
These verbs are called STATIVE (or non-action) verbs. Here are some examples:
want like love hate
know need see hear
believe understand have (possession)
forget remember belong
Examples:
I liked Rome.
NOT: I was liking Rome.
She had a headache.
NOT: She was having a headache.
I knew the answer.
NOT: I was knowing the answer.
Using both tenses together:
Sometimes we use both the simple past and the past progressive together to mean . . .
That one action (simple past) interrupted a continuing action (past progressive)
=in the middle of cooking dinner, he burned his hand.
2. When Helen called, we were having dinner.
=in the middle of eating dinner, Helen called.