Past Tense

Past Tense

We often use the past simple tense for single completed actions and past states and we use the past continuous for temporary or irrumpted actions. We use the past perfect tense for actions which happened before a time in the past.

Past Tense

• Past Simple

There are certain adverbials which mark/prompt the use of simple past form. “Yesterday, at that moment, at the age of…, when she was, she started to get toothache, etc.”

• Clear/Specific reference to a fixed point in the past.

“I was 14-years old when I first went to the dentist. It was not a happy experience.”

“But, 3 months ago, she signed up for…”

• Return to the narrative line. / Back to narrative.

“She had been getting pain on and off. So, her mother decided to take her to the dentist.”

“She had started to get tooth ache and realized she needed do sth about it.”

• Past Perfect

Be careful not to overdo it and make it heavy, it may be unnecessary. Use it at the beginning to set clearly the narrative time and then shift to Past Simple.

• Narration time previous to the fixed point of reference in the past. Reason for past action (go to the dentist/start course)

“Until then, she had always been lucky. She had always had good teeth and had never suffered from a toothache.”

“Three months ago she started the course. She had started to have toothache again and realized she needed to…”

Past Perfect Simple (had + Part.)	Past Perfect Continuous (had + been + Part.)
The action took place once and is factual narration. “She had always had good teeth.”	Emphasis on the continuity of the action over a certain period of time before the point of reference in the past. Reinforce the idea of duration, continuity and progress. “For two months, she had been getting pain, on and off.”

• Present Perfect

There are certain prompts which mark the use of the tense. “Since then, Yet, Still, Seldom, Often, So far, Ever”

• Action/condition/state which begins in the past and is present at the time of speaking.  Point of reference in the past (Since then…) and focus on the result/consequence of the action, rather than the action taking place. Recent past action baring present consequences.

“I had a haircut in 2011 and, since then, I´ve never had long hair again.”

“I´ve never had another cavity since then.”

• Action which happened in the past and may happen again in the future.

“I´ve been to London once, but I´d love to go again.” ≠ “During that trip I didn´t visit London.”

• Continuity in present time                          ≠               Finished time belonging to past. (Simple Past)

“I´ve lived here for 19 years.”                                 ≠            “I lived there for 4 years.”

Present Perfect Simple ( Have/ has + Part.)	Present Perfect Continuous ( Have/has + Been + Part.)
Completed action. “I´ve answered my e-mails yesterday.” Process that will take time to be finished. “It has been wonderful so far. I´ve begun to realize which the reason for my phobia is.”	Action taking course. Idea of continuity and duration “I have been answering my e-mails all morning.” Action still taking place / several sessions (vs. “she´s had several…” only one) “At the course, she´s been having several counseling sessions and has been given the chance t express her feelings.”