Actions happening at a defined moment in the past: clear indication of past time. Action can be very long lasting. He phoned last night. For centuries people believed in witches.

Repetead actions in the past We always had steak and kidney pie on Saturdays when I was young. I gladly walked to school…. until I was given a bike.

Sequence of past actions He got up, took the coat, gave me a nasty look and disappeared into the night.

Past states When my brother was young, he liked spinach.

The Boy Who Laughed at Santa Claus by Ogden Nash

In Baltimore there lived a boy.He wasn't anybody's joy.Although his name was Jabez Dawes,His character was full of flaws.

In school he never led his classes,He hid old ladies' reading glasses,His mouth was open when he chewed,And elbows to the table glued.

He stole the milk of hungry kittens,And walked through doors marked NO ADMITTANCE.He said he acted thus becauseThere wasn't any Santa Claus.

Modal past tense - an eventuality is hypothetical. I wish I knew what to write about . I wish you were here . It is high time you moved. Suppose you got a loan. Would you buy that

motorcycle? If he was/were rich, she would go out with him.

N.B. “if” with wil l or would is (almost) never any good!

The regular verbs take an ‘ed’ after the base form, unless the base ends in ‘e’.

Then only ‘d’ is addedI called Sam yesterday. He never

arrived.

• after a consonant, final y becomes i worry she worried• after a short, stressed vowel, the final

consonant is doubled admit he admitted

• final l is doubled in British English when preceded by one vowel lettertravel travel led (Am.E: traveled)

Quite a number of irregular verbs are waiting to be learnt by heart (He lay down on the sofa, lit a cigarette and

swore at the guests.)

http://www.usingenglish.com/reference/irregular-verbs/

Find the errors in the following sentence. Write down the error and correct it (there are 10 errors!)

When Emma was young, her family often pickniked in the woods. They carryed food and blankets, and they ate and playd all afternoon. The uncles throwed frisbees and fl ied kites, while the aunts prefered to gossip. If the sun didn’t shone and the picnic were canceled, the children weeped.

Now give the rule for each of the corrections.

The errors in the following sentence.

When Emma was young, her family often pickniked in the woods. They carryed food and blankets, and they ate and playd all afternoon. The uncles throwed frisbees and fl ied kites, while the aunts prefered to gossip. If the sun didn’t shone and the picnic were cancel?ed, the children weeped.

Now give the rule for each of the corrections.

If there is a clear indication of past t ime (remember the

LAWDY -rule)

Last week/month/year/century Ago I saw him two days ago. When When I was younger I owned a Fiat 500.Date He l ived here in 2006. Yesterday I got my money yesterday.

When the context is an indication of t ime :

Capone received his infamous facial scars and the resulting nickname "Scarface" when he insulted a patron and was attacked by her brother.

LAWDY – ruleL – last week, last month, last yearA – ago: a year ago, an hour agoW – when I was a teenager, when I went homeD – date: in 2006, in the past, on November 4thY – yesterday he cal led me an idiot

Now write your own sentences using a clear indication of past time: 5 sentences, one for each example of the LAWDY rule.

Habitual past (with a stated or implied time marker)

‘The King would often visit Mahaghiri to take her some special tit-bit to eat and check that Rajinder was looking after her properly. But Rajinder needed no reminding, for he also loved the elephant dearly, and trusted her completely. Every morning, he would take her down to the river for her bath. Then he would bring her freshly cut grass, leaves and the finest fruits he could find in the market for her breakfast. During the day, he would talk to her and, in the evening, he would play his flute to send her to sleep.’

Used to: past actions that no longer exist

And wat were you doing while I was trying to solve this difficult maths equation?

Well darling,I was cooking most delishious supper especially for you.

Ha, I was looking forward to eating it the entire day.

Verb ending in... How to make the -ING form Examples

(Most verbs) Add -INGsay - saying

go - goingwalk - walking

1 vowel + 1 consonant Double the consonant, then add -INGswim - swimming

hit - hittingget - getting

1 vowel + 1 consonant + E

Final –ie

Remove E, then add –ING

Change –ie to y, then add -ING

come - cominglose - losinglive – living

die – dyingtie -- tying

Use I Action in progress at a specific moment in

time in the past At the time of the robbery, The Jonses were staying with

my parents.

Actions generally in progress in the past Limited duration in the past (temporary)

My head was aching again, so I went home.

Use II Two (or more) actions that were in progress

in the past at the same time

Sorry I wasn’t listening to you while you were talking, though I like your voice.

Nobody was paying attention while the teacher was explaining tenses.

Use II I Interrupted actions – we contrast an ongoing

action with a single event which interrupts it.

I was sleeping when the telephone rang and woke me up. Even worse, my friend phoned while I was studying

grammar. Nina slipped on a banana as she was running to school.

Use IV To describe past arrangements:

Of course he was nervous, he was flying to the moon the next morning.

Tom said he was watching a movie on TV that evening. (And that’s why he couldn’t join us?)

Use V descriptions and background information in

narrative (the events are in Past Simple)

Little Red Riding Hood went out of the house to visit grandma. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and the wind was whispering in the trees. She entered the forest and suddenly saw something which was moving in the trees…Then she pulled the gun.

http://baladre.info/english/sedaviwebfront/pastsimplecontinuous.htm

http://www.tolearnenglish.com/exercises/exercise-english-2/exercise-english-23917.php

1. Jack always lays/lies the cordless telephone where no one can find it.2. Although the crowd shouts for him to rise, Charles lies/lays in the

middle of the boxing ring, felled by a powerful uppercut delivered by Antonio, his opponent.

3. Gently rocked by ocean waves, Robbie lay/laid on the raft, unconcerned about the distance to shore or fish nibbling the fingers he dangled in the water.

4. Rachel laid/lay her month-late essay in Dr. Cohen's mailbox, hoping that he would still accept the work.

5. Zack laid/lay his head in his hands and sobbed. He had a 7.4 average in his English class and he had hoped for a clear 8.

6. The bill for the expensive meal has lain/has laid on the table so long that Melissa wonders if her boyfriend Kris has forgotten that it is his turn to pay.

1. Jack always lays/lies the cordless telephone where no one can find it.2. Although the crowd shouts for him to rise, Charles lies/lays in the

middle of the boxing ring, felled by a powerful uppercut delivered by Antonio, his opponent.

3. Gently rocked by ocean waves, Robbie lay/laid on the raft, unconcerned about the distance to shore or fish nibbling the fingers he dangled in the water.

4. Rachel laid/lay her month-late essay in Dr. Cohen's mailbox, hoping that he would still accept the work.

5. Zack laid/lay his head in his hands and sobbed. He had a 7.4 average in his English class and he had hoped for a clear 8.

6. The bill for the expensive meal has lain/has laid on the table so long that Melissa wonders if her boyfriend Kris has forgotten that it is his turn to pay.