TIME AND TENSE(PAST TENSE)

Simple Past Tense

Simle past tense is used to express an event in the past

Now

The position of Simple Past Tense in the time conversion is before now (present time)

Simple Past

Active patterns:

(+) S + Verb 2 + O

(-) S + did + not + Verb 1 + O

(?) Did + S + Verb 1 + O

(+) S + Was/Were + Adj/ Noun/ Adverb

1 A

1B

Examples

1a(+) I wrote a letter yesterday

(-) I didn’t write a letter yesterday

(?) Did I write a letter yesterday?

1b I was there yesterday

Passive Patterns:

(+) S + was/were + Verb 3 + ‘by’ agent + O

(-) S + was/were + not+ Verb 3+ ‘by’ agent + O

(?) Was/were + S + Verb 3 + ‘by’ agent + O

Examples

(+) A letter was written by me yesterday

(-) A letter was not written by me yesterday

(?) Was a letter written by me yesterday?

Modals in Past Tense Form

Can Could

May Might

P : A letter could be written by me yesterday

A : I could write a letter yesterday

P : A letter might be written by me yesterday

A : I might write a letter yesterday

Will Would

Shall Should

P : A letter should be written by me yesterday

A : I should write a letter yesterday

P : A letter would be written by me yesterday

A : I would write a letter yesterday

Past Perfect TensePast Perfect Tense is used to explain activity that happened before another activity in the pastPast Perfect Tense is usually arranged with Past Tense

Past perfect Simple Past

The position of Past Perfect Tense in the time conversion is before past

Past Future Now

Active Pattern

(+) S + had + Verb 3 + O

(-) S + had + not + Verb 3 + O

(?) Had + S + Verb 3 + O

Examples

(+) I had written a letter when she came to my house

(-) I had not written a letter

(?) Did I write a letter yesterday?

Passive Patterns:

(+) S + had + been + Verb 3 + ‘by’ agent + O

(-) S + had + not + been + Verb 3+ ‘by’ agent + O

(?) Had + S + been + Verb 3 + ‘by’ agent + O

Examples

(+) A letter had been written by me when she came to my house

(-) A letter had not been written by me when she came to my house

(?) Had a letter been written by me when she came to my house?

Past Continuous Tense

Past Continuous Tense is used to express the activities or situations that have occured during a period of time in the past.

NowPast

The position of Past Continuous Tense in the time conversion is started from before past and continues through past

future

Active patterns

(+) S + was/were + Verb-ing + O

(-) S + was/were + not + Verb-ing + O

(?) Was/were + S + Verb-ing + O

Examples

(+) I was writing a letter last night

(-) I was not writing a letter last night

(?) Were you writing a letter last night ?

Passive Patterns:

(+) S + was/were + being + Verb 3 + ‘by’ agent + O

(-) S + was/were + not + being + Verb 3 + ‘by’ agent + O

(?) Was/were + S + being + Verb 3 + ‘by’ agent + O

Examples

(+) A letter was being written by me last night

(-) A letter was not being written by me last night

(?) Was a letter being written by me last night?

Past Perfect Continuous Tense

Past Perfect Continuous Tense is used to declare an event that started to happen in the past and also at a certain time in the past, these events are happening in state or place

NowPast Future

The position of Past Perfect Continuous Tense in the time conversion is between before past and past

Active patterns:

(+) S + had + been + Verb-ing + O

(-) S + had + not + been + Verb-ing + O

(?) Had + S + been + Verb-ing + O

Examples

(+) I had been writing a letter last night

(-) I had not been writing a letter last night

(?) Had you been writing a letter last night ?

Passive Patterns:

(+) S + had + been + being + Verb 3 + O

(-) S + had + not + been + being + Verb 3 + O

(?) Had + S + been + being + Verb 3 + O

Examples

(+) A letter had been being written by me last night

(-) A letter had not been being written by me last night

(?) Had a letter been being written by me last night?

Exercise

Farah ........ (eat) dinner when her friend called.

Maria ........ (do) her homework last night. A car was ........ (drive) by her when the

telephone rang Vegetables had been being ......(buy) by

me for three days,before I moved to my grandmom’s home.

Nurul had ..... (eat)bananas before her father arrived.

The dress had been .... (wear) by her when he came.

A TV was ... (watch) by my father last night.

They had been .... (see) a horror movie last night.