PAST TENSE

Simple past is formed for regular verb by adding -ed to the root of a word.
example : He Walked to the store

A negation is produced by adding did not and the verb in its infinitive form.
example : He did not walk to the store.


Question sentences are started with did as in : Did he walk to the store?


THE PURPOSE OF SIMPLE PAST

Simple past is used for describing acts that have already been concluded and whose exact time of occurrence is know. Furthermore, simple past is used for retelling successive events. That is why commonly used in story telling.

1. SIMPLE PAST TENSE
   Simple past tense is a kind of tense which is used to describe an event or action that happened already in certain time in the past.
   
   
   
   
   
   The Pattern: 
   (+) Subject + verb II + complement 
   (-) Subject + did not + verb I + complement 
   (?) Did + subject + verb I + complement 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   THE EXAMPLES:
   (+) I went to Sampit yesterday
   (-) Dina did not go anywhere two days ago.
   (?) Did Nana and Rika go to school last week?
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   Adverbs used: yesterday, last night, 
   two days ago, a few minutes ago, 
   last weekend, last month, last year, 
   in 1995, etc 
   
   
   
   
   
   
2. PAST CONTINUOUS TENSE
   
   Past continuous tense is a kind of tense that is used to describe an event or an action which was happening in a certain time in the past.
   
   
   The Pattern: 
   (+) subject + was/were + verb1-ing + . . . . 
   (-) subject + was not/were not + verb1-ing + . . . . 
   (?) was/were + subject + verb1-ing+. . . .
   
   
   THE EXAMPLES :
   (+) Dicky was writing a letter at 08.00pm last night.
   (-) Windi and Lala were walking at 07.00pm last night.
   
   (?) Was she singing at five o'clock last evening. 
   
   
   
   
   Adverbs used: at the time, 
   like this yesterday, 
   at seven o'clock last night, etc
   
   
3. PAST PERFECT TENSE
   Past perfect tense is a kind of tense that is used to describe an event or an action that started in a certain time in the past and completed of finished till certain time in the past too; or past perfect tense is used to express an action or an event that had happened before the other event or action happened.
   
   
   
   

   The Pattern:

   (+) subject + had + verb III+ . . . .

   (-) subject + had not + verb III + . . . .

   (?) Had + subject + verb III+. . . .

   
   

   
   THE EXAMPLES :
   (+) we had eaten before they came
   (-) they had not eaten before we came
   (?) had they eaten before we came.
   

   
   

   Adverbs used: from 1999 to 2000, once, etc.

   
   

   
   
4. PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS TENSE
   Past perfect continuous tense is like the past perfect tense, but it expresses longer action in the past before another action in the past.
   
   
   
   
   
   The Pattern: 
   (+) subject + had + been+ verb1-ing +. . . . 
   (-) subject + had not + been + verb1-ing +. . . . 
   (?) Had + subject + been + verb1-ing +. . . .
   THE EXAMPLES :
   (+) when I watch TV, she had been ironing the clothes.
   (-) when I watch TV, she had not been ironing the clothes.
   (?) when I watch TV, had she been ironing the clothes?