Summaries of historical events: 1945: the war in Europe comes to an end.
Jokes: Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson go camping. In the morning, as they are lying in their sleeping bags, Holmes says, 'Watson, look up at the sky and tell me what you deduce.' So Watson says, 'Well, the sky is salmon pink, so we're going to have a clear day. The moon is just setting, so it must be about 5 am. There are no clouds, so it probably won't rain.' Holmes bursts out, 'Watson, you idiot! Someone has stolen our tent.'
Plot summaries (real stories, books, films etc.): So I walk into this shop, and I see this man with a gun in his hand. And like... everybody's looking at him. Then he says...At the end of the story, Luke becomes a Jedi and defeats Darth Vader.
In such narratives, we use the present simple for main events and the present continuous for background events.
USED TO and WOULD for past habits
This topic is discussed under Modals » Categories of meaning expressed by modals » Modals to express habits: WILL, WOULD, USED TO.
Revision questions: past time
Which past tense expresses a point in time at which something happened, was happening or had been happening for some time?
Is the auxiliary did used in affirmative sentences in the simple past?
Which past tenses can be used to express repeated, habitual actions in the past?
What is the difference between used to and would with regard to past habits?
What is the historical present?
Exercises: past time
Past time - Exercise 1
Order the words to make sentences.
crying you Why when were met we
week was beach This the I sunbathing time last on
We finally she waiting had for hour when been an arrived
night you dancing all Were long
By their kids time finished Jimmy the up the woke other had breakfast
like He always didn't because teasing Claire she him was
we playing blackout there were cards was a While
How when been you living long sold there you had the flat
That seen was the violin the children time had a first
had got already they When home I left
Past time - Exercise 2
Choose the best answer for each of the following sentences.
Julie ... to school last week because she ... ill.
hadn't been going / was
didn't go / was
didn't go / had been
I ... around to see what ... .
looked / was going on
looked / went on
had looked / went on
He ... on the motorway when he ... a puncture.
had been driving / had
was driving / had
drove / was having
What comics ... when you were young?
did you read
had you read
had you been reading
We ... why Peter ... a white shirt and a tie.
weren't understanding / wore
didn't understand / worn
didn't understand / was wearing
How long ... together when their first child was born?
were they
had they been
did they use to be
After I paid, I ... that I ... to buy cheese.
remembered / forgot
remembered / had forgotten
had remembered / had forgotten
People ... eat so many carbohydrates before.
didn't use to
didn't used to
wasn't used to
By the time the concert ... , the fans ... impatiently for almost two hours.
had begun / had queued
began / had been queueing
began / were queueing
Sally ... for her mid-term all day yesterday.
had been revising
was revising
used to revise
Past time - Exercise 3
Make sentences with the appropriate past tenses.
What | you | do | at 5 o'clock?
Carlos | not | come | to the cinema | because | he | work
I | take | the bus | to work today | because | my car | break down
How long | Nick and Susan | know | each other | when | they | move together?
It | get | colder and colder
While | the professor | give | a lecture | some students | talk | to one another
By Tuesday | we | paint | every room
What | you | want | to be | when | you | be | younger?
I | fall off | my bike | when | a cat | run | in front of me
When | John | get | his first pay rise | he | work | for the company | for 10 years
Past time - Exercise 4
Rewrite each sentence so that it contains the word(s) in capital letters and the meaning stays the same. Do not change the words given.
I have been staying in London for three weeks. (AGO)
When was your last exam? (TAKE AN EXAM)
She got to the theatre after the beginning of the play. (BY THE TIME)
Paul lived in Brazil when he was young. (LIVE)
Was there anybody interesting at the reception? (MEET)
I left the office. Filip rang me half an hour later. (WHEN)
In the middle of his speech, somebody knocked on the door. (WHILE)
We didn't clean up until everybody had left. (AFTER)
The man was driving the wrong way for several miles. Then the police stopped him. (WHEN)
What time did you usually go to bed when you were a kid? (USE)
Past time - Exercise 5
Tell your partner about ...
your last birthday party.
the last time you went abroad.
a time when you felt extremely angry.
the best present you have ever given.
the funniest thing that has happened to you in the past three weeks.
the last time you had to study a lot for an exam.
how you got to school/work this morning.
the first thing you remember from your childhood.
the best and worst things in your secondary school years.
why you decided to learn English.
Answer key: past time
Answer key - Past time - Exercise 1
Why were you crying when we met?
This time last week, I was sunbathing on the beach.
We had been waiting for an hour when she finally arrived.
Were you dancing all night long?
By the time Jimmy woke up, the other kids had finished their breakfast.
He didn't like Claire because she was always teasing him.
While we were playing cards, there was a blackout.
How long had you been living there when you sold the flat?
That was the first time the children had seen a violin.
When I got home, they had already left.
Answer key - Past time - Exercise 2
Julie ... to school last week because she ... ill. (2) didn't go / was
I ... around to see what ... . (1) looked / was going on
He ... on the motorway when he ... a puncture. (2) was driving / had
What comics ... when you were young? (1) did you read
We ... why Peter ... a white shirt and a tie. (3) didn't understand / was wearing