Past Tense- Lesson

Past Tenses: Past tenses describe an action which has happened in the past. 
These are of 4 types: 

1. Past Simple: the simple past tense is used to describe an action which has started and finished in the past. 

Rule: Subject + 2nd form of verb 
Example: She read a book. 
I walked 
He ran 3 miles. 
You slept 

2. Past Progressive: The past continuous describes an action or event in a time before now, which began in the past and was still going on when another event occurred. 

Rule: Subject + was/were + Present participle 
Example: She was reading a book. 
I was walking. 
They were running. 
You were slept. 

3. Past Perfect: Past perfect tense indicates that an action was completed (finished) at some point in the past before something else happened means It is used to make it clear that one event happened before another in the past. 

Rule: Subject + had + Past participle 
Example: She had read a book. 
I had walked 
He had run 3 miles. 
You had slept. 

4. Past Perfect Progressive: Past perfect progressive tense is used to describe a continuous action that was completed at some point in the past. 

Rule: Subject + had been + Present participle 
Example: She had been reading. I had been walking. He has been running. You had been sleeping. 

Note: • Present participle: The 1st form of verb ending with ‘ing’ is called Present participle. 
• Past participle: The 3rd form of verb is called Past participle.

Learn about Futur Tense and Present Tense