Chapter 2 notes (past time) feg

SIMPLE PAST

I ate you ate he she ate it

we ate you ate they ate

Using the Simple Past The simple past tense expresses an action that finished at a specific time in the past. The specific time may be written in the sentence or understood from the context.

now specific time X

My plane landed at 4:45 pm.

(action finished at 4:45pm)

Ahmed ate a large meal last night.

(action finished last night)

Marie Curie discovered radium in 1902.

(action finished in 1902)

I visited Dubai on January 14th.

(action finished on Jan 14th)

We wrote a grammar test yesterday.

(action finished yesterday)

Sami went to his office a while ago.

(action finished a while ago)

Our neighbors built a new garage recently.

(action finished recently)

Last Tuesday I was at the clinic. Dr. Khan gave me a prescription. (action finished last Tuesday, the time is understood from the previous sentence) Yasser fell while he was running down the stairs. (action finished during the time Yasser was running down the stairs)

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The simple past tense can also express a state (or situation) that existed at a specific time in the past.

The children were in class yesterday.

(situation existed yesterday)

The students understood the lesson last week.

(situation existed last week)

Omar liked sports when he was a teenager.

(situation existed when Omar was a teenager)

Ali heard a strange noise in the middle of the night.

(The noise occurred in the middle of the night, and Ali had no control over it.)

We saw an accident on the highway while we were driving to Dammam.

(The accident occurred during the time of our trip, and we had no control over it.)

It was cloudy from 7:30 am to 4:00 pm.

(This weather condition lasted for a specific period of time which started and ended in the past.)

Typical Time Expressions Used with the Simple Past:

Time Phrases

(yesterday/last)

(ago)

(other expressions)

yesterday yesterday morning yesterday afternoon yesterday evening last night last weekend last week last month last year last century last spring last summer last fall/autumn last winter etc.

a few seconds ago several minutes ago two hours ago a couple of weeks ago three days ago five weeks ago seven months ago two summers ago 125 years ago many centuries ago long ago etc.

at 7:15 in the morning at noon at midnight in the middle of the night on the weekend on Monday in October in 1993 on August 13th on August 13th, 1978 recently etc.

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Time Clauses

Specific time in the past can also be indicated by a group of words called a time clause.

A clause is group of words that contains its own subject (S) and verb (V). A time clause is a special type of clause that gives information about time. It may occur at the beginning or at the end of the sentence. The main part of the sentence (which can stand alone by itself) is called the main clause. Notice that a main clause also has its own subject and verb.

S

V

S

V

While I was sleeping, it rained outside. (time clause)

main clause

= It rained outside while I was sleeping.

When the lesson finished, the students left. = The students left when the lesson finished.

As soon as the fire broke out, the alarm rang. = The alarm rang as soon as the fire broke out.

After we ate lunch, we returned to work. = We returned to work after we ate lunch.

Before she worked in the factory, she was a secretary. = She was a secretary before she worked in the factory.

Time Clause A time clause is a group of words which contains its own subject (S) and verb (V).

It cannot stand alone by itself. It needs (or “depends on�) a main clause in order to form a complete sentence. It adds specific time information to the main clause, and begins with a word such as after, before, until, as soon as, while or when.

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Regular and Irregular Verbs

Regular Verbs Most verbs in English are regular. This means that they use –ed in the simple past.

(Regular verbs also use –ed for their past participle form.)

work (regular verb)

I worked you worked he she worked it

we worked you worked they worked

Irregular Verbs Some verbs in English are irregular. This means that they cannot use –ed in the simple past.

Instead, they have a special form that must be memorized (i.e. it cannot be predicted from a spelling rule). An irregular verb also has a special past participle form that must be memorized.

Even though there are only several hundred irregular verbs in English, many of these are common verbs that occur in everyday speech, so they must be memorized by students early in their English studies.

speak (irregular verb)

I spoke you spoke he she spoke it

we spoke you spoke they spoke

For a list of important irregular verbs in English, refer to page 33 of Fundamentals of English Grammar, 3rd Ed) or to the inside cover of Understanding and Using English Grammar, 4th Ed.

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The verb be is highly irregular in the past. It has two forms (was, were) that have to be memorized. be (irregular verb) I was you were he she was it

we were you were they were

Forming Negatives and Questions

When negatives and questions are formed in the simple past, the helping verb did must be used with all main verbs except be.

Negatives: I did not eat you did not eat he she did not eat it

we did not eat you did not eat they did not eat

Yes/No Questions: Did I eat?

Did you eat? he Did she eat? it

Did we eat?

Did you eat?

Did they eat?

WH- Questions: What did I eat?

What did you eat? he What did she eat? it

What did we eat?

What did you eat?

What did they eat?

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Note: We do not use the helping verb did with the main verb be.

Negatives:

I was not (in the room/hungry). you were not … he she was not … it

we were not … you were not … they were not …

Yes/No Questions: Was I (late/in the right room)?

Were you … ? he Was she … ? it

Were we … ?

Were you … ?

Were they … ?

WH- Questions:

Where was I? Where were you? he Where was she ? it

Where were we?

Where were you?

Where were they?

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Spelling Rules for –ing and –ed Verbs

Rule 1 If the verb ends in –e, drop –e and add –ing. add –d

hope – hoping hope – hoped

injure – injuring injure – injured

Rule 2 If the verb ends in VC, a) double the final consonant and add –ing or –ed if the final syllable is stressed.

1 syllable verbs (automatically stressed) stóp – stopping – stopped rúb – rubbing – rubbed cláp – clapping – clapped more than one syllable with stress on the last syllable prefér – preferring – preferred contról – controlling – controlled admít – admitting – admitted

b) do not double the consonant if the verb has more than one syllable and the final syllable is unstressed. Just add –ing or –ed. multi-syllable verbs not stressed on the last syllable lísten – listening – listened óffer – offering – offered vísit – visiting – visited Rule 3 If the verb ends in VVC, just add –ing or –ed. rain – raining – rained dream – dreaming – dreamed fool – fooling – fooled

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Rule 4 If the verb ends in CC, just add –ing or –ed. start – starting – started fold – folding – folded demand – demanding – demanded Rule 5 If the verb ends in V + the letter y, just add –ing or –ed. enjoy – enjoying – enjoyed pray – praying – prayed obey – obeying – obeyed

If the verb ends in C + the letter y, just add -ing. change –y to –i, and add –ed. study – studying – studied try – trying – tried reply – replying – replied

Note: Never double -w, -x or -y in English. snow – snowing – snowed fix – fixing – fixed delay – delaying – delayed Rule 6 If the verb ends in –ie, change –ie to –y and add –ing. Just add –d. die – dying – died lie – lying – lied (means “to say something that is untrue”) tie – tying –tied Rule 7 If the verb ends in –ee, just add –ing or –d. agree – agreeing – agreed free – freeing – freed

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PAST PROGRESSIVE (Past Continuous)

I was eating you were eating he she was eating it

we were eating you were eating they were eating

Using the Past Progressive The past progressive tense describes an action that was continuing at a specific time in the past. It is not important what time this action started or when it finished (or even if it finished). now specific time ?

?

I was eating a sandwich at 7:00 pm last night.

It was raining heavily yesterday morning.

Mohammed was working in the laboratory recently.

The students were studying verb tenses last week.

Nadia was sitting on the bus at this time yesterday.

We were building a new house last year.

Many people were buying cell phones in Olaya last weekend.

Waleed was traveling in Europe last month.

Since the past progressive tense describes an action that was continuing at a specific time in the past, we cannot use stative (non-progressive) verbs in this tense. (Remember: stative verbs cannot take –ing.) Therefore, only action verbs can be used in the past progressive.

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The past progressive tense is often used together with other tenses. (See pages 25-27.)

While Menahi was reading the newspaper, the phone rang.

Kayed was working in the shop while Abumezyed was sleeping.

My brother was looking after my house when I was on vacation.

Time Expressions Used with the Past Progressive The time expressions used with the past progressive tense are normally the same as the ones used with the simple past tense (since both tenses refer to a specific time in the past).

Forming Negatives and Questions

Negatives:

I was not eating you were not eating he she was not eating it

we were not eating you were not eating they were not eating

Yes/No Questions:

Was I eating?

Were you eating? he Was she eating? it

Were we eating?

Were you eating?

Were they eating?

WH- Questions:

What was I eating?

What were you eating? he What was she eating? it

What were we eating?

What were you eating?

What were they eating?

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USING TWO PAST TENSE VERBS TOGETHER

A sentence may describe more than one action or state occurring at the same time or close together in time. Such sentences usually contain a main clause and a time clause. As we saw in the previous section, a main clause is a group of words that contains a subject (S) and a verb (V) and that can stand alone as a complete sentence. A time clause is also a group of words which contains a subject (S) and verb (V), but which cannot stand alone as a complete sentence. A time clause gives information about time and begins with a word such as when, while, before, after, as soon as, until, etc.

Time Clauses Beginning with when and while

when The word when can have two (2) different meanings: 1) when = after [ When I got home ], I prepared lunch for myself.

Nadia fainted [ when she heard the bad news ].

2) when = at the same time [ When I was in Dammam two days ago ], I met Khalid.

Tawfiq and Ali visited the pyramids [ when they were in Cairo last year ].

Notice that a past time clause beginning with when normally takes a verb in the simple past tense.

while The word while = at the same time.

I drank a cup of coffee [ while I was watching television ]. [ While I was walking to the bank], I ran into an old friend.

Notice that a past time clause beginning with while normally takes a verb in the past progressive tense.

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The simple past and the past progressive can be combined in various ways:

1) Two finished actions (one after the other)

simple past + simple past

now X X

When I smelled the flowers, I sneezed. = I sneezed when I smelled the flowers. (*when means “after”) After the rain stopped, we went outside. = We went outside after the rain stopped.

As soon as Menahi got home, he had something to eat. = Menahi had something to eat as soon as he got home. (*as soon as means “immediately after”)

2) One finished action occurring during a fixed time period (state)

simple past + simple past

now X

When I was at Jareer Bookstore, I bought a laptop computer. = I bought a laptop computer when I was at Jareer Bookstore. (*when means “at the same time”)

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3) One action or state occurring (and finishing) while another action was continuing

simple past + past progressive or past progressive + simple past

now ? X ?

A bee stung me while I was walking home.

Or While I was walking home, a bee stung me.

The students were already sitting at their desks when Peter entered the room.

Or When Peter entered the room, the students were already sitting at their desks.

I felt sick while I was waiting for my bus.

Or While I was waiting for my bus, I felt sick.

4) Two actions continuing at the same time

past progressive + past progressive

now ??

??

Sami was listening to the radio while he was driving home.

Or While Sami was driving home he was listening to the radio.

The leaves were falling off the trees while the wind was blowing.

Or While the wind was blowing, the leaves were falling off the trees.

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EXPRESSING PAST HABIT WITH USED TO

I used to eat you used to eat he she used to eat it

we used to eat you used to eat they used to eat

now X X X X

The helping verb used to expresses a past habit that no longer exists in the present. It is always followed by a main verb in the simple form.

I used to swim every weekend when I was a teenager. Now I don’t go swimming.

Hassan used to smoke a pack of cigarettes every day. Then he quit smoking.

We used to meet in the coffee shop every Thursday. Now we are too busy to meet.

The students used to eat lunch at home, but now they eat in the cafeteria.

The helping verb used to can also express a past state or situation that no longer exists.

Ali used to have an expensive watch, but then he lost it.

That woman used to be a secretary, but then she changed careers.

Hela used to live in Syria, but then she moved to Canada.

Menahi used to be afraid of horses, but now he isn’t.

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Negatives and Questions with used to When used to appears in a negative or question form, we must add the helping verb did. (The helping verb used to may be written as used to or use to after did. Both forms are acceptable.)

Negatives I didn’t used to swim in the sea when I was young, but now I do. (or didn’t use to swim) Hassan didn’t used to smoke when he was younger, but now he does. (or didn’t use to smoke) We didn’t used to meet in the coffee shop on Thursdays, but now we do. (or didn’t use to)

Questions

Did Hassan used to smoke when he was younger? (or use to smoke) Did that woman used to be a secretary? (or use to be)

(Yes, he did. or No, he didn’t.)

(Yes, she did. or No, she didn’t.)

Where did you used to meet your friends on Thursdays? (or use to meet)

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SUMMARY OF DO AND BE (AS HELPING VERBS AND MAIN VERBS)

do

does

did

am

is

are

was

were

do/does

do (helping verb in simple present) I do not eat meat.

Do the children live in Riyadh?

(simple present negative) (simple present question)

does (helping verb in simple present) Nadia does not speak French. (simple present negative) Does Ali work in this hospital? (simple present question) do/does (main verb = “prepare/finish/wash” in simple present) I do homework every night. (main verb, means “prepare/write out”) Nadia does the dishes every evening at 7 o’clock. (main verb, means “washes”)

did

did (helping verb in simple past) We did not travel last summer.

Did Ahmed go home an hour ago?

Did Hela used to live in Syria? did (main verb in simple past) I did homework last night.

Nadia did the dishes at 7:00 last night.

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am/is/are

am/is/are (helping verb in present progressive) I am typing on my computer right now.

You are standing in my office right now.

Abumezyed is driving his jeep at this moment. am/is/are (main verb in simple present) I am an English teacher.

You are a student.

Kayed is from Yemen.

was/were

was/were (helping verb in past progressive) I was watching TV at 8:00 last night.

Saud and Yousef were playing football yesterday evening. was/were (main verb in simple past) I was in Canada three months ago.

Their cars were in the parking lot yesterday afternoon.

____________________________ Peter Lambe (Fall 2015)

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