Past Tenses

Past Perfect
Past Simple Past continuous Past Perfect
Continuous

Verb2 Was/Were + verb+ing Had +p.p Had+been+Verb+ing

Form talked Were talking Had talked Had been talking

• actions which • an action which was in progress at a • for an action • to put emphasis on the
happened at a stated time in the past. We do not know which finished duration of an action
specific time when the action started or finished. before another which started and
They went to Australia They were shopping at 3 o’clock yesterday. past action or finished in the past,
last year. before a stated before another action or
• a past action which was in progress time in the past. stated time in the past,
• past habits. when another action interrupted it. We The ferry had When I arrived, they had
She spent every use the past continuous for the action already left by the been playing for an hour.
holiday in Wales as a in progress (longer action) and the past time we arrived at
child. simple for the action which interrupted the port.
it (shorter action). • for an action which
• past actions which I was playing when I broke my leg. • for an action lasted for some time in
happened one which finished in the past and whose result
immediately after the • two or more actions which were the past and was visible in the past.
Uses other. happening at the same time in the past whose result was Dylan had been scuba
Carl packed his (simultaneous actions). visible at a later diving all afternoon, so he
suitcase, grabbed his While I was studying, my father was point in the past. was exhausted.
passport and drove to watching TV Cathy was happy
the airport. because she had
• to give background information in a won the race.
story.
The sun was shining and the birds were
singing