Past Tense
The Past Tense are used to describe events that took place in the past. Most of the time the narrator knows and refers to the point of time the event happened. As in all tenses there is a simple form and a progressive form. Both are the typical tenses used in story telling.
Past Simple Tense
The Past Simple Tense is used to describe events that took place in the past of which the narrator knows and mostly refers to the point of time. There are signal words which tell you this point of time but it is also possible that the context of the spoken or written text .
Construction: 2nd form of the verb
Signal Words: yesterday, last (week, month, year), ago, in the year, in June etc.
Examples:
Last year me and my family went to Italy on holidays.
I took another English lesson yesterday.
In the year 2009 I started to study to become a teacher.
In June I worked in a food company.
Past Progressive Tense
The Past Progressive Tense is used to describe events in the past that lasted over a certain period of time. Mostly the time it happened is know and mentioned.
Construction: 2nd form of 'to be' + ing-form
Signal words: form ... to, while, during, in the meantime, etc.
Usually the Past Progressive Tense is used in combination with other events that are expressed in the progressive form as well or in the simple form of the past tense. There are basically two options:
- Two events take place at the same time. Both are expressed in the past progressive tense:
While I was taking a shower my mother was preparing the meal.
Dad was watching TV while the kids were playing in their rooms.
- One or more longer events is interrupted by a shorter one. The long events are expressed using progressive tense, the interrupting action is expressed in simple past. This is often used in story telling.
John was listening to music while (he was)* driving his car, he was listening to his favourite song and not concentrating on the street when suddenly a deer jumped onto the road infront of the car.
* the construction in brackets is not needed. In good English the Person and the auxilary verb don't have to be repeated if it is already clrear where the main verb belongs to.
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