THE use of the past indefinite tense

The Past Indefinite refers actions to the past cut off from the present. It is the tense of narration. The reference of the context to the past is indicated by adverbials of time: yesterday, the day before yesterday, last year, last week, a month ago, in 1999, on the 1st of September, etc.

He left last Monday. Pushkin was born in 1799. She came back an hour ago.

The Past Indefinite Tense is used to denote:

1. Habitual (customary) actions in the past.

Mr. Sanford usually took an early train to town.

Note: Repeated, habitual actions are also expressed by ‘used to + Infinitive’ and ‘would + Infinitive’. They form a compound verbal aspect predicate:

He used to sit up late reading when he studied at college.

He would come every Sunday with toys and sweets for us.

Sometimes ‘used to’ denotes actions or states that lasted some time in the past:

They used to be friends.

There used to be a telephone-booth round the corner.

2. Simple facts in the past:

– When did you buy this dictionary? — I bought it a month ago.

They translated this novel ten years ago.

3. A succession of past actions.

She put aside the book and went out into the garden.

He locked the door and ran downstairs.

4. Actions future from the point of view of the past in adverbial clauses of time and condition in the indirect speech, if the predicate of the principal clause is in the past:

She said she would leave when she finished the work.

She said they usually went to the park in the afternoon, if it did not rain.

5. Actions in progress at a certain moment in the past, with the verbs that are not usually used in Continuous forms:

He was not listening but still heard what they were speaking about.

She did not understand what they were speaking about.

THE PAST CONTINUOUS TENSE

(THE PAST PROGRESSIVE)

FORMATION

The forms of the Past Continuous are analytical. They are built by means of the past forms of the auxiliary verb be (was, were) and participle I of the notional verb.

Affirmative	Interrogative
I was reading He, she, it was reading We were reading You were reading They were reading	Was I reading? Was he’ she’ it reading? Were we reading? Were you reading? Were they reading?
Negative	Negative-Interrogative
I was not (wasn’t) reading He, she, it was not (wasn’t) reading We were not (weren’t) reading You were not (weren’t) reading They were not (weren’t) reading	Was I not (Wasn’t I) reading? Was he, she, it not (Wasn’t he, she, it) reading? Were we not (Weren’t we) reading? Were you not (Weren’t you) reading? Were they not (Weren’t they) reading?

THE USE OF THE PAST CONTINUOUS TENSE

The Past Continuous is used to denote:

1. Actions in progress at a certain moment in the past:

At nine he was still having breakfast.

It was raining heavily when he left.

The moment of time may be indicated by means of adverbials, adverbial clauses or understood from the situation:

It was late but he was still working.

2. Actions and states characteristic of certain persons in the past:

She was leaving her things everywhere.

3. Actions thought of as continual processes:

He was writing a book that summer.

With the phrases the whole day, all day long both the Past Indefinite and the Past Continuous may be used:

We were watching TV the whole day yesterday.

We watched TV the whole day yesterday.

The Past Indefinite emphasizes the fact while the Past Continuous emphasizes the process.

4. Future actions viewed from the past with the verbs of motion if the action is planned or expected:

She was leaving next morning and there wasn't much time left.

5. A period of time in the middle of which something happens:

I was reading when my friend called.