Past Simple • Past Continuous • Past Perfect — form & use
Timeline (quick map)
Past Perfect = earlier past (before the main event)
Past Simple = main events (finished, sequence)
Past Continuous = background / in progress (often interrupted)
Typical narrative recipe: set the scene with past continuous → tell the events in order with past simple → mention what had happened before with past perfect.
Forms you’ll need
| Tense | Affirmative | Negative | Question |
|---|---|---|---|
| Past simple | V₂ / did + base (irregular: went, saw) | didn’t + base | Did + subject + base? |
| Past continuous | was/were + V-ing | wasn’t/weren’t + V-ing | Was/Were + subject + V-ing? |
| Past perfect | had + V₃/-ed | hadn’t + V₃ | Had + subject + V₃? |
Signal words: yesterday, last…, in 2019 (PS); while, when, as (PC); before, after, by the time, already, just (PP). With duration & stative verbs: for, since, how long, always (PP).
Past simple — main uses
- Finished actions in a finished time: We ate out yesterday.
- Events in sequence (chronological order) in stories: She opened the door, looked at us and went away.
- Past habits & states: We often went to the bar. • He was very fit.
When vs while
- when + PS often introduces the short event that interrupts.
- while + PC introduces the longer action in progress.
- e.g. I was cooking when he arrived. • While I was cooking, he watched TV.
Past continuous — main uses
- Background / scene-setting: The sun was shining and people were lying on the beach.
- Action in progress at a past time, often interrupted by PS: We were talking when she opened the door.
- Two parallel actions: I was walking home and listening to a podcast.
Past perfect — main uses
- Earlier past: event finished before the main past event: When she arrived, he had already left.
- Past experience before a point: When I met her, I had never been in a serious relationship.
- Result visible later: He noticed I had cleaned the car — it was shiny.
- Duration with stative verbs (for/since/how long): When Anne died, they had been married for 48 years.
Use PP only when the order isn’t clear or you want to emphasise the earlier action. If the order is obvious, past simple is fine.
How to tell a story (narrative tenses)
- Set the scene with past continuous: It was getting dark and I was walking home…
- Move the action with past simple: A car crashed into another one. The police arrived…
- Give background cause with past perfect: The driver hadn’t seen the light because he was using his phone.
Mini examples
- PS: We went to the zoo last week.
- PC: I was walking home when I saw an accident.
- PP: She had finished dinner before we called.
- Interrupted: They were talking when the teacher came in.
- Experience before: I had never been to Rome before 2018.
- Duration earlier: By 2010 they had lived abroad for six years.
Exercises:
Past simple, past continuous, past perfect
Choose past simple, past continuous or past perfect to complete the sentences below.
1
While I
dinner, the lights went out.
2
By the time we got to the station, the train
.
3
When I was a child, we often
my grandparents on Sundays.
4
I was exhausted because I
all night.
5
We
along the river when it started to rain.
6
She didn’t want dessert because she
lunch an hour before.
7
Suddenly, the phone
and everyone went quiet.
8
They
the match when the lights failed.
9
I couldn’t open the office because I
my keys at home.
10
It was the first time I
sushi.
Past simple, past continuous, past perfect
Choose the most suitable answer for each gap below.
1
I reached the station at 8:05, but the train ____.
A.
B.
C.
2
She ____ dinner when the phone rang.
A.
B.
C.
3
By the time we got to the cinema, the film ____.
A.
B.
C.
4
I couldn’t open the door because I ____ my keys.
A.
B.
C.
5
While I ____ along the beach, I found a rare shell.
A.
B.
C.
6
He ____ the report, then he went straight home.
A.
B.
C.
7
When we were kids, we ____ in that house for three years.
A.
B.
C.
8
I looked for my glasses while my sister ____ TV.
A.
B.
C.
9
She ____ the letter, but she didn’t send it.
A.
B.
C.
10
By the time the meeting started, everyone ____ their notes.
A.
B.
C.
Past simple, past continuous, past perfect
Fill in the gaps with the most appropriate narrative tenses of the verbs in brackets: past simple, past continuous or past perfect simple.
1
This story really two summers ago. (happen)
2
Emma her move to Madrid for months. (plan)
3
On the morning of the move, she boxes when her friend called. (pack)
4
… when her friend Luis to offer a lift. (call)
5
She suddenly remembered she her passport at the office. (forget)
6
It hard, so they waited a moment. (rain)
7
Then they to drive to her office first. (decide)
8
Emma the keys on the table and shut the door. (leave)
9
As they through the old town, the rain grew heavier. (drive)
10
The traffic to build up. (already/start)
11
At the next junction, they a car stranded by the curb. (see)
12
Its hazard lights wildly. (flash)
13
A branch across the road. (fall)
14
Luis over to help. (pull)
15
While Emma by the roadside, she checked her bag. (wait)
16
She realised she her phone. (lose)
17
She until that second that it was still at home. (realize)
18
She not to panic when a message appeared on her watch. (try)
19
Their neighbour wrote that he at their building. (just/arrive)
20
Relieved, Emma and Luis to the office and caught the evening train. (continue)