Download Simple Past

Simple Past – Past Progressive
Form
Simple Past
Irregular verbs: see 2nd column of irregular
verbs
Past Progressive
Past form of 'be' + ing form of verb
I spoke
I was speaking
you were speaking
he / she / it was speaking
we were speaking
they were speaking
Regular verbs: verb + ed
I worked
Exceptions
when adding 'ed' :

Exceptions when adding 'ing' :
when the final letter is e, only add d.

silent e is dropped (but: does not apply for ee)
love - loved

come - coming
but: agree - agreeing
after a short, stressed vowel, the final
consonant is doubled

admit - admitted

sit - sitting
final l is always doubled in British
English (not in American English)

travel - travelled

final l is always doubled in British English
(not in American English)
travel - travelling
after a consonant, final y becomes i.
(but: not after a vowel)

worry - worried
but: play - played
after a short, stressed vowel, the final
consonant is doubled
final ie becomes y.
lie - lying
Use: Both refer to past actions. Past Continuous is used
when we emphasize the continuity of the action.
Simple Past
Completed action in the past
Past Progressive
Something happening in a moment in the past.
Description of a scene or background.
Yesterday, it rained.
It was raining hard when you rang.
a) One after another or at the same time?
Do you want to express that the actions in the past happened one after another or at the
same time?
Simple Past
One after another
Past Progressive
At the same time
She came home, switched on the computer and
checked her e-mails.
Simon was playing on the computer while his
brother was watching TV.
b) New action or already in progress?
If you want to express that a new action happened in the middle of another action, you
need both tenses: Simple Past the new action and Past Progressive for the action already
in progress.
Simple Past
Past Progressive
New action
Action already in progress
My mobile rang when I was sitting in a meeting.
While I was sitting in a meeting, my mobile
suddenly rang.
c) Only mentioning or emphasising progress?
Do you just want to mention that an action took place in the past (also used for short
actions)? Or do you want to put emphasis on the progress, e.g. that an action was taking
place at a certain time?
Simple Past
Just mentioning
Past Progressive
Emphasising progress
Colin played football yesterday.
Yesterday at six o'clock, Colin was playing football.
d) Routine or unusual action?
Simple Past
Unusual action, not planned
Past Progressive
Routine, something you usually do
Yesterday morning, from 8 to 10 I ran.
Yesterday morning, from 8 to 10 I was running.
Certain Verbs
The following verbs are usually only used in Simple Past (not in the progressive form).

state: be, cost, fit, mean, suit
We were on holiday.

possession: belong, have
Sam had a cat.

senses: feel, hear, see, smell, taste, touch
He felt the cold.

feelings: hate, hope, like, love, prefer, regret, want, wish
Jane loved pizza.

brain work: believe, know, think, understand
I did not understand him.

introductory clauses for direct speech: answer, ask, reply, say
“I am watching TV,“ he said.
Signal words
Simple Past




first
then
If - Type II conditional (If I talked, …)
Ago
Past Progressive




when
while
as long as
Always (something annoying)