1. Unit 2 Grammar Form & Function Level 3
Past Tense
Unit 2 Grammar Form & Function Level 3

2. Simple Past -- Form Form [= grammar structure] Example
1. Affirmative Sentence
**(Subject) + (past form of verb)
2.--regular past form of verbs =
[“-d” or “-ed”]
3.--irregular forms have to be memorized
I liked football when I was young.
She never liked football.
1. Negative Sentence
**(Subject) + (“did not/didn’t”) + (Base verb)
Except **negative of “be” is “wasn’t/weren’t”
**(Subject) + (“was not/were not”) +
(no base verb)
Tom didn’t like that movie.
He wasn’t happy with the ending.
4. Yes/No Questions
**(“did”) + (Subject) + (Base verb)
Did you hear the sirens?
Did Sue go to the concert?
4. Short Answers to Yes/No Questions
**(Pronoun Subject) + (“did/didn’t”)
Yes, I did. / No, I didn’t.
Yes, she did./ No, she didn’t.
5. Wh- Questions
a. **(Wh- word as Subject) + (past form of Verb)
b. **(Wh- word is not Subject) + (“did”) +
(Subject) + (Base Verb)
a. Who watched TV last night?
b. What did you watch?

3. Past Progressive -- Form
Form [= grammar structure]
Example
6. Affirmative Sentence
**(Subject) + (Past form of “be”) +
(Base verb + “-ing”)
Someone was singing last night.
They were singing until 3 am.
6. Negative Sentence
**(Subject) + (Past form of “be”) + (not) +
I wasn’t singing, but my friends
were.
7. Yes/No Questions
**(“was” or “were”) + (Subject) +
Were you watching the Olympics?
Was your friend recording it?
7. Short Answers to Yes/No Questions
**(Pronoun Subject) + (“was” or “were”)
+ (“not”)
Yes, they were./No, they weren’t.
Yes, I was. / No, I wasn’t.
8. Wh- Questions
a. **(Wh- word as Subject) +
(“was” or “were”) + (Base verb + “-ing”)
b. **(Wh- word is not Subject) +
(“was” or “were”) + (Subject) +
a. Who was playing that loud
music when I called?
b. Why was the audience laughing
at the end of the movie?

4. Simple Past -- Function
Function [=reason to use]
Example
a. Describe an action that happened at a
definite time in the past.
We elected Obama president.
b. Talk about actions that happened in a
sequence in the past.
I came home, picked up my
mail, and left.
c. With time expressions: yesterday, last night,
last Wednesday, four months ago, in 2002
I read a great book last
Christmas.

5. Past Progressive -- Function
Function [=reason to use]
Example
a. Describe an action that was in progress at a
specific time in the past. The action began
before the specific time and might continue
after that time.
Mary was working at
10 o’clock yesterday.
b. Talk about two actions in the past when one
action began first and was in progress when
the second action happened.
I was studying when the
lights went out.
c. Talk about two actions in the past that were
both in progress at the same time.
I was studying while my son
was watching TV.
d. Give background information in a story.
[We use the simple past for the main action.]
It was getting dark. I was
walking down a country road. I looked down the road and
saw a car coming.
e. With time expressions such as “while,”
“when,” and “all morning.”
I was working all day.

6. Both Simple Past & Past Progressive -- Functions
Function [=reason to use]
Example
a. Do not use professive forms with
stative meaning verbs.
I had an exam yesterday.
Ø I was having an exam yesterday.
b. Use “when” or “while” in sentences with
two actions in the past.
When I came home, I picked up
my mail.
They were watching TV while I
was sleeping.
c. Clauses with “when” or “while” can come
at the beginning or end of the sentence.
If at the beginning, put a comma after it.
When the phone rang, I was
watching TV.
I was watching TV when the
phone rang.

7. Past Perfect -- Form Form [= grammar structure] Example
1. Affirmative Sentence
**(Subject) + (“had”) + (Past participle)
I had seen that play before, so I
didn‘t want to go again.
1. Negative Sentence
**(Subject) + (“had”) + (not) +
(Past participle)
She hadn’t studied for the quiz,
so she wasn’t successful.
2. Yes/No Questions
**(“had”) + (Subject) + (Past participle)
Had he done his homework?
2. Short Answers to Yes/No Questions
**(Pronoun Subject) + (“had”) + (“not”)
Yes, he had. / No, he hadn’t.
3. Wh- Questions
a. **(Wh- word as Subject) + (“had”) +
b. **(Wh- word is not Subject) + (“had”) +
(Subject) + (Past participle)
a. What had been your highest
score before now?
b. Where had Kelly traveled by
the time she finished her trip?

8. Past Perfect Progressive -- Form
Form [= grammar structure]
Example
4. Affirmative Sentence
**(Subject) + (“had”) + (“been”) +
(Base verb + “-ing”)
Susan had been studying the
violin for over a month.
4. Negative Sentence
**(Subject) + (“had”) + (not) + (“been”) +
She hadn’t been playing
very long.
5. Yes/No Questions
**(“had”) + (Subject) + (“been”)
Had they been winning a lot of
games before now?
5. Short Answers to Yes/No Questions
**(Pronoun Subject) + (“had”)
+ (“not”)
Yes, they had.
No, they hadn’t.
6. Wh- Questions
a. **(Wh- word as Subject) + (“had”) +
(“been”) + (Base verb + “-ing”)
b. **(Wh- word is not Subject) +
(“had”) + (Subject) +
a. Who had been scoring the
most goals before the new guycame?
b. Why had they been losing
so much?

9. Past Perfect -- Function
Function [=reason to use]
Example
a. Talk about a past action that ended before
another action or time in the past. We can
use past perfect or simple past with
“before” or “after.”
The movie had started before
we arrived.
The movie started before we
arrived.
b. Show the cause of a past action.
I hadn’t slept well the night
before, so I was tired on Monday.
c. With time expressions such as “when,”
“after,” “before,” “as soon as,”
“by the time,” “by,” and “until.”
Kasey had eaten before
Francie stopped by to get her.
d. Use adverbs such as “ever,” “never,”
“already,” “yet,” “so far,” and “still” with
past perfect.
Ellen had never eaten a fresh
mango.

10. Past Perfect Progressive -- Function
Function [=reason to use]
Example
a. Emphasize the continuation of an action
that was in progress before another action
or time in the past.
Sarah had been working here
for two weeks when she had to
leave.
b. To show the cause of a past action.
I had been traveling all night, so
I was tired on Monday.
c. With time expressions such as “when,”
“before,” “by the time,” “for,” “since,”
and “how long.”
He had been working for two
hours when his boss called.
d. Do not use progressive form with stative
verbs.
She had been tired all day.
Ø She had been being tired all
day.

11. Used To -- Form Form [= grammar structure] Example
1. Affirmative Sentence
**(Subject) + (“used to”) + (base verb)
I used to like rock music.
1. Negative Sentence
**(Subject) + (“did not”) + (“use to”) +
(base verb)
She didn’t use to like rock.
Ø She didn’t used to like rock.
2. Yes/No Questions
**(“did”) + (Subject) + (“use to”) +
Did you use to work here?
Ø Did you used to work here?
2. Short Answers to Yes/No Questions
**(Pronoun Subject) + (“did”) + (“not”)
Yes, I did. / No, I didn’t.
3. Wh- Questions
a. **(Wh- word as Subject) + (“used to”) +
b. **(Wh- word is not Subject) + (“did”) +
(Subject) + (“use to”) + (base verb)
a. What used to be your favorite
food?
b. Where did you use to work?
Ø Where did you used to work?

12. Would -- Form Form [= grammar structure] Example
1. Affirmative Sentence
**(Subject) + (“would”) + (base verb)
When Tom lived in NY, he would
take the subway.
1. Negative Sentence
**(Subject) + (“would not”) + (base verb)
He wouldn’t drive his car.
2. Yes/No Questions
**(“would”) + (Subject) + (base verb)
Would he go to the museums
often?
2. Short Answers to Yes/No Questions
**(Pronoun Subject) + (“would”) + (“not”)
Yes, he would. / No, he wouldn’t.
3. Wh- Questions
a. **(Wh- word as Subject) + (“would”) +
(base verb)
b. **(Wh- word is not Subject) + (“would”) +
(Subject) + (base verb)
a. What would be something fun
to do?
b. Where would he eat dinner?
He’d eat in his apartment.

13. Used To & Would -- Function
Function [=reason to use]
Example
a. Use “used to” to talk about a past
habit that no longer exists
[or simple past].
We used to go to the beach every
weekend.
We went to the beach every weekend.
b. When you give a specific time, do
not use “used to.”
We went to the beach every week
in 2009.
Ø We used to go to the beach
every week in 2009.
c. Can use “would” instead of
“used to” for a past habit.
I used to visit my grandma weekends.
I would visit my grandma on weekends.
d. Cannot use “would” with stative
verbs referring to a past habit.
I used to have a red bicycle.
Ø I would have a red bicycle.
e. Use “used to” to talk about past
situations that no longer exist.
We used to live in a small apartment.
f. Cannot use “would” to talk about
past situations that don’t exist
now.
We used to live in Poland.
Ø We would live in Poland.

14. Continued…Used To & Would -- Function
Function [=reason to use]
Example
g. Often start a story with “used to”
and then switch to “would”
When I was a child, I used to do my
homework first, and then I
would go out and play with my
friends.
h. Often use “would” to show
stubbornness and that the speaker
disapproves of this.
He would come home whenever he
wanted money.
i. Negative: “would” shows refusal.
Cannot replace “didn’t use to” with
“wouldn’t” because meaning is
different.
She didn’t used to work late.
She wouldn’t work late.
j. Do not confuse (“used to”) + (base
verb) with (“be used to”) +
(base verb + “-ing”).
**(“be used to”) + (base verb + “-ing”) =
[“to be accustomed to”]
He used to work long hours.
He is used to working long hours.