UNITS 1-5 GRAMMAR
PAST TIME
1- Simple Past
Use: 1- to describe finished events in the past(Susan went into the station and bought a ticket)
2- to describe past habits (a time expression is necessary) (I always got up at 6 in those
days); to describe past states (I lived in Austria for several years)
*State verbs:
Thoughts and opinion: agree, believe, doubt, guess, imagine, know, mean, recognise,
remember, suspect, think, understand
Feelings and emotions: dislike, hate, like, love, prefer, want, wish
Senses and perceptions: appear, be, feel, hear, look, see, seem, smell, taste
Possessions and measurement: belong, have, measure, own, possess, weigh
2- Past Continuous
Use: 1- background description (There were a lot of people at the station. Some were
sleeping, others were reading)
2- Interrupted past continuous (While I was cooking, the phone rang)
3- to describe a repeated action in the past, often an annoying habit. A frequency adverb
is necessary (When Peter was younger, he was always getting into trouble)
4- Politeness and uncertainty. With wonder (I was wondering if you could help me).
With think (I was thinking of having a party next week)
3- The Past Perfect
Use: to describe a past event which happened before another past event (By the time the train
arrived, Susan had managed to push her way to the front of the crowd)
4- Used to
Use: to describe past habits in contrast with the present (I used to get up at 6, now I don’t). To
describe past states (I used to own a horse)
5- Would
Use: to describe a person’s typical activities in the past and also personal reminiscences
(Every evening was the same. Jack would turn on the radio and light the pipe)
PAST TIME
1- Simple Past
Use: 1- to describe finished events in the past(Susan went into the station and bought a ticket)
2- to describe past habits (a time expression is necessary) (I always got up at 6 in those
days); to describe past states (I lived in Austria for several years)
*State verbs:
Thoughts and opinion: agree, believe, doubt, guess, imagine, know, mean, recognise,
remember, suspect, think, understand
Feelings and emotions: dislike, hate, like, love, prefer, want, wish
Senses and perceptions: appear, be, feel, hear, look, see, seem, smell, taste
Possessions and measurement: belong, have, measure, own, possess, weigh
2- Past Continuous
Use: 1- background description (There were a lot of people at the station. Some were
sleeping, others were reading)
2- Interrupted past continuous (While I was cooking, the phone rang)
3- to describe a repeated action in the past, often an annoying habit. A frequency adverb
is necessary (When Peter was younger, he was always getting into trouble)
4- Politeness and uncertainty. With wonder (I was wondering if you could help me).
With think (I was thinking of having a party next week)
3- The Past Perfect
Use: to describe a past event which happened before another past event (By the time the train
arrived, Susan had managed to push her way to the front of the crowd)
4- Used to
Use: to describe past habits in contrast with the present (I used to get up at 6, now I don’t). To
describe past states (I used to own a horse)
5- Would
Use: to describe a person’s typical activities in the past and also personal reminiscences
(Every evening was the same. Jack would turn on the radio and light the pipe)
