Learn English Grammar - Using Past Perfect Simple / Continuous / Past Tense / Mr Duncan

lesson six part one the past perfect simple English uses the past perfect

simple with the past simple to talk about two or more events that happened

at different times in the past when talking about two events that happened

at different times in the past the past simple describes the event that is

closest to the time of speaking the past perfect describes an event further back

in the past for example the train had left before we arrived at the station

had left is the past perfect simple arrived is the past simple the train had

left before we arrived at the station Pablo had gone to work when I knocked on

his door had gone is the past perfect simple knocked is the past simple

how to form the sentence use hat followed by the past participle to form

the past perfect you have the subject the Train you have a form of hat hat

does not change with the subject then you have the past participle left the

past participle expresses the action in the past then you have the rest of the

sentence before we arrived at the station further examples

he had cooked dinner before Sally got back from work she had already read the

play by the time she went to see it the traffic was bad because a car had broken

down on the road even if the past simple action is first in the sentence it still

happened later when we arrived at the stadium the game had already started the

present perfect and past perfect present perfect simple the present perfect is

used to talk about an action that took place in the recent past and is still

relevant to the present moment I'm so excited I have just passed my driving

test the event took place one hour ago in the recent past

past perfect simple the pest perfect is used to talk about an action that took

place before another moment in the past I was so excited I had just passed my

driving test passing the driving test and also expressing the excitement both

occurred in the past I was so excited I had just passed my driving test

part two the past perfect continuous English uses the past perfect continuous

with the past simple to talk about an activity that was in progress before

another action or event happened the past perfect continuous the past simple

refers to a specific completed event in the past the past perfect continuous

describes a repeated action or continuing activity that was taking

place before that completed event he had been studying English for two years

before he went to London had been studying this is the past perfect

continuous went this is the past simple by the time Katie arrived home she had

been driving for six hours how to form the sentence the past perfect continuous

is formed using had been plus a present participle you have the subject he you

have had had doesn't change with the subject you also have been being doesn't

change with the subject you have the verb ending with I ng studying and then

the rest of the sentence English for two years he had been studying English for

two years further examples she decided to buy a new car because her old one

hadn't been working for weeks the band had been rehearsing every day so they

win the competition I went to see the doctor after I'd been feeling unwell for

a few days I had been training to be a dancer until I broke my leg the present

perfect continuous and past perfect continuous the present perfect

continuous is used to talk about an action in progress or repeated activity

that was taking place until the present moment

I'm really thirsty I have been cycling for two hours

the past perfect continuous the past perfect continuous is used to talk about

an ongoing action or repeated activity that was taking place until another

specified moment in the past I was really thirsty I had been cycling for

two hours part three used to and would when

talking about habits or states in the past used to or would are often used

English often uses these forms to contrast the past with the present used

to used to can be used with the base form of a verb to talk about pest habits

we used to play tennis every day but now we prefer golf used to play refers to a

pest habit used to can also be used to talk about fixed States at some

indefinite time in the past we used to live in London before we move

to Sydney used to live refers to a past state further examples did you use to

ride a scooter when you were a student I used to eat lunch on my own but now I

sit with friends I used to eat meat but now I'm a vegetarian I didn't used to

believe in ghosts until I visited a haunted house we used to think England

was cold until we moved here I didn't used to be afraid of spiders

until I visited Australia common mistakes when using used to and the past

continuous when talking about habits in the past used to should be used it is

incorrect to use the past continuous in this context we used to play lots of

board games when we were younger correct we were playing lots of board games when

we were younger incorrect the past continuous shouldn't

be used to talk about past habits another way to say used to with habits

used to can be replaced by wood in writing and formal speech but only to

talk about cast habits these statements often include a reference to time to

describe when or how often something happened when I was younger my family

would go skiing once a year wood refers to a past habit further examples when I

was little we would go for a picnic every Saturday when I was a student in

college I would spend as little as possible whenever there were sports on

TV we just wouldn't do our homework before I moved abroad I wouldn't try

anything new common mistakes when using wood with States wood cannot be used to

talk about States in the past use too must be used instead we used to live in

London before we moved to Sydney correct we would live in London before we moved

to Sydney incorrect wood cannot be used in this way with state verbs finally

past tenses overview there are eight different ways to talk about the past in

English the differences between the past simple and the present perfect simple

are particularly important past tenses the past simple refers to a single

completed action in the past Phil washed his car on Tuesday this is a completed

action in the past that is now over the past continuous refers to a continuing

action in the past the last time I saw Phil he was washing his car at that

moment he was in the process of washing his car the present perfect simple

refers to an unfinished action or series of action

that started in the past or past actions that still have a consequence in the

present moment Eve has arrived in London Eve is still in London so it is still

relevant to the present moment the present perfect continuous refers to a

continuing activity in the past that still has a consequence in the present

moment I have been painting the house all day I'm exhausted

I'm exhausted this is a consequence in the present moment the past perfect

simple refers to an action or event that took place before another action or

event in the past the game had started when I arrived at the stadium the past

perfect continuous refers to a continuing action or event that was

taking place before another action or event that happened in the past I had

been feeling unwell for days so I went to the doctor used to and would are used

to talk about repeated actions in the past that no longer happen I used to go

to Spain every year I would go to Spain every year used to can also be used to

refer to a fixed state it's some indefinite time in the past that is no

longer true I used to live in London live is a state so would can't be used

past simple and present perfect simple the past simple is used to refer to

single completed actions or events in the past these no longer have a

consequence in the present moment I wrote my essay about ancient Greece

the essay is finished so the past simple is used I lost my keys but I found them

on my desk lost is no longer relevant to the present moment because the keys were

found the present perfect simple is used to refer to actions or events in the

past that are unfinished or still have consequences

in the present moment I have written half of my essay but I need to finish it

the essay is unfinished so the present perfect simple is used have written I

have lost my keys I can't find them anywhere the keys are still lost in the

present moment so the present perfect simple is used have lost key language

narrative tenses narrative tenses are types of past tense that are used when

telling a story the past continuous is used to set the scene the past simple

describes actions in the story the past perfect is used to talk about things

that happened before the beginning of the story a crowd of people were

celebrating the new year when one of the young men kneeled down in front of his

girlfriend and asked her to marry him he had planned everything beforehand were

celebrating kneeled down asked had planned

see you soon when once again I will be asking how's your grammar?