Past Simple & Past

Continuous
EXTRA***could (past ability),
EXTRA***time adverbials (when, while, until,
after, before), to be (was, were)
EXTRA***Reduction of the time clause (while,
after, before, as soon as)

Past Simple:
1. actions that started and were completed at a

specific time in the past

2. habitual or repeated actions in the past
3. completed actions that happened one after the
other in the past

.Time Expressions: ago, yesterday, in 1998,

last week/month/night, etc.
.Prepositions of time: at, in, on, till, until,
during, before, after, from to, from till,
from.until

Past Simple vs Present Perfect

Simple
Present Perfect Simple

Past Simple

1. She has come. (unstated

time; we don't know when
she came)
2. He has been in hospital for
two months. (he's still in
hospital - action connected
to the present)
3. He's been out twice this
week. (it's still the same
week - action connected to
the present)
4. Aye Kulin has written a lot
of successful novels. (action
connected to the present she's still alive)
5. The Prime Minister has
decided to dissolve

1. She came last Friday. (stated

time - When? Last Friday.)
2. He was in hospital for one
week. (he isn't in hospital any
more - action not connected to
the present)
3. He went out twice last week.
(action not connected to the
present - it's the next week
now)
4. Turgut zakman wrote really
important novels about our
history. (action not connected
to the present - he's dead)
5. He announced his decision
this morning. (giving details of
the news - stated time in the
past)

Past Progressive:
1. for actions that were happening at a specific

point of time in the past

2. to describe background scenes to a story
3. for actions that were happening at the same
time in the past. In this case, we usually use
while.
4. to describe temporary past states or actions.
.Time clauses: while, as
.Past Simple vs. Past Progressive
.Time clauses: when, as soon as, while, as

Past Simple vs Present Perfect

Simple
Past Simple

Past Continuous

1. One action after another:

She came home, switched
on the computer and
checked her e-mails.

1. Actions happening at the

same time: Simon was
playing on the computer
while his brother was
watching TV.

2. New action: My mobile

rang when I was sitting in a
meeting.
3. Just mentioning: Colin
played football yesterday.

2. Action already in progress

: While I was sitting in a
meeting, my mobile
suddenly rang.
3. Emphasising progress:
Yesterday at six o'clock, Colin
was playing football.

Could Past Ability

The modal verb: could is used to
talk about a past ability.
She could dance well when she
was young
When he left Sweden after
working there for a year, he
couldn't talk even a word of
Swedish

Clauses of Time
Clauses of time are introduced by:

after, as, as long as, as soon as,

before, by the time (= before, not
later than), every time, immediately,
just as, once, the moment (that),
until/till (= up to the time when),
when, while etc.
The castaway had to wait five
years until he was rescued.

Clauses of time follow the rule of

sequence of tenses; that is, when

the verb of the main clause is in
present or future form, the verb of
the time clause is in the present
form, and when the verb of the
main clause is in a past form, the
verb of the time clause is in a past
form too.
She left her job as soon as she got

married. (not: as soon as she gets)

Note that will/would are never used

in a clause of time.
I'll cook dinner as soon as I've finished
the washing up. (not: as soon as I will
finish)
When the time clause precedes the

main clause, a comma is used. When

the time clause follows, no comma
used.
By the time he arrived, she had left.
BUT: She had left by the time he arrived.

Reduction of Adverb Clauses of Time

Adverb clauses that begin with the

following words: Since, After, Before,

and While can be reduced to adverbial
phrases.
Clause: After Bernie had chased history

around the world, he found it in his own

hometown.
Phrase: After chasing history around the

world, Bernie found it is his own

There are certain steps

you must follow:
You must have the same subject

in both clauses.
Delete the subject from the
adverb clause.
Change the verb to ing.

General Rules
Rule 1: If the main verb of the adverb clause is used in a
progressive tense , omit the subject and auxiliary verb.
While I was walking down the street, I came across a very
strange guy.
While walking down the street , I came across a very strange
guy.
Rule 2: If the main verb of the adverb clause is NOT used in a
progressive tense, omit the subject and add the suffix ing to
the verb.
Before I go to school in the morning, I usually take a shower.
Before going to school in the morning, I usually take a
shower.
The reduction is possible only when the subjects of the adverb
clause and the main clause are the same.
Before he came, I had already finished my homework .
[The adverb clause in this sentence CANNOT be reduced to a
phrase.]

Examples:
Clause: While the musician
was producing music, he
thought of the family he had
left behind.
Phrase: _____________music,

the musician thought of the

family he had left behind.

Examples:
Clause: While the musician was
producing music, he thought of
the family he had left behind.
Phrase: While producing music,

the musician thought of the

family he had left behind.

Clause: I didnt speak English

very often before I came to

the United States.
Reduce: I didnt speak
English very often
____________to the United
States

Clause: I didnt speak English

very often before I came to

the United States.
Reduce: I didnt speak
English very often before
coming to the United States

Thank you for listening...