Past Simple, Past Continuous, Past Perfect & Past Perfect Continuous

Past tenses
past simple, past continuous, past perfect
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Slide 1: Slide
EngelsMiddelbare schoolvwoLeerjaar 3

This lesson contains 15 slides, with interactive quizzes and text slides.

time-iconLesson duration is: 20 min

Items in this lesson

Past tenses
past simple, past continuous, past perfect

Slide 1 - Slide

Narrative tenses
I can use
the past simple,
past continuous,
and past perfect
to tell a story that 
happened in the past.


We use these to make sure we don't bore someone to death when describing a story & to make the sequence of events clear :)

Slide 2 - Slide

Example - boring.
Last night, I walked home. I saw a car driving very fast towards a red light. I looked at the driver. I saw him talking on the phone.
He didn't stop at the traffic light, and another car crashed into him.
The police arrived. The police asked what happened.
I told them that the driver didn't see the light bc he was on his phone.
  • Example - clear and rich!
    Last night, I was walking home when I saw a car driving very fast towards a red light. I looked at the driver and I could see that he was talking on the phone. He didn't stop at the light and another car crashed into him. When the police arrived, they asked me what had happened and I told them that the driver hadn't seen the traffic light because he was using his phone.

Slide 3 - Slide

Narrative tense

PAST SIMPLE = describe the main events in chronological order

PAST CONTINUOUS = to set the scene & to describe actions/situations in progress

PAST PERFECT = describe events that happened earlier in the past
Example - clear and rich!
Last night, I was walking home when I saw a car running very fast towards a red light. I looked at the driver and I could see that he was talking on the phone. He didn't stop at the light and another car crashed into him. When the police arrived, they asked me what had happened and I told them that the driver hadn't seen the traffic light bc he was using his phone.

Slide 4 - Slide

Past Simple, Continuous & Perfect
Past Simple: an action started and finished in the past.
I spent the entire holiday at home with my boyfriend.

Past Continuous: an action that happened over a longer period of time.
Joshua was living in New York for over two months last year.

Past Perfect: an action that happened before another one.
Farrah had gone doctor before she realized she wasn't sick.

Slide 5 - Slide

Tom couldn't play because...
A
he had forgotten his trainers
B
he forgot his trainers

Slide 6 - Quiz

The referee blew his whistle and...
A
the game started.
B
the game was starting.

Slide 7 - Quiz

Sue and Jenny were excited because...
A
they didn't go to a football match before
B
they hadn't been to a football match before

Slide 8 - Quiz

It was snowing when ...
A
the marathon began
B
the marathon had begun

Slide 9 - Quiz

Match the tense and when we use this tense
a past event that was in progress for some time before another past event
an event in the past that happened before another past event
events in the past of which we know when they happened and that they are finished
past simple
past perfect
past continuous

Slide 10 - Drag question

I missed my ferry. When I arrived at the port, it (leave).

Slide 11 - Open question

Linda (eat, already) when she arrived at my house.

Slide 12 - Open question

I'm so tired; I (drive) all night.

Slide 13 - Open question

He phoned me as soon as he (left) the hospital.

Slide 14 - Open question

Write a sentence, using these 3 past tenses.

Slide 15 - Mind map