Past Tense Review - Grammar Lesson (Upper Intermediate)

Summary

In this video, the speaker reviews the four main past tenses in English: past simple, past continuous, past perfect, and past perfect continuous. Through an example text, the speaker highlights the differences between these tenses, explaining how each one is used to describe various aspects of past actions. The past simple denotes completed actions, past continuous highlights ongoing actions in the past, past perfect shows actions completed before another past event, and past perfect continuous describes actions in progress before a specific past moment. The video offers a clear breakdown of these tenses, with practical examples to enhance understanding.

Takeaways

• 😀 The video provides a review of the four main past tenses in English: past simple, past continuous, past perfect, and past perfect continuous.
• 😀 The past simple is used to describe a completed action in the past, often accompanied by a time phrase like 'last night' or 'yesterday'.
• 😀 The past continuous describes an action in progress at a specific time in the past, formed using 'was/were' + verb-ing.
• 😀 The past perfect indicates an action that was completed before another action in the past, formed with 'had' + past participle.
• 😀 The past perfect continuous emphasizes the ongoing nature of an action before another past event, using 'had been' + verb-ing.
• 😀 The past simple is often used with time markers (e.g., 'last night') to show when the action occurred.
• 😀 The past perfect continuous is used to describe actions that were in progress before another past event, highlighting their duration.
• 😀 The past perfect tense shows that one action was completed before another action happened, providing a sense of a sequence in time.
• 😀 Past continuous can describe an action that was ongoing at a specific moment in the past, helping to set the scene for other events.
• 😀 Past perfect and past perfect continuous are frequently used together with other past tenses for a more nuanced explanation of past events.
• 😀 The video emphasizes that the past perfect and past perfect continuous are commonly used in conjunction with past simple or past continuous, not typically as standalone tenses.

Q & A

What are the four main past tenses discussed in the video?

The four main past tenses discussed in the video are the past simple, past continuous, past perfect, and past perfect continuous.

How is the past simple tense used in the text example?

The past simple tense is used to describe a completed action from the past. In the example 'last night I was very lazy', 'was' is the past simple form of the verb 'to be', indicating a completed state.

What is the purpose of the past perfect continuous tense?

The past perfect continuous tense is used to describe an action that had been in progress before another action in the past. It combines the past perfect and continuous aspects, highlighting that an action was ongoing and then completed.

In the example, 'I had been working during the day,' which tense is being used?

The past perfect continuous tense is being used. The structure 'had been working' indicates an action that was ongoing in the past before another action (being lazy) occurred.

What is the function of the past continuous tense in the example 'I was teaching English'?

The past continuous tense is used to describe an action that was in progress at a specific time in the past. In this case, 'I was teaching English' emphasizes that teaching was happening at that moment in the past.

What is the key difference between the past perfect and the past perfect continuous tenses?

The past perfect tense describes an action that was completed before another action in the past, while the past perfect continuous emphasizes that the action was ongoing before it was completed.

Why is the past perfect continuous tense described as 'the past of the past'?

The past perfect continuous is referred to as 'the past of the past' because it describes an action that was happening before another past action, adding emphasis on its duration or progress.

Can past perfect and past perfect continuous be used on their own in common situations?

It is uncommon to use the past perfect or past perfect continuous tenses on their own. They are generally used in combination with other past tenses, such as past simple, to provide more context and clarity.

What role do time phrases, like 'last night,' play in understanding past tenses?

Time phrases like 'last night' are used with the past simple to specify when an action occurred. They help indicate a completed action in the past and clarify the time frame.

What is the most common way of using the past perfect and past perfect continuous tenses?

The most common way to use the past perfect and past perfect continuous tenses is in combination with another past tense, such as past simple or past continuous, to describe an action that occurred before another action in the past.