Past Tense VS Past Perfect

INGLES BACHILLERATO

INTRODUCTION

Hello! Welcome English 101 students. cool

 

 

My name is Maria Jose Rodriguez and I will be your professor for this course!.

I invite you to enjoy a new learning experience as we journey through this online course. Our focus will be on language – how to use it, read, it, analyze it, write it, and hopefully, come to a greater understanding of its power and influence in all that we do.

My hope is that you learn from this course, enjoy the experience, and have fun in the process!wink

 

 

Now, today's topic is Past Tense VS Past Perfect, we'll learn how to use it, when to use it and more.

 

 

 

 

Simple Past (Past Tense)

 

When we use Simple past we talk about something that occured in the past.

Use

We use the past tense to talk about:

  • Use                                      Examples                        
    • something that happened once in the past:
    		 I met my wife in 1983.
    We went to Spain for our holidays.
    • something that happened again and again in the past:
    		 When I was a boy I walked a mile to school every day.
    We swam a lot while we were on holiday.
    • something that was true for some time in the past:
    		 I lived abroad for ten years.
    • we often use phrases with ago with the past tense:
    		 I met Rose a long time ago.

 

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For Questions and Negative

 

   We use did to make questions with the past tense:                                                       We use didn’t (did not) to make negatives with the past tense:


Where did you go for your holidays?                                                                                          They didn’t go to Spain this year.
Did you live abroad?                                                                                                                 I didn’t see you yesterday.

 

Notice that the verb that comes after did stays in the present form.

 

But look at these questions:

Who discovered penicillin?
Who wrote Don Quixote?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Past Perfect 

 

 

 

Use   Examples
Something occurred before another action in the past. It can also show that something happened before a specific time in the past.
  • Tony knew Istanbul so well because he had visited the city several times.
  • I had never seen such a beautiful beach before I went to Kauai.
To show that something started in the past and continued up until another action in the past.
  • We had had that car for ten years before it broke down.
  • By the time Alex finished his studies, he had been in London for over eight years.
If the Past Perfect action did occur at a specific time, the Simple Past can be used instead of the Past Perfect when "before" or "after" is used in the sentence. 
  • She had visited her Japanese relatives once in 1993 before she moved in with them in 1996.
  • She visited her Japanese relatives once in 1993 before she moved in with them in 1996.

 

 

Adverb placement.

The example below show the placement for grammar adverbs such as: always, only, never, ever, still, just, etc.

Example:

  • You had previously studied English before you moved to New York.

 

 

 

 

 Past Tense VS Past Perfect

 

Now that we have seen when it is correct to use both tenses, let´s compare them!

 

 

Simple PastPast Perfect Simple

2nd column of irregular verbs

Example:
I spoke

had + 3rd column of irregular verbs

Example:
I had spoken

regular verbs: infinitive + ed

Example:
I worked

regular verbs: form of have + infinitive + ed

Example:
I had worked

 

 

 

We use Simple Past if we give past events in the order in which they occured. However, when we look back from a certain time in the past to tell what had happened before, we use Past Perfect

Exceptions with signal words

When

Depending on the situation, "when" can be used with Simple Past or Past Perfect. Compare the following examples:

Example:
When Jane saw the elephants, she was amazed. (at the same time)
When Jane had seen the elephants, she wanted to see the giraffes. (second action happened after the first action had been completed)
When Jane went to see the elephants, she had already seen the lions. (second action had been completed when the first action took place)

Before

"Before" as well can either be used with Simple Past or Past Perfect. If the action after "before" is a new action, use Simple Past. If the action after "before" started (and was not completed) before a certain time in the past, use Past Perfect.

 

Example:
Jane had read a lot about elephants before she went to the zoo.
Jane went to the zoo before she had finished reading her new book about elephants.

 

After

Is only used as a signal word for Past Perfect if it is followed by a subject + verb, meaning that one action had been completed before another action began (the new action is in Simple Past).

Example:
After the family had had breakfast, they went to the zoo.

However, if "after" is followed by object + subject + verb, the verb belongs to the new action and is therefore in Simple Past.

Example:
After her visit to the zoo, Jane was exhausted.

 

And finally we have this image from the beginning of this course ... 

 

 

 

 

 

As of now, Can you tell the difference? Which tense is Simple Past, which is Past Perfect and the reason?

if your answer is yes then PERFECT! that means you have learned! GREAT JOB!cool 

 

 

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