PAST TENSE

The past tense is used to indicate an action in the past. A

verb that refers to the past time is said to be in the past tense 

The past tense is divided into four forms:-

1.Simple Past-

  a.Used to indicate an action completed in the past.It of ten occurs with adverbs or adverb phrases of the past time.

  Eg:I Received the letter yesterday 

  She left school last year.

  b.Sometimes used without an adverb of time.

  Eg:I learnt English in Nagpur.

  c.The simple past is also used for past habits.

  Eg:He studied many hours every day.

2.Past Continuous-

a.Used to indicate an action going on at sometime in the past.The time of the action may or may not be specified.

Eg:1.We were listening to the radio all evening.

  2.It was getting darker and darker.

b.This tense is also used with words like –always,continually for persistent habits in the past.

Eg: He was always grumbling,

3.Past Perfect-a.Used to indicate an action completed before a certain moment in the past.

Eg: I met him in Delhi in 1996.I had seen him last five years before.

b. If two actions happened in the past,it may be necessary to show which happened before the other.The past perfect is mainly used in such a situation.

  Eg: 1. I had done my exercise when Hari came   to see me.

  2. I had written the letter before he arrived.

4.Past Perfect Continuous

a.Used  for an action that began before a certain point in the past and continued up to that time.

Eg:  1.At that time he had been writing a novel   for two months.

  2.When Mr.Mukherjee came to the school in   1995,Mr.Anand had already been teaching   there for five years.