Questions tagged [past-simple]
Questions related to the past simple, simple past or preterite, which is mainly used to describe events in the past.
832
questions
1
vote
2
answers
35
views
"How did you get in here? Security!" vs "How have you gotten in here? Security!"
I have been doing some exercises on Past Simple vs Present Perfect as that's the topic that gives me the most troubles... and I can't comprehend why this sentence is correct?
"How did you get in ...
- 111
0
votes
1
answer
39
views
"while I was in Rome I ate pasta" or "I have eaten pasta"?
What's the correct sentence?
a) I have been to Rome and while I was there I ate pasta.
b) I have been to Rome and while I was there I have eaten pasta.
Thanks
3
votes
1
answer
129
views
I hope you (have) found this useful
In an answer to this question, "I hope you enjoyed..." vs "I hope you have enjoyed...", the following is stated:
Both tenses refer to an event that occurred in the past (the ...
- 33
0
votes
1
answer
17
views
Who's planning ahead? [Context in description]
Tyler went to buy groceries because he was running out of food. Robin went to buy groceries because he had run out of food.
Who is planning ahead? Why?
Answer was Tyler but I didn't understand this ...
- 530
0
votes
3
answers
101
views
will have said VS. would say
ex) I can't think why he was willing to say that it was my fault.
Now, for the purpose of making a sentence to have the same meaning of the example sentence, I would like to use modal auxiliary verb '...
- 93
1
vote
1
answer
38
views
"I wasn't listening to what the teacher was saying"? "I didn't listen to what the teacher was saying"?
We often avoid repeating the continuous form, do we? Like you say
What do you think you are doing?
instead of
What are you thinking you are doing?
How about the following sentences?
I wasn't ...
- 1,372
1
vote
2
answers
60
views
Which one is correct went or I've gone? [In the context below]
A: Shall I make us some dinner? It's already eight o'clock.
B: No,
thanks. I['ve gone] to the dentist this afternoon and my mouth hurts
too much to eat anything
It was a test and the correct answer ...
- 530
0
votes
0
answers
31
views
Can we change places of the past simple and past continuous? Is it always idiomatic?
Can we change places of the past simple and past continuous? Is it always idiomatic?
I was walking home when I met Dan.
I met Dan when I was walking home.
When I met Dan, I was walking home.
When I ...
- 2,328
1
vote
2
answers
38
views
I was enjoying the party but she wanted to go home
I was enjoying the party, but she wanted to go home.
It's known that "want" isn't used in Progressive tenses. So, we can't say how long she wanted to go home during the party. We don't know ...
- 2,328
3
votes
3
answers
127
views
Simple Past and Past Progressive - both possible in cases with defined period of time - Thomson (1986) says it should be Simple Past
I believe that the past progressive tense can be used with defined periods of time. However, A Practical English Grammar (A.J. Thomson, 1986) says that the simple past tense is used for well-defined ...
- 498
-1
votes
1
answer
24
views
'was' vs 'have been'
What's the difference?
I was at home all day
and
I've been at home all day
Google translate doesn't see the difference.
- 39
1
vote
1
answer
60
views
They hadn't finished playing by 18.00. vs They didn't finish playing by 18.00
They hadn't finished playing by 18.00.
They didn't finish playing by 18.00.
I have my own explanation what the difference is between past perfect and simple past when we use the tenses in such ...
- 2,328
2
votes
2
answers
40
views
Why is Past Perfect used here?
This is an excerpt from "The Moon and Sixpence", by W Somerset Maugham, the very beginning of chapter 18:
had this in my workbook as an example of a specific use of past perfect (the use i ...
- 21
1
vote
1
answer
26
views
Past simple tense or Present perfect
Jessica (came/has come) back from work and she's exhausted.
He (sold/has sold) his car. Someone bought it last week.
Looks like both are correct but I should choose only one.
- 19
0
votes
1
answer
17
views
Is it have or had in this question?
Is it "have" or "had" in this question? And why?
Did they get married and have a child?
Or
Did they get married and had a child?
I know statement form can be used in questions in ...
- 999
1
vote
1
answer
51
views
AmE_ thank you + simple past or present perfect
Context: I am a new student of a class. There is a friend, she has always helped me since I joined the class. Now I am still in the same class with her.
I feel grateful and just want to say thank you ...
- 345
1
vote
1
answer
126
views
Past Simple with Never?
I came across a question in an English practice workbook like this:
I'm exhausted because I've worked/I've been working in a restaurant
for the past three weeks. I've never realized/I never realized ...
- 275
0
votes
0
answers
44
views
AmE_ she (went out)/ (has gone out) to the supermarket
I know that AmE speakers tend to use the simple past in situations in which we should use the present perfect. I would like to ask if in the US, natives would use simple past in this context:
A ...
- 345
0
votes
0
answers
26
views
Lest we forget, many large conflicts (have) started over small, insignificant areas
dictionary.com:
(1) Lest we forget, many large conflicts have started over small, insignificant areas.
my variant:
(2) Lest we forget, many large conflicts started over small, insignificant areas.
The ...
- 1,997
2
votes
1
answer
153
views
AmE_ where did…? Vs where have…?
My friend planned to visit my country for a week. Now it is his 3rd day he has been in my country. I want to know which places (did he visit)/(has he visited), so that I can recommend him other places ...
- 345
0
votes
1
answer
28
views
Past Perfect or Past Simple or Past Continuous!
I have the following task in my grammar book
‘A young man was walking through a supermarket. Suddenly he noticed that he (follow) by an old lady.
I put ‘had been followed’ because it seemed to me that ...
0
votes
2
answers
67
views
What to use "Have or Did"
I am confused. Could anyone explain the difference between the two.
If you want to find out whether or not your coworker has met the boss. Are you going to respond,
"Have you met the boss?" ...
0
votes
2
answers
47
views
"He was dead for two years"
When we use past participle we should add other additional clause as past participle cannot usually stand alone on its own.
If we have to use a single clause we usually prefer simple past as in "...
- 469
1
vote
1
answer
117
views
using since with past simple
I know ‘since’ usually pairs well with present perfect, but I’m not sure about past simple.
Is it possible to use ‘since’ with past simple?
For example, ‘I got used to the idea (ever) since you ...
- 168
0
votes
1
answer
285
views
The difference between "since I have known" and "since I knew her"
It's been ten years since I have known her.
It's been ten years since I knew her.
My understanding is that 1 is the same as
I have known her for ten years.
It's been ten years since I got to know ...
- 1,372
1
vote
0
answers
53
views
What is the difference between Past Simple and Past Continuous for actions that are spread over time?
There are actions that are spread over time, to snore or to play tennis for example. For me it is not always clear should I use Past Simple or Past Continuous for such actions. For me it is absolutely ...
- 17
0
votes
1
answer
33
views
(Did / have done / had done) ~ ago
I'm a beginner in English and I'm curious about which one sounds more natural.
Emailed you
I emailed you about that a month ago.
I have emailed you about that a month ago.
I had emailed you about ...
- 25
0
votes
1
answer
65
views
Tense for events that went on over the same period of past time
My textbook says:
When we talk about two events or activities that went on over the same period of past time, we can often use the past continuous or the past simple for both . . .
However, it doesn’...
- 135
0
votes
0
answers
237
views
What were you doing all day yestarday? / What did you do all day yestarday?
What were you doing all day yesterday?
vs
What did you do all day yesterday?
If I understand right, both sentences are correct but there are some differencies in their meaning.
We use Past ...
- 2,328
0
votes
0
answers
28
views
Is it correct to first use the past simple and then the past perfect?
According to my understanding, the thing you use the past perfect to describe should happen before the thing you use the past simple to describe. Therefore, I wonder if my use of the tenses is wrong. ...
- 849
0
votes
1
answer
45
views
Mixing present and past tenses
"There is no problem about mixing present with future tenses. But in
order to shift from the present to the past you need to use a time
adverb. If you are talking in present and can/want to ...
- 240
1
vote
5
answers
244
views
I've worked here for two years vs I worked here for two years
Let's look at the sentence:
I've been working here for two years.
This sentence means that I'm still working. Right?
I have worked here for two years.
I worked here for two years.
What's the meaning ...
- 487
0
votes
3
answers
38
views
The past of something routinely done
I watch a movie every Monday.
I know this sentence is in the present tense and it indicates something routinely done.
How could I say that in the past as I no longer watch movie.
My guess is:
In the ...
- 2,089
0
votes
2
answers
127
views
Meaning of "My friend has come to our house yesterday"
My father went to Kolkata yesterday.
What does it mean? Is he still in Kolkata or somewhere else or he returned to home?
Let's think of another situation.
My friend came to our house yesterday and he ...
- 487
0
votes
1
answer
56
views
how to understand where it is better not to use Past Perfect?
I am confused, because I use Past Perfect even where it's not needed. Please, help me to figure out.
For instance, why we don't say:
We had had nothing in common with her, so we quickly lost contact....
- 47
1
vote
1
answer
43
views
questions about past perfect
These two sentences come from a passage about Nightingale.
1.Long before her death in 1910,she had seen nursing become a well-established profession.
2.Almost single-handedly she had helped to bring ...
- 11
0
votes
1
answer
44
views
I met my boss three years ago
Could I answer in three ways like these:
It’s three three years since I met my boss.
It’s three years since I last met my boss.
It’s three years since I first met my boss.
I think the first and the ...
1
vote
1
answer
19
views
Why we can not use past progressive instead of past simple in this example?
In the example below, I saw the writer used "when" at the beginning of the sentence and as I thought that going closer to the animal was the background and then noticing the plastic yoghurt ...
- 47
0
votes
2
answers
242
views
Joe threw the ball to Sue, who caught it. / Joe threw the ball to Sue and she caught it
Joe threw the ball to Sue, who caught it.
Joe threw the ball to Sue and she caught it.
As I understand it from my grammar book, the relative clause in the first example give us
extra information ...
- 2,328
0
votes
2
answers
38
views
Present perfect and past simple in this context. What's the difference?
A: When was the last time we saw each other?
B: About 7 years ago.
A: What has happened in your life since then?
B: A lot of things have happened. My cat gave birth to 5 kittens, I got married, I ...
- 4,014
1
vote
2
answers
504
views
What is the difference between "was standing" vs "stood"? (Especially in the context of writing a formal report about past data)
Which one is correct and what is the difference between them?
1 The amount of sales was standing at $10000 in 1990.
2 The amount of sales stood at $10000 in 1990.
For example, consider this ...
- 1,040
4
votes
1
answer
49
views
Past Simple for single events
I am trying to understand what meaning Past Simple carries when it's combined with a period of time. (compared to Past Continuous)
Yesterday I stayed home because it was raining
As I understand, ...
1
vote
1
answer
37
views
past simple vs. past perfect
Here is a paragraph from a school English textbook for high school students in Taiwan.
Apart from its natural splendor, Kyoto has so much more to feast one's
eyes on. Having previously been the ...
- 53
1
vote
1
answer
43
views
Regular actions in English (past simple/cont/would/context)
I was depressed for a month. When I was trying to beat my depression, I went to the cinema, I spent time outside, I learned new skills and worked out
I want the 4 actions in bold to sound as if they ...
-1
votes
2
answers
54
views
Is there a nuance of difference between "I lied" and "I was lying"?
Can you please tell me if there is a nuance of difference between I lied and I was lying? For example:
When I said that I was going to go home, I lied.
When I said that I was going to go home, I was ...
- 15.6k
2
votes
1
answer
22
views
Used to vs. Past simple
The question from Study Guide in Essential Grammar in Use was:
Dave _____________ in a factory. Now he works in a supermarket.
a. working / b. works / c. worked / d. use to work / e. used to work
I ...
- 23
0
votes
3
answers
61
views
“My previous car was blue” vs “My previous car is blue” [closed]
What’s the difference between “my previous car was blue” vs “my previous car is blue”?
Is one of them wrong? Or can both of them be right, being different only in the context?
- 119
0
votes
1
answer
29
views
Finally we found the path we [looked for] / [were looking for]
If two events followed one after the other, I would use the Perfect Continuous:
Finally we found the path we had been looking for.
But, if some time have passed after the first event, I could use ...
- 67
0
votes
0
answers
68
views
He was tired because he worked for six hours
What sentence would you use in a casual conversation if you just wanted to convey the fact? Is the first one okay or not?
He was tired because he worked for six hours.
He was tired because he had ...
- 67
1
vote
1
answer
34
views
What is the right tense form here?
This is an idea he had introduced in his article which would appear six years later in a book by a different author.
Are the tenses right in the sentence? Here, we are talking about the second action ...
- 543