Questions tagged [past-simple]
Questions related to the past simple, simple past or preterite, which is mainly used to describe events in the past.
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"while" with Past Simple and Past Continuous (with 2 examples)
Could you explain, please, why "went" is only correct here (that says my grammar book)? Can't I use Past Continuious here, can I?
Why in the first example is used "... while I went to ...
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It had cost... and it cost
This is a standalone sentence taken from my exercise book:
She bought her first watch at the age of eight. It had cost two
pounds.
I wonder why they chose this sentence as an example. If those are ...
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(Since + past simple) or (Since + present perfect)?
The explanation taken from my grammar book says
In a setence which includes a time clause with since, we generally
prefer a past simple verb in the time clause and a present perfect
verb in the main ...
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Simple past with the "by some point in the past" phrase. What to choose and when?
Why does it use the past simple tense rather than the past perfect (had been)?
(1) Odenkirk confirmed by early September 2021 that he was back on set
filming.
The source: https://en.wikipedia.org/...
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Use of the present perfect simple by persons in authority making a report
I read this report, made by a senior coroner at an inquest, and I wondered whether it has become common for the present perfect simple to be used in this way?
"She had been missing for a few days ...
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Are both (past simple) and (present perfect) used interchangeably to talk about repeated past actions?
The question in the title is corroborated by the explanations from Hewing's.
[1] We usually use the past simple rather than the past continuous
to talk about repeated past actions:
We went to Spain ...
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"Have you seen" or "did you see" Amy Winehouse in concert?
Is it possible to say:
"Have you ever seen Amy Winehouse in concert?"
"Have you had the experience of seeing her perform?"
Present perfect because this experience will stay with ...
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Can we use 'as' in the past perfect?
I want to know whether this sentence is correct:
She came as I had done my homework
According to this, as is used to connect two events that happen at the same time. What I doubt is, the connection ...
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"Joan walked out and has left her bag"
(1) Joan walked out and has left her bag
It seems that (1) is not good because it violates a tense agreement rule. Is that right? Then, I am wondering what differences there exist between sentence (...
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Why are both "since I went ..." and "since I've been ..." OK?
I've just done an exercise. It is:
A: How often do you go to the cinema?
B: Very rarely. It's nearly a year ___________ to the cinema.
And the answer is "since I've been / since I went". (...
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Past Simple vs. Past Continuous
I'd appreciate your opinion on this grammar task item to elicit the correct use of the past simple/continuous.
Last Halloween little Joe went missing. We ... (run) around the block
looking for him ...
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verb tense past simple or present perfect [duplicate]
We have a problem with your latest delivery - it ARRIVED 3 days late again.
We have a problem with your latest delivery - it HAS ARRIVED 3 days late again.
Which verb tense is correct?
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How "would" is used in the following examples?
I was reading an article on mirror football. Then I came across the following sentences where would is used which I think should be in past simple. Even so, there should be the reason why they used &...
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has written / did write / wrote in questions
I have this (incorrect) sentence: “How many plays has William Shakespeare written?”. How does it need to be corrected and why exactly:
How many plays did William Shakespeare write?
How many plays ...
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We **were thinking/thought** a lot about where the best place for celebration is - Past Simple or Past Continuous?
Which tense is better here?
We were thinking/thought a lot about where the best place for
celebration is. In the beginning, we decided to rent a cafe, but it's
really expensive nowadays. Later, we ...
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First , we met at a rehearsal in the city. Our team (had) needed a singer, and she (had) agreed to help. - Past Simple or Perfect [duplicate]
Do we need to use Past Simple or Past Perfect in this case if 'needing' and 'agreeing' happened first?
First, we met at a rehearsal in the city. Our team (had) needed a
singer, and she (had) agreed ...
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Why is Present Perfect not used in "Did you ever take a class in school just because you heard the person you liked was taking it?"
I found a sentence in a certain online test. It has been created by native English speakers, so I believe its grammar must be correct.
Now, here is a sentence that made me wonder: "Did you ever ...
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The hospital (has closed / has been closed)
How to know exactly whether I have to add "been" when I use present perfect?
For example:
The Victoria Hospital in Miltown ___ (1. close) to new patients after
more cases of food poisoning. ...
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"When I worked" and "when I was working" after "used to be" [duplicate]
I have a question about using "when I did ..." and "when I was doing ..." in a certain sentence.
When you are talking about a currently busy store that you worked at several years ...
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Which is more appropriate? "I was married" OR "I have been married"?
Suppose, we're (I and my wife) asked by people how long our marriage is since we got married. Which tense should I use? Past tense or perfect tense or else?
We were married for 15 years.
We've been ...
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Why is the progressive form used in “since we weren't playing...”
Why did the author choose a continuous form?
Kim would always encourage me to wear baseball hats when we played because she said it made me look a heavy metal drummer, and since we weren't playing ...
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How to use past simple instead of 'used to'?
I just noticed this use of past simple in Genesis 1:2:
And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
...
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Tenses for questions and responses
-Where have you been?
-I've been at Ivan's.
-Where were you?
-I was at Ivan's.
-Where have you been?
-I was at Ivan's.
-Where were you?
-I've been at Ivan's.
Are all of these dialogues correct? What'...
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Is "I got a headache" correct?
I got a headache.
Is this sentence grammatically correct?
Headache is a countable noun. Therefore a headache part is correct.
Can we use simple past tense without any words like yesterday, last week ...
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"a team of graphics editors, designers and editors brought the project to life this month." is the statement correct?(It's taken from an article)
I think we can only use "this month" with the present perfect tense not with the past tense. Here 'this month' is used with past tense which is wrong I think because we specify the time ...
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I've spent (at least) a year in the US
He's spent (at least) a year in the US.
He spent (at least) a year in the US.
Which is correct? Is "spend" a stative verb?
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I always thought that he was a great teacher [duplicate]
I've always thought that he was a great teacher.
I always thought that he was a great teacher.
If I've just changed my opinion about him being a great teacher, can I say that (2) and (3) mean the ...
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Which past tense should I use in this case, past simple or past perfect contnuous?
Assume that I want to say that I lived for a while in one country, but then I moved away.
What tense do I need to use for that purpose?
e.g.:
I had been living in England for 2 years, but then in 2015 ...
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I wrote a letter for an hour
I've just read that it is not possible to say "I wrote a letter for three hours", but I've seen many examples like "I read the book for an hour" or "I watched the film for an ...
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"Did you already...?" and "Have you already...?"
Is there any semantic difference between "Did you already" and "Have you already" questions?
For example:
1a) Did you already do your homework?
1b) Have you already done your ...
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Is continuous a better solution in this sentence?
The two men were thieves and the TV they were carrying was his TV!
just wondering if "is carrying" could be changed in carried because the action was completed. He helped them carry to their ...
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I didn't know what I should/was supposed to do
Can 'should' be used in the past? I don't mean a regret here. I haven't found an answer on the Internet because all the explanations describe regrets.
I didn't know what I should/was supposed to do
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Can present perfect and present simple be used in the same sentence?
I occasionally say a sentence in which mixing the two tenses feels natural but in theory they express different relations to time so I am unsure whether this is correct.
One example sentence would be: ...
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I/some people/people have experienced symptoms when I/they had pneumonia
I have experienced these three symptoms when I had pneumonia.
I experienced these three symptoms when I had pneumonia.
What is the difference between (1) and (2)?
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that’s/that was one of the worst experiences [duplicate]
I'd like to know whether "that's" should have been replaced by "that was" in the following. The experience took place in the past.
I tried Mary's muffins last Friday, and that’s ...
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What have you done or what did you do? [duplicate]
Suppose a child is accused of misbehaviour and the parent wants to know what the child has done. Would it be okay to ask the child: "what have you done?" or should they say "what did ...
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Why is 'when' used with a past simple instead of a past perfect?
I've come across the following:
(A)
Joe had been on a diet for a month when he came to stay with us, and we noticed immediately that he had already lost a lot of weight.
According to Advanced ...
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Why is the present perfect used instead of simple past?
In an article about whether it is safe for pregnant women to cycle, a woman who is no longer pregnant ( she has recently given birth to her second child) says: "I have cycled during both ...
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"When I've pulled up your hat I've seen your braids" or should I use the past simple?
Let's say I have just seen my daughter's braids under her hat. Should I say to her:
Baby when I've pulled up your hat I've seen your braids
or
Baby when I pulled up your hat I saw your braids
The ...
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Can you use past perfect tense in general past sentenses? [closed]
e.g. I usually started my day with the thing that had woken me up.
Or you must use past perfect only in specific situations.
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Which one is correct? "Do you enjoyed sports?" or "Did you enjoy sports?" [closed]
I'm trying to understand one thing about this sentence. Can anyone tell me the mistake? "Do you enjoyed sports?" For what I know, that sentence is in the past tense. Shouldn't that be a ...
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What's the difference between "They finished the project by March" and "They had finished the project by March"? [duplicate]
What's the difference between
"They finished the project by March" and "They had finished the project by March"?
Can you give contexts when to use one and not the other?
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What's the difference between `Where did you think I was all this time?` and `Where did you think I have been all this time?`?
I have recently heard the first sentence Where did you think I was all this time? in a movie but my intuition as a non native speaker tells me that present perfect would suit better this case because &...
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Can simple past used as present perfect
I am confused about these two dialogues where Tom wants to borrow a big amount of money from Jim who is a very stingy person. Tom is talking to Steve about it. Tom, Jim, and Steve are very close ...
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Can I use Simple Past in a subordinate clause with "while" when the main clause is in the Past Progressive?
I was reading while she slept.
Or should it necessarily be "I was reading while she was sleeping" or "I read while she slept"?
Can I use the Simple Past in a subordinate clause ...
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Do I use the past simple or the present perfect after "I've been meaning" as in "I've been meaning to do something, but I've always forgotten/forgot"?
Could you tell me if I have to use the past simple or the present perfect after I've been meaning in the context below?
I've been meaning to watch the movie, but I always forgot to till now.
I've ...
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It's more than ten years since i last went, had gone or have gone to Alex
It's more than ten years since i last (went _ had gone _ have gone) to Alex
Which one is correct and why
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When he was vs when he had been [duplicate]
The investigation uncovered that he had taken bribes when he was/had
been governor of Maryland.
So the question is: is it when he was or when he had been?
I want to say "when he was" ...
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What is more natural for describing last night's actions, past simple or progressive?
— What did you do last night?
— I watched YouTube. And what about you?
— I met up with a friend and we watched a movie.
— And what did you do before the meeting?
— I roller-skated.
My textbook says ...
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now when I got older
I saw this sentence in my English training course. I don't understand how it's possible to combine "now" and Past Simple. Is there a mistake in the sentence or not? Could you explain, please?...
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