2. I slept for eight hours last night.
2.2.6 Past Continuous
The past continuous tense is an important tense in English. we use it to say that somebody was in middle of doing something at a certain time. the action
or situation had already started before this time but had not finished.
Pattern: Positive
: Subject + WasWere + Verb
ing
Negative : Subject + WasWere + Not + Verb
ing
Introgative : waswere + subject + verb
ing
? Function
Used the Past Continuous Tense, our listener usually knows or
understands what time we are talking about.
1. I was walking at 10
pm
last night. 2.
They were not sleeping at 9
am
last night. 3.
what were you doing at 10
pm
last night Used to express events in past progressive tense
1. The engine was running when it suddenly stopped.
2. When Vini came home, nana was watching television.
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2.2.7 Past Perfect Tense
We use the Past Perfect tense to emphasize that an action in the past finished before another action in the past started. This tense is also used in
reported speech, third conditional sentences, or to show dissatisfaction with the
past. Pattern:
Positive : Subject+ Had +Verb
3
+ Object Negative
: Subject +Had +Not+ Verb
3
+Object Introgative : Had +Subject +Verb
3
+ Object? Used question word When,Where, Who, Why, What, Which, How,
place before ‘’Had’’. Function
Used to express the events incurred before simple past . 1.
After I had breakfast,I started to work.
2. He had already walked to school before I could offer him a ride.
2.2.8 The Past Perfect Continuous Tense
The Past Perfect Continuous is formed with the past perfect tense of the
verb to be had been + the present participle ing
Example : I had been eating
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Pattern: Positive
: Subject + Had + Verb
ing
Negative : Subject + Had +Not + Verb
ing
Introgative : Had + Subject + Verb
ing
Used to show that something started in the past and continued up until another time in the past.
1. They had been talking for over an hour before tony arrived.
2. She had been working at that company for three years when it went out of
business. Used before another action in the past is a good way to show cause and
effect: 1.
Diana was tired because she had been jogging . 2.
Sam gained weight because he had been overeating.
2.2.9 The Simple Future Tense The Future Simple is used in many situations such as when making
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