Past Tense worksheet - Definition Rules and Examples

Past Tense worksheet - Definition, Rules and Examples

Definition of Past Tense

The verbs that denote the action which was done in the past time are said to be in the past tense.
For example: he wrote a letter. / I went to school. Etc.
There are four types of past tense available.
Past indefinite tense
Past perfect tense
Past continuous tense
Past perfect continuous tense

Define the Past Indefinite Tense.

Structure of Past Indefinite Tenses

In affirmative -> Subject + v2 (past form of Verb) + Object or the rest of the sentence.
Ex. He threw a stone.
In negative -> Subject + did not + v1 (Present form of Verb) + Object or the rest of the sentence.
Ex. He did not throw a stone.
In interrogative -> Did + subject + v1 (Present form of Verb) + Object or the rest of the sentence.
Ex. Did he throw a stone?
In negative interrogative -> Did + subject + not + v1 (Present form of Verb) + Object or the rest of the sentence.
Ex. Did he not throw a stone?
(Or)
Didn’t + subject + v1 (Present form of Verb) + Object or the rest of the sentence.
Ex. Didn’t he throw a stone?

Past Continuous Tense.

Define the past continuous tense.

Past continuous tense is used when the action, activity or event was continued for some time in the past.
Ex: The boy was reading in class three.

Structure of Past Continuous tenses

In affirmative -> Subject +was/were v4 (Verb+ing) + Object or the rest of the sentence. Ex. He was throwing a stone.
In negative -> Subject + was/were + not + v4 (Verb+ing) + Object or the rest of the sentence. Ex. He was not throwing a stone.
In interrogative -> Was/Were + subject + v4 (Verb+ing) + Object or the rest of the sentence. Ex. Was he throwing a stone?
In negative interrogative -> Was/Were + subject + not + v4 (Verb+ing) + Object or the rest of the sentence. Ex. Was he not throwing a stone?
(Or)
Wasn’t/Weren’t + subject + v4 (Verb+ing) + Object or the rest of the sentence.
Ex. wasn’t he throwing a stone?

Past Perfect Tense.

Define the past Perfect tense.

Past perfect tense is used in the former action between two complete actions of the past. Simple past is used in the letter action.
Ex: When my mom arrived, my friends had left.

Structure of Past Perfect Tenses

In affirmative -> Subject + had + V3 (Past participle Form of Verb) + Object or the rest of the sentence (latter Incident).
Ex. - The patient had died before the doctor came.
Ex. - Amit came home after Nirmala had gone out.
Ex. - Ajay did not know that he had passed the examination.
Ex. - When the police came, the thieves had left.
In negative -> Subject + had not + v3 (Past participle Form of Verb) + Object or the rest of the sentence.
Ex. - The train had not left the station.
Ex. - We had not got the prize.
In interrogative -> Had + subject + V3 (Past participle Form of Verb) + Object or the rest of the sentence.
Ex. - Had Suman drawn a picture?
Ex. - Had they caught a lot of fish?
In negative interrogative -> Had + subject + not + v3 (Past participle Form of Verb) + the rest of the sentence.
Ex. - Had Sam not drawn a picture?
Ex. - Had she not made a doll?
(Or)
Hadn’t + subject + v3 (Past participle Form of Verb) + the rest of the sentence
Ex. wasn’t he throwing a stone?
Ex. - Hadn’t Sam drawn a picture?
Ex. - Hadn’t she made a doll?

Structure of Past Perfect Continuous Tenses

In affirmative -> subject + had not been + present participle + object or the rest of the sentence (latter Incident).
Ex. - I had been playing video games for three hours before I went to bed.
Ex. - She had been cooking dinner for an hour when the guests arrived.
In negative -> subject + had not been + present participle + object or the rest of the sentence.
Ex. - I had not been exercising regularly before I started feeling tired.
Ex. - They had not been reading their books before the Exam.
In interrogative -> "had" + subject + been + present participle + object or the rest of the sentence.
Ex. - Had you been working on the project before the deadline?
Ex. - Had they been studying for the test before they went to bed?
In interrogative negative -> "had not" + subject + been + present participle + object or the rest of the sentence.
Ex. - Hadn't you been studying for the exam for weeks before you failed it?
Ex. - Hadn't they been traveling there before they settled in their hometown?