PAST TENSE
Singular Number Plural Number
1st Person I loved We loved
2nd person You loved You loved
3rd Person He loved They loved
Uses:
To indicate an action that was completed in the past. Generally, the adverbials of past time are used; sometimes without adverbials of time for an activity done in the past
To express a habitual or regular action only in the past; it can also be expressed by using “used to”
In conditional clauses
In the indirect form of speech
To express two actions, where the first action leads instantly to the second action.
Example:
When the meeting ended, the staff members came out.
Series of completed actions.
Examples:
he sat down, took out a note book, and pen, and started writing.
He entered the room, turned in my direction, and smiled at me.
Habits in the past.
Examples:
James played the piano when he was a child.
I was good at dancing when I was a teenager.
Completed action in the past.
Examples:
Sarah baked a cake yesterday.
I went to bed at 10 last night.
We ordered Pizza on Friday.
Duration in the past.
Examples:
He stayed up all night.
We lived in Chicago for a year.
We played baseball all day.
The Simple Past is used to indicate an action completed in the past. It often occurs
with adverbs or adverb phrases of past time.
Examples:
The steamer sailed day before yesterday.
I received his gift a week ago.
She left school last year.
Sometimes this tense is used without an adverb of time. In such cases the time may
be either implied or indicated by the context.
Examples:
I learnt Marathi in Nagpur.
I didn't sleep well (i.e., last night).
Undertaker defeated Roman rains
The Simple Past is also used for past habits; as,
Examples:
He studied four hours every day.
She always carried a lip stick.