The past in English - TOEIC® Preparation
The different forms of past in English
In English, there are 2 forms of past:
- The past simple: Last year, I went to China
- The past continuous: I was writing when my phone rang
⚠️ In reality, there is also the present perfect and the past perfect which can be forms of past, but we have a dedicated course for these forms
The preterite and past simple are the same thing, they are just two different expressions for saying the same thing.
> The progressive preterite, continuous preterite, past continuous,
progressive preterite are also different expressions but they mean the same
thing.
Contexts of use
These two forms are used in different contexts.
The past simple is used to express:
- a completed action: Last year, I went to China
- a series of actions in the past: He entered the room, turned on the light, and sat down.
- a habit in the past: When I was a child, I played outside every day.
- facts or general truths in the past: In the 19th century, people travelled by horse and carriage.
The past continuous is used to express:
- an action in progress at a specific moment in the past: I was reading a book at 8 PM last night.
- an action interrupted by another action: I was cooking when the phone rang.
- two simultaneous actions in the past: While I was studying, my brother was playing video games.
- a description of the context of a story: The sun was setting, and the birds were singing.
Exercise to train for the TOEIC®
Choose the correct form:
- While I __ (to watch) TV, my brother __ (to play) outside.
- Last year, we __ (to visit) Paris and __ (to see) the Eiffel Tower.
- She __ (to cook) dinner when the phone __ (to ring).
- When I was a child, I __ (to go) to the park every weekend.
- The sun __ (to set) and the birds __ (to sing) when we arrived.
To consult the answers to the exercise, click here
Detailed Courses
To go into more detail, here are our courses that delve into these different forms: