Past Simple and Past Continuous

The past simple tense is used to describe completed actions in the past, often with time expressions like "when," "in," "last," or "ago."

It is formed by adding "-ed" to regular verbs or using the irregular past form for others.

The past simple is used for:

1. Completed actions and situations in the past
2. Sequential actions in the past
3. Repeated actions in the past

Example: "I bought a guitar last year." (completed past action)

Example: "When you arrived, they started to eat." (sequential actions)

Example: "When I was 10, I played volleyball every day." (repeated past action)

Negative statements use "didn't" plus the infinitive, while questions start with "Did."

Example: "She didn't meet me yesterday." (negative form)

Example: "Did you like music as a child?" (interrogative form)

The past continuous tense, formed with "was/were" plus the "-ing" form of the verb, is used to describe:

1. Background information or ongoing situations in the past
2. Incomplete actions interrupted by another event

Example: "Some people at the party were already dancing." (background information)

Example: "The train left when they were talking." (interrupted action)

Negative statements insert "not" after "was/were," and questions invert the subject and "was/were."

Example: "I wasn't sleeping when the phone rang." (negative form)

Example: "Were they talking during the lesson?" (interrogative form)

Highlight: The past simple e past continuous schema helps illustrate the relationship between completed and ongoing actions in the past.

Definition: Past continuous - a tense used to describe actions that were in progress at a specific time in the past.

Present Simple and Present Continuous

The present simple and present continuous tenses are fundamental in English grammar, each serving distinct purposes in communication.

The present simple, formed with the base verb form, is used to express:

1. General truths or facts
2. Habitual actions or routines
3. States described by stative verbs

Example: "Some planets have many moons." (general truth)

Example: "I rarely go to the cinema." (habit with frequency adverb)

For negative statements, "don't" or "doesn't" is added before the infinitive. Questions are formed by placing "do" or "does" at the beginning.

Example: "I don't like videogames." (negative form)

Example: "Do you like horror books?" (interrogative form)

The present continuous, constructed with "am/is/are" plus the "-ing" form of the verb, is used for:

1. Actions happening at or around the present moment
2. Changing situations
3. Frequent actions that irritate the speaker (often with "always")

Example: "I'm reading the newspaper right now." (current action)

Example: "The world is getting warmer fastly." (changing situation)

Negative statements in present continuous use "am/is/are not," while questions invert the subject and auxiliary verb.

Example: "I'm not studying very hard now." (negative form)

Example: "Are you studying for the test?" (interrogative form)

Highlight: The present simple and present continuous schema helps differentiate between habitual actions and current, ongoing situations.