past simple; past continuous; used to (and to be used to); would
CONTEXT LISTENING
You are going to hear Jack talking to his grandmother about something he did last week. Before you listen, look at questions 1–5. Guess which things Jack, his mother and his grandmother did. Write J, M or G.
go to London J
see a famous footballer
go up to town alone
worry about school work
go to a club
Listen again and answer these questions. 1 What does Jack say about
a a coach? We caught the coach, it was only £10 return.
b a film? We _______ a film.
2 What tense does he use? the _______ . 3 What does Gran say about
a autographs? I _______ all the autographs of film stars and singers.
b going to town? I _______ up to town on my own.
c pop concerts? I _______ at pop concerts.
4 Does she do these things now? _______ .
5 Did she do them regularly in the past? _______ .
Listen again and complete these sentences.
We did some revision for our exams while we _______ .
When we _______ for the cinema, we saw a really famous footballer.
He _______ a burger and all the crowds _______ past but nobody noticed him except me.
Which tense is in the gaps?
The _______ .
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GRAMMAR
Past Simple vs Past Continuous
Past simple Form
*Regular verbs add -ed or -d to the verb:
want ➞ wanted hope ➞ hoped
Many common verbs are irregular (➢ See Web page: Irregular verbs):
think ➞ thought make ➞ made
To be is irregular:
am/is (not) ➞ was (not);
are (not) ➞ were (not)
We use the past simple:
for completed actions and events in the past:
We had an exam on Thursday.
We caught the coach.
for a sequence of actions or events:
I went round the shops, then I went to the cinema.
for permanent or long-term situations in the past:
I really enjoyed myself when I was a teenager.
for repeated events:
Jack’s grandmother went to lots of concerts.
She always asked for an autograph when she met someone famous.
➢ See also Past tenses B1 for further uses of the past simple.
Past continuous
We use the past continuous: we were travelling
for an activity beginning before a past action and continuing
until or after it.
The action is usually in the past simple: We did some revision
We did some revision while we were travelling.
When we were queuing for the cinema, we saw a famous footballer.
for two things happening at the same time:
He was buying a burger and all the crowds were walking past.
for repeated events, with a word like always or continually, especially if the speaker is criticising the activity:
She was always worrying about her homework.
(= Jack’s grandmother thinks she worried too much.)
for unfulfilled plans, with verbs like hope, plan, etc.:
I was hoping to find a new jacket.
(= but I didn’t find one)
! State verbs are nearly always used in the past simple, not the past continuous (➢ see Present Tenses B2):
I didn’t know him. (not I wasn’t knowing him)
used to + verb and would + verb
We use used to and would to talk about past habits when we are emphasising that they are no longer true:
I used to collect all the autographs of film stars when I was a teenager. (= she doesn’t do this now)
I would go up to town on my own. (= she doesn’t do this now)
Used to can describe actions and states, but would can only describe actions:
All the teenagers used to / would scream at pop concerts.
They used to be crazy about the Beatles. (not would be crazy)
! Notice the position of frequency adverbs (➢ see Unit 8) with used to:
I often used to study on my own. (not I used to often study)
! Used to is much more common than would.
be/get used to + -ing or noun
Be used to means ‘be accustomed to’. It can be past, present or future, unlike used to, which is a past tense.
I’m used to working at weekends. (= I often work at weekends, it’s normal for me now)
The question form is:
Are you used to working at weekends?
Get used to means ‘gradually become accustomed to’. It can be past, present or future, unlike used to, which is a past tense.
My new school starts at 7.30. I’m not used to starting classes so early but I guess I’ll soon get used to doing it.
(= My previous school started later, but I’ll soon become accustomed to the change and it won’t bother me.)
Be/get used to can be followed by -ing or by a noun/pronoun:
He wasn’t used to criticism and found it hard to accept.
(= People hadn’t criticised him before so he didn’t like it.)
My parents are getting used to a quiet house, now the children have all left home.
(= When the children first left, my parents found the house strangely quiet, but it’s gradually becoming normal for them.)
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