Past simple & past continuous

The past simple is used: for an action which happened at a definite time in the past. The time is stated, already known or implied. E.g. They spent their holidays in Switzerland. They had a great time. for actions which happened immediately one after the other in the past. E.g. First, he read the message, then he called his boss. for past habits or states which are now finished. In such cases we can use the expressions used to and would (only for past actions). E.g. People traveled / used to travel / would travel by carriage in those days. to talk about the lives of people who are no longer alive. E.g. Marilyn Monroe starred in a number of successful films. The past simple is used with the following time expressions: yesterday, last night / week / month, etc., two days / weeks ago, then, the other day, When..? How long ago…?, in 1992 / 1845, etc.

The past continuous is used: for an action which was in progress at a stated time in the past. We do not mention when the action started or finished. E.g. At three o’clock we were discussing this problem. for an action which was in progress when another action interrupted it. We use the past continuous for the action in progress (longer action) and the past simple for the action which interrupted it (shorter action). E.g. He was walking when he met his friend. for two or more simultaneous actions. E.g. They were making notes while he was making the report. to describe the atmosphere, the setting, etc. in the introduction to a story before we describe the main events. E.g. We were riding through the forest. The sun was shining and birds were singing. The past continuous is used with the following time expressions: when, while, as, all day / night / morning, at .. o’clock, etc.

Used to / Would

• We use used to to refer to past habits or states. In such cases, used to can be replaced by the past simple with no difference in meaning. E.g. He used to go out a lot when he was younger. / He went out a lot when he was younger. (But now he doesn’t) She used to be angry when she was single. / She was angry when she was single. (But now she isn’t.)

• We use would to refer to past habits but not to states. E.g. He would smoke many years ago. / He used to smoke many years ago.

Past Simple versus Present Perfect

We use the past simple for an action which happened at a definite time in the past. This time is stated, already known or implied. E.g. Kate Steele wrote her first novel in 1970. We use the past simple for an action which began and finished in the past. E.g. George Brown was a basketball player for 10 years. (Now he is a coach.)

We use the present perfect for an action which happened at an unstated time in the past, that is, when the exact time is neither mentioned nor implied. E.g. Kate Steele has written a lot of successful novels. We use the present perfect or the present perfect continuous for an action which started in the past and continues up to present. E.g. Jim has worked / has been working as a lawyer for 15 years. (He began working 15 years ago as a lawyer and he is still a lawyer.)

• We use the present perfect to announce a piece of news, and the past simple or past continuous to give more details about it. E.g. I’ve just seen the new boss. I was taking to my colleague when he came in.