§ 2. The Use of the Past Indefinite

We use the Past Indefinite to denote:

1. An action performed in the past

• with the adverbials of past time: yesterday, last week (month, spring, year), once, a year ago, etc.

E.g. I received a letter from him yesterday.

He was once stronger than he is now.

Connection with the past can be understood from the context or indicated by another past action.

E.g. ‘It happened three years ago when I was a student at London University. A friend of mine received a letter from home. It was a very strange letter. He decided to show it to me. I suppose he needed my advice…’

Very often the Past Indefinite is used with a FOR-phrase denoting a period of time which is over now.

E.g. They lived in Uman for ten years and then moved to Lviv.

She owned her car for three years and she sold it.

2. A general characteristic of a person in the past

E.g. He played tennis well.

My sister spoke good English.

3. An action in progress at a definite moment in the past or a past state

• with stative verbs (to hear, to see, to be, etc.)

E.g. That house belonged to my parents.

She was ill.

4. a future action viewed from the past in:

(a) adverbial clauses of time after the conjunctions: when, till, until, after, before, as soon as, etc.

E.g. He said he would wait till she came.

They knew that they would get dinner when it was ready.

(b) adverbial clauses of condition after the conjunctions: if, unless, in case, on condition that, etc.

E.g. They said I wouldn’t go unless I told them everything.

He said that if he got the tickets he would give me a call.

NOTE 1. The Past Indefinite can also be used in polite inquiries or suggestions which refer to the present or future with the verbs to wonder, to hope and to think. In this case it is more polite than the Present Indefinite.

E.g. I wonder/wondered if you could give me a lift.

I think/thought you might like some flowers.

I hope/hoped we could have dinner together.

5. A succession of past actions

E.g. I got up, took a shower, got dressed and left home.

He took a pen and a piece of paper, sat at the table and began to write a letter.

6. A repeated action in the past

• with adverbials: often, sometimes, every day (Monday, week, month, year), on Sundays, as a rule, usually, as usual, etc.

E.g. He often mentioned her in his letters.

We attended our sound lab every Friday last year.

NOTE 2. In modern English there are other special means of expressing repeated actions or permanent states in the past.

(a) USED TO + Infinitive denotes:

• repeated actions in the past

E.g. We used to go for a walk every week.

‘Did you use to smoke?’ ‘No, I didn’t use (to).’

• actions characterizing a person

E.g. He didn’t use(d) to like rainy weather.

She never used to be so difficult.

• states which lasted a long time

E.g. There used to be an old tree near the house.

I used to live in London. But two years ago I moved to Paris.

(b) WOULD + Infinitive denotes only repeated actions in the past and is typical only of literary style.

E.g. He would go out and sit on the bank of the river for hours.

We would get up at 5, help our parents, return to the house and eat a huge breakfast.

NOTE 3. We use the Past Indefinite, not the Present Perfect, to correct or to confirm expectations.

E.g. This book is more interesting than I expected.

She is just as beautiful as I imagined.

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE PRESENT PERFECT AND

THE PAST INDEFINITE

The Present Perfect	The Past Indefinite
1. denotes a completed action connected with the present. It cannot be used with the adverbials of past time;	1. denotes an action performed in the past. It is used with the adverbials of past time showing no connection with the present;
E.g. I have already read this book. I can give it to you now.	E.g. I read this book a few months ago.
2. is used with the adverb JUST;	2. is used with the expression JUST NOW;
E.g. He has just come in.	E.g. He came in just now.
3. are used with the adverbials of the type THIS MORNING, THIS AFTERNOON, TODAY, etc.
if the period of time is not over;	if the period of time is over and if the place of the action is mentioned;
E.g. I have written two letters this morning. (=It is still morning and I can write some more letters.)	E.g. I wrote two letters this morning. (=The morning is over. I can write some more letters, but this will be in the afternoon or later.)
I have seen him today. (=The day is not over. I can see him again.)	I saw him in the library today. (=The day is over.)
4. are used with a FOR-phrase that denotes a period of time
which is not over now;	which is over;
E.g. He has been ill for two weeks. I hope he’ll recover soon. (=He is still ill.)	E.g. At last he’s recovered. He was ill for two weeks. (=He is not ill now.)
5. is not used in questions with WHEN;	5. is used in questions with WHEN;
	E.g. When did you see him?
6. denotes a series of actions which can be continued;	6. denotes a series of actions which cannot be continued;
E.g. Thomas Brown is a young writer. He has written two novels. (=He may write another novel.)	E.g. Bob Johnson died yesterday. He wrote ten novels. (=He cannot write another novel as he is dead.)
I have seen this film twice. (=I may watch it again.)	I saw this film twice when I was a boy. (=I may watch it again but not as a boy.)
7. is used to introduce events (in news reports).	7. is used to give the details of events (in news reports).
E.g. The US space shuttle Columbia has returned safely to earth. …	E.g. …It landed in Florida this afternoon.

THE PAST CONTINUOUS TENSE

(THE PAST PROGRESSIVE)