CBSE Class 11 English Grammar - Tenses (The Past Tense)

CBSE Class 11 English Grammar – Tenses (The Past Tense)

1. THE SIMPLE PAST TENSE

(a) Statements

Form. subject + Second form of the verb.
Examples:

She broke my pen.
They worked on a big farm.
I saw her in the market yesterday.

(b) Negative Sentences

Form. Subject + did not + first form of the verb.

Examples:

She did not finish her work.
You did not help me.

(c) Interrogative Sentences

Form. Did. + Subject + First form of the verb +……………………….?

Did you buy this book yesterday?
Where did they stop on the way?

Adverbs. Words indicating past time such as ‘yesterday’ ‘ago’, ‘last‘ etc.
Important Note. Use First Form of the Verb after did

The Use of the Simple Past Tense

To express an action completed in the Past with reference to the time of speaking; as,
I met a one-eyed sailor yesterday.
We visited Shimla last year.
To express a habitual or regular action in the Past; as,
When he was young, he always got up at 5 a.m.
She visited the temple every evening to offer prayer.
To express an event which occurred at a particular point in the past; as,
Edison invented the gramophone.
A truck hit a car and killed its driver.
To express an action which occupied a period of time in the Past, but has ended now; as,
He worked for eight hours (= is not working now).
I stayed at Manali with my uncle for ten days (= not staying now)
To express an action going on at the time stated or during the occurrence of another longer action; as,
While Rima sang, Tina danced.
Rohit read the magazine as he took tea.
She was watching the television when I went to her house.

EXERCISE 1
(Solved)

Fill in the blanks with the correct Past Tense forms of the verbs given in brackets:

I told him that he ………………………………… (not care) for me.
Captain Cook ………………………………… (discover) Australia.
She ………………………………… (sing) very beautifully at the function.
A thief ………………………………… (break) into our house last night.
When he ………………………………… (pass) his BA?
Prices ………………………………… (rise) by twenty per cent last year.
Nitish ………………………………… (come) back last evening.
Gandhiji never ………………………………… (tell) a lie.
When you ………………………………… (join) this job?
He ………………………………… (call) on me last night.
I ………………………………… (work) all day yesterday.
India ………………………………… (get) freedom in 1947.
We ………………………………… (buy) a new house last year.
………………………………… the sun ………………………………… (rise) at 5.45 a.m. yesterday?
………………………………… she………………………………… (visit) this place sometime ago?
It ………………………………… (not rain) heavily last summer.
She ………………………………… (eat) her dinner at ten last night.
He ………………………………… (not do) anything yesterday.
She has learnt English since she………………………………… (join) this class.
His health has improved since he ………………………………… (go) to Shimla.

Answers:
1. did not care, 2. discovered, 3. sang, 4. broke, 5. did (he) pass, 6. rose, 7. came, 8. told, 9. did (you) join, 10. called,
11. worked, 12. got, 13. bought, 14. Did………. rise, 15. Did…….. visit, 16. did not rain, 17. ate, 18. did not do, 19. joined,
20. went.

2. THE PAST CONTINUOUS TENSE
(a) Statements

Form. Subject + was/were + Present Participle (V1 + ing).
Examples:

I was writing letters all night.
The baby was weeping in the room.
The children were playing in the ground.

Note. Use ‘was’ with singular subjects. [I, he, she, it and singular Nouns]. Use ‘were’ with plural subjects [We, you, they and Plural Nouns]

(b) Negative Sentences

Form. Subject + was not I were not + Present Participle + ……………………………..
Examples:

She was not singing a song then.
They were not making a noise at that time.

(c) Interrogative Sentences

Form. Was/Were + Subject + Present Participle + …………………………… ?
Examples:

Was she combing her hair?
Were they waiting for the train?
Were you watching television ?

The Use of the Past Continuous Tense

(a) To describe an action that was in progress at a point of time in the Past or over a period of time in the Past; as—

She was having her breakfast at 8 a.m. yesterday.
At seven o’clock this morning, Mukul was doing his homework.
The boys were flying kites.
The girls were swimming in the lake.
What were you doing in the morning yesterday?

(b) To describe an action that was in progress when another action took place; as—

I was taking bath when the postman knocked at the door.
She was sleeping when the phone rang.

(c) To describe two actions going on at the same time in the past; as—

When Rome was burning, Nero was playing on the fiddle.
Father was reading newspaper, while mother was peeling vegetables.

(d) To show gradual development of a happening; as—

It was getting colder.
The child was growing like a mimosa plant.

(e) To express disapproval/irritation at a frequently repeated past action; as—

The servant was continually asking for hike in salary.
She was always quarrelling with her husband.
Those students were constantly asking foolish questions.
[The adverbs ‘always’, ‘constantly’, ‘continually’ indicate the frequent repetition of action]

EXERCISE 2
(Solved)

Fill in the blanks with the correct Past Tense forms of the verbs given in brackets:

When you telephoned me, we …………………………….. (play).
I saw her as I …………………………….. (pass) the street.
She came into the room while I …………………………….. (write)
I …………………………….. (rest) on the roof when it started raining.
She found that the milk …………………………….. (boil) over.
The dog …………………………….. (limp) because it was wounded.
We ……………………………..just (leave) when it began to rain.
He …………………………….. (cross) the road when a car hit him.
I dropped my watch as I …………………………….. (wind) it.
She jumped off the train, while it ……………………………..(move).
His sister was reading, while he …………………………….. (sleep).
While Anju was singing, Manju ……………………………..(dance).
Rohit ……………………………..(read) a magazine when the bell rang.
Who ……………………………..(talk) to you when I joined you?
What you …………………………….. (do) all day yesterday?

Answers:
1. were playing, 2. was passing, 3. was writing, 4. was resting, 5. was boiling, 6. was limping, 7. were just leaving, 8. was crossing, 9. was winding, 10. was moving, 11. was sleeping, 12. was dancing, 13. was reading, 14. was talking, 15. were (you) doing.

3. THE PAST PERFECT TENSE
(a) Statements

Form. Subject + had + Past Participle (V3 or Third form of the Verb).
Examples:

I had finished my work before sunset.
They had reached here when you arrived.

(b) Negative Sentences

Form. Subject + had not + Third form of the verb
Examples:

They had not solved the sums by then.
He had not left the office when I reached there.

(c) Interrogative Sentences

Form. Had + Subject + Third form of the verb + …………………….. ?
Examples:

Had you ever been to Kashmir before?
Had she not made coffee before the guests arrived?

The Use of the Past Perfect Tense

(a) To express an action completed in the past with the words already, before, never, ever, still, etc.’, as—

I had never visited Cochin before.
The guests had already left.

(b) To describe an action which was completed before another action took place in the past; as—

The patient had died before the doctor arrived.
We went to school after the rain had stopped.
They had cleaned the rooms when the guests dropped in.

Note. The longer/completed action is reported in the Past Perfect Tense while the shorter action which took place later is reported in Simple Past Tense.

(c) To express an unfulfilled wish/hope/intention etc. (with the verbs hope, wish, want, intend etc).

She had wished to become a doctor.
I had hoped to win the first prize.
He had intended to buy this hotel.

(d) To express an unfulfilled condition in the past; as—

If she had worked hard, she would have passed.
If we had hired a taxi, we would have caught the train.
If you had asked me, I would have helped you.

EXERCISE 3
(Solved)

Fill in the blanks with the correct forms of verbs given in brackets:

The train …………………… (leave) before I reached the station.
The guard refused us entry till he …………………… (examine) our pass.
He told me her name after she ……………….. (disappear).
Before I ………………….. (know) him, he lived in Delhi.
We …………………… (not brush) our teeth till the servant brought fresh water.
Scarcely he …………………… (step) out when it began to rain.
She …………………… (not pay) her fee till yesterday.
He …………………… (not revise) the course till then.
She …………………… (finish) her work already.
After I …………………… (take) rest I started reading.
The accident …………………… (occur) before you came.
When he …………………… (sleep) for two hours, I woke him up.
They left the hotel when they …………………… (take) meals.
Harit reached the school after the bell …………………… (go).
Rohit’s father wished he…………………… (pay) more attention to his son’s progress at school.
I wish I …………………… (accept) the offer.
I …………………… (never see) such a fine painting.
Hardly he …………………… (step) out when it began to rain.
He thanked the audience after he …………………… (finish) his talk.
The maid …………………… (not wash) the vegetables before mother arrived.

Answers:

1. had left 2. had examined 3. had disappeared 4. had known 5. had not brushed 6. had (he) stepped 7. had not paid 8. had not revised 9. had finished 10. had taken 11. had occurred 12. had slept 13. had taken 14. had gone 15. had paid 16. had accepted 17. had never seen 18. had (he) stepped 19. had finished 20. had not washed.

4. THE PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS TENSE
(a) Statements

Form. Subject + had been + Present Participle (V1 + ing)
Examples:

She had been living in Chandigarh before she moved to Delhi.
Kapil had been playing cricket since childhood.

(b) Negative Sentences

Form. Subject + had not been + Present Participle (V1+ ing) ……..
Examples:

She had not been trying to get a job.
It had not been raining heavily for a week.

(c) Interrogative Sentences

Form. Had + Subject + been + Present Participle (V1 + ing)… ?
Examples:

Had she been waiting for us since 2.00 p.m.?
Had he been suffering from fever since Monday?

The Use of the Past Perfect Continuous Tense

To describe an action which continued in the past for a given period of time; as—

We had been reading for two hours when you came.
The gardener had been watering the plants since morning.

EXERCISE 4
(Solved)

I ……………… (read) for an hour when the lights went off.
He ……………… (try) to solve the problems for two hours before he found the answer.
By 10 p.m. he was tired because he ……………… (work) since dawn.
They ……………… (wait) for the bus for an hour before it came.
He ……………… (sleep) for an hour when I went to his house.
The doctor ……………… (treat) the patient for three weeks before she died.
The farmers ……………… (plough) their fields for two months before it rained.
We ……………… (watch) the match for an horn* when it began to rain.
Ravi ……………… (look) for his pen for two hours when he found it in his pocket.
The workers …………….. (raise) slogans since morning when the police arrested them.

Answers:
1. had been reading 2. had been trying 3. had been working 4. had been waiting 5. had been sleeping 6. had been treating
7. had been ploughing 8. had been watching 9. had been looking 10. had been raising.

POINTS TO REMEMBER

Use Simple Present (First Form of the Verb) for
(i) habitual or oft-repeated actions.
(ii) universal truths or natural states.
(iii) permanent states.
(iv) future planned action.
Use Present Continuous (is/am/are + V1 + ing ) for
(i) an action in progress at the present time.
(ii) temporary state
(iii) definite arrangements for future
(iv) speaker’s disapproval of an oft-repeated action.
Use Present Perfect (has/have + V3) for
(i) an action just completed
(ii) an action/experience of past having bearing on present.
(iii) a past action, the time of which is not given.
(iv) a past action, which is still in progress.
Use Simple Past (Second Form of the Verb) for
(i) past habits/routines.
(ii) a series of past actions.
(iii) action occurring in the past, the time of which is given.
(iv) the action has ended and has no connection with the present.
Use Past Continuous (was / were + V1 + ing) for
(i) an action in progress in the past.
(ii) two actions in progress simultaneously.
(iii) an action in progress when another takes place.
Use Past Perfect (had + V3) for
(i) an action completed in the past before another past action.
(ii) an unfulfilled condition/wish/hope or intention.

Students often feel puzzled when a sentence conveys two actions. The following tips will be useful for them:

(a) Two past actions occur at the same time. Use Simple Past for both e.g.
When the police fired, the mob dispersed.

(b) An action in progress in the past when another action took place.
Use Past Continuous for the action in progress in the past.
Use Simple Past for action taking place in between; as—
I was taking my breakfast, when the door bell rang.

(c) Two past actions in progress simultaneously: Use Past Continuous for both the actions; as—
The players were playing while the spectators were watching them.

(d) An action completed in past before another action occurred.
Use Past Perfect for the completed action and Simple Past for the action that took place afterwards; as—
The students went home after they had finished their work.

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