Grammar at its best !!!

Past Tense
The Past Tense is used
To express an action that took place in the past;

Neil Armstrong landed on the moon July 21, 1967.

To express an action that went on for some time in the past; as, While I slept (was sleeping) she watched (was watching) a feature film on T.V set. To express a habitual action it the past; as, I taught (used to teach) students for sixteen hours a day for thirty years.

To express a repeated act in the past; as, He took tea every morning.

She danced every night.

The Past Tense cannot be used with an adverb or any other word which expresses the present time; E.g.

Incorrect: I did not pay the telephone bill yet. Correct: I have not paid the telephone bill yet.
Study the following sentences carefully The rain stopped (not has stopped) yesterday.

He died (not has died) of cold last night. She caught (not has caught) cold last night.

Examples: I found a wrist watch lying on the foot path last night. We swam in the river day before yesterday.

You stole my pen last week. He made many errors in the composition.
She insulted me on many occasions. It broke my heart into pieces. They sold out their old car.

Robert bought a new color T.V. set.

Britney sang sweetly. Children watched cricket match at the stadium. A gang of robbers broke into the house last night.

 A poisonous snake bit him on the foot.

The train stopped at the important stations only.

The doctor saved the life of a young man by performing a major operation in the nick of time. He deposited a large amount in savings bank account.

Grammar at its best !!!

Past Perfect Tense

The Past Perfect Tense is always used to show that some action or event had been completed before another began. It always indicates the priority in time of one event to another; hence it should be used only when it is intended to show that one event took place before another;
E.g. I had finished my work before he came to see me. The train had departed before I arrived at the station. The sun had set when we reached home.

It should also be noted that the Past Perfect should not be used in the place of Simple Past; E.g. He came (not had come) here yesterday.

Rule: - subject + had + past participle of root verb

Examples: I had read the directions before I filled in the application form. We had thought over for long before we chose this course of study. You had left before we returned home. He had saved a good deal of money before he settled his daughters marriage.

 She had prepared well before she appeared in the examination. It had rained heavily before the cricket match began. They had returned home before the cyclone came.

Dick had paid the bill before his phone was disconnected.
The doctor had investigated the patient before he performed surgery. The thief had run away before the police arrived. Mary had rehearsed before she sang in the competition. John had read all the instructions before he solved the question paper.

 Our team had practiced well before we won the match. The captain had won the toss before he elected to bat first. All the children had gathered at the school before they left for the picnic by bus.

Grammar at its best !!!

Past Forms of To Be
Person
First Person: Second Person:
Third Person:

Singular
I was. You were.
He was. She was.

Plural
We were. You were.
They were. They were.

It was.

They were.

Examples: (Affirmative Sentences) I was quite sure of his success.

We were very busy when you called us.

You were at home. You were quite wrong. He was ill last week.

She was an actress in her prime of youth.

It was too dark to see anything clearly. They were in the field from sunrise to the sunset. The sun was very hot all day long. The horse was lame in the left hind leg. The sky was cloudless.

 The ship was in the harbor when the cyclone came. There was a lot of fun at the party. The lion was fast asleep in the den.

Winston Churchill was the prime minister of England.

Socrates was a famous Athenian philosopher.

They were sworn enemies. I was ill for a couple of months.

Booker T. Washington was an American Negro writer and educator. There were many stalls at the fair. It was very cold. The man was dauntless.

 Our television set was out of order. Her paintings were worth seeing.

The road was long and dusty.

The mountains were bare. The sea was calm. You were out of spirit.

All household things were in disorder.

The patient was pale and weak. The house was neat and tidy. The food was tasty.

Her hair was jet black.

It was a golden opportunity. The sun was overhead when we set out.

 Her feet were dirty. The ground was wet owing to the overnight rain. The man was bald.

She was daughter of a rich landlord. I was at the railway station to see my friend off.
There were many people at the market. The doctor was out of station when I went to the dispensary. His house was amidst the mango grove. You were across the road when I called you.

My father was seventy when he died. Poverty was my childhood companion.

 Abraham Lincoln was the sixteenth President of United States. Alexander was one of the wisest kings. The well was almost dry.

Examples: (Negative Sentences) I was not at home when the postman came.
We were not responsible for what had happened. You were not present at my birthday party. He was not sick at all.

She was not a small girl then.

It was not your fault. They were not careless but over confident. You were not as busy as bee.

 John was not as strong as Tom. The food was not stale.

The book, I need was not available at any book stall. It was not a rumor. The medicine was not effective.
It was not a poisonous snake. The story was not interesting. It was not an old fashioned house as yours.

The two friends were not in good books with each other for many years. Your plan was not very successful. The shopkeeper was not an honest man.
There was no one to guide me.

 He was not a greedy man in the least. My stars were not favorable.

He was not a man of principle.

I was not sure it was she. He was not a young man. It was not a question of life and death.

It was not a matter of shame and disgrace to the family.

It was not a stormy night.

The kerchief was not smelly and unclean.

There were not many people at the market. It was not in the cupboard. You were not in New York at the time.

 He was not a paying guest.

She was not pregnant.

Her house was not far from mine. There were not any letters for me last month. There was no water for drinking.

He was not a lazy man.

Long ago, there were no good roads as they are today.

He was not on the train I was travelling.

The watchman was not in his cabin. I was not upstairs.

 The priest was not a greedy man.

The river was not very deep.

Fifty years ago, there were not so many schools and colleges.

The interview was not on Sunday.

The chairman was not a knowledgeable person. My wristwatch was not fast but slow by five minutes. Not a single shop was open on that day. I was not at home on Sunday.

Grammar at its best !!!

Past Forms of To Do
Person
First Person: Second Person:
Third Person:

Singular
I did. You did.
He did. She did.

Plural
We did. You did.
They did. They did.

It did.

They did.

Examples:

I did my best.
We did our duty. You did homework. He did cleaning.

She did washing.

They did cooking. You did a lot for me. We did house cleaning.

He did badly in the semi final.

 The bank did many schemes for the depositors.

He did the job of collecting junk for a living.

The company did a good deal of advertising before the product came into the market.

The women did all the packing of the parcels.

Grammar at its best !!!

Past Forms of To Have

Person
First Person: Second Person:
Third Person:

Singular
I had. You had.
He had. She had.

Plural
We had. You had.
They had. They had.

It had.

They had.

Examples: (Affirmative Sentences) I had a good bicycle.

We had a white horse.

You had a little dog. You had two cars. He had a lorry.

She had a pretty doll.

It had a round shape. They had many servants. Chris had a camera.

The boys had colorful kites.

The patient had a breast cancer. People had many facilities.

 The doctor had trained nurses to assist him. The grocer had all articles for sale.

My father had a gramophone.

You had a golden chance to join army. America had advanced destructive weapons. England had her sway almost all over the world. China had dominance in Olympics for over two decades. Nonviolence had tremendous impact on humanity. Africa had many gold mines. China had a large population to support. I had a large collection of postage stamps.

 She had all the pleasures of the world. Springfield had eleven attorneys.

Napoleon had wealth, power and fame except happiness. I had some sealing wax. The patient had 102 degree c. temperature.
She had many good friends. He had a big belly. She had a cat and a dog as pets.

I had a good deal of experience in teaching field. You had this problem. James had many marbles.
Carnegie had a large steel factory.

 They had a small cloth shop. He had a dandy gold watch.

The man had two bottles of honey for sale.

Germany had advanced technology. She had a lovely look. I had some trouble with my family.

It had lovely flowers.

The enemy had a good deal of ammunitions. He had enthusiasm and deep driving desire to learn. She had mastery on catering. You had a small but good library. She had a great faith in me.

Examples: (Negative Sentences) I did not have any idea.

We did not have any land for cultivation.

You did not have any kith and kin. He did not have sister. She did not have any offspring.

It did not have any taste.

They did not have capital for the business. He did not have peace of mind. She did not have faith in God.

Poor people did not have access to education.

Danny did not have bank account. He did not have any work.

 I did not have any difficulty in working out a mathematical problem. People did not have enough food to eat during famine. He did not have any house on a busy road. He did not have good income from this business. I did not have any difficulties to face for first five years. The farmer did not have any means of irrigation. The dog did not have a master. Our village did not have any school fifty years ago. Villagers did not have any interest in education.

 She did not have a bike. They did not have bullocks.

The blind man did not have any one to look after him. The boy did not have any desire to learn. The young man did not have voice for singing.
We did not have electricity for many years. I did not have any appetite. He did not have enemies.

We did not have time to spare.

I did not have experience. They did not have much profit from the business. The stranger did not have any one to help him.

 I did not have a wristwatch. She did not have ornaments to wear.

The farmer did not have agricultural equipments for cultivation. The Government did not have enough funds in the treasury.
He did not have any bad habits.

The patient did not have any strength left due to prolong illness.
She did not have a brother.

He did not have a pen to write with.

I did not have any problem. The doctor did not have enough practice and experience.

 We did not have enough food to waste.

I did not have invitation from them.

She did not have any information from her parents.

The child did not have shoes to wear.

He did not have any credit in the market. She did not have any educational qualifications. The doctor did not have any advanced medical equipments

Grammar at its best !!!

Past Continuous Tense

The Past Continuous Tense is used to show that an action was going on at some point in the past;
E.g.

I was sleeping when Chris came to see me.

I was reading when I heard a sound of explosion.

We were playing when the storm came.

You were dreaming when you heard a knock on the door.

Rule: - subject + was / were + root verb + ing

Examples: He was bathing when I came to his house. She was singing when father reached home.

It was raining hard when we set out.

They were drinking tea when I reached home. Harry was flying a kite when we reached the farm. Eva was cooking when I went into the kitchen. The boys were shouting when the headmaster came.

 The doctor was examining the patient when the lights went off. The teacher was teaching when the bell rang.

Grammar at its best !!!

Past Perfect Continuous Tense

The past perfect continuous tense is used to express an action that was finished at a certain time in the past, but had been going on till that time;
E.g. Rama had been studying for two hours when I called him. We had been waiting for an hour when the bus arrived. You had been making a noise for a long time when the teacher stepped in.

Rule: - subject + had + been + root verb + ing

Examples: I had been suffering for a week when the doctor was called. He had been working in the field all day when the darkness fell.

She had been cooking for two hours when the guests came. It had been raining for three hours when we set out.
They had been selling goods when the police raided the shop. Harry had been vomiting all night when the day broke.

 Merry had been singing for an hour when she lost her voice. The patient had been suffering from toothache for many hours when the dentist extracted it.