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I learned many usages of the past tenses
a) Past simple
1. Past action with a given time – I went home to the Philippines last September.
2. When the time is asked about – When did you lose your phone?
3. For an action that took place at a definite time even if the specific time is not mentioned – They came to China a long time ago.
4. Past habits – He drank a lot when he was younger.
5. Past facts or generalizations – India was a poor country in the past.
6. Series of completed actions – I woke up at 6am, took a shower around 6:30, had my breakfast at 7, then left for work at around 7:30.
b) Past continuous
1. Interrupted past actions - I was chatting with my friend when the power went out.
2. Used to indicate gradual development of past events – The smoke was getting thicker.
3. Specific time as an interruption – I was still studying at 4 this morning.
4. Parallel actions – I was preparing dinner while my son was playing computer games.
5. Descriptions – When the teacher arrived, some students were singing loudly and others were playing with their phones.
c) Past perfect
1. Completed action before another action in the past – She had cooked dinner for her kids before she went to the gym.
2. Third conditional sentences – If I hadn’t brought my umbrella, I would have been drenched in the rain.
3. Reported Speech – The director asked if we had eaten dinner.
4. Dissatisfaction with the past – I wish I had taken my phone charger. My battery is dead.
d) Past perfect continuous
1. Duration of a past action – They had been living in China for 8 years before they settled in Australia.
2. Showing cause of an action or situation in the past – I went for a massage because I had been working all day long.
3. Third conditional – If the kids hadn’t been misbehaving, the teacher would have taken them out to the playground.
4. Reported speech – The girls said they had been swimming with their friends the whole morning.
