Grammar: Past tense on the web-site for teachers and learners of English as a secondary language from a German point of view
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Grammar: simple past tense and Past progressive


 
Forms
  • looked [t]     after voiceless consonants    
    moved [d]    after voiced consonants and vowels 
    started [id]   after t and d
  • went     2nd form of irregular verbs
Functions
  • actions completed in the past at a definite time
  • narrative
Curriculum 1. Lehrplan:
  • Klasse 6
  • Kontrastierung mit present perfect tense Klasse 7
  • Wiederholung Klasse 9/10
2. Lehrbuch:
previously done:
  • present perfect - regular verbs : -ed
Difficulties 1. forms
  • pronunciation of -ed
  • irregular verbs
  • questions and negations with "to do"
2. function
  • reported speech
  • interrupting a progressive action in the past progressive
  • following an action in past perfect tense
3. inter-, intralingual interferences
  • different usage of the tense in spoken English or German
  • contrasts to present perfect tense
  • if-clauses type II
4. other difficulties
  • often used together with the past perfect or past progressive tense
  • ......ago
  • before
  • after
Situations
  • story-telling
  • reports
  • narration of past events
  • fairy tales

 

Past progressive
 

Forms
  • I / He / She / It  was      looking 
  • You / We / They were   looking
Functions
  • apparently continuous uninterrupted actions in the past
  • perhaps suddenly interrupted by an action in simple past tense
  • description (of pictures in picture stories)
Curriculum 1. Lehrplan:
  • Klasse 7
  • Verbindung mit simple past tense Klasse 7
  • Wiederholung Klasse 9/10
2. Lehrbuch:
previously done:
  • present progressive
  • past tens of to be
Difficulties 1. forms
  • was vs. were
2. function 3. inter-, intralingual interferences
  • different usage of the tense in spoken English or German
4. other difficulties
  • when
  • while
Situations
  • curriculum vitae
  • letters of application
  • narration of past events going on before they were suddenly interrupted
<Click here and you will always get back to the table of contents
Table of Contents 		Example:
"simple past tense"		 HOMEback to the homepagePAGE to the top back to the previous page back to
"present perfect
with since and for"		 go on to
Passive voice		 on to the next page