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Guide to Past Tenses – TOEIC® Preparation

Flow Exam team

Past Tenses in English

The English language has 2 main forms to express the past:

  • The Simple Past (prétérit simple): Last summer, I traveled to Japan
  • The Past Continuous (prétérit continu): I was working when she called
⚠️ Technically, the present perfect and the past perfect can also express past notions, but these structures are the subject of specific dedicated lessons
The terms prétérit and past simple refer to exactly the same verb form; they are simply two distinct names.
The past continuous, the progressive past (prétérit progressif), and the past continuous (prétérit continu) are also perfect synonyms referring to the same grammatical structure.

Usage Situations

Each of these two forms corresponds to specific uses and distinct contexts.

The Simple Past is used to express:

  • a completed and finished action: Two years ago, I visited New York
  • a sequence of past events: She opened the door, switched off the lights, and left the building.
  • a past habit: During my childhood, I read comics every evening.
  • historical facts or realities: In ancient Rome, citizens spoke Latin.

The Past Continuous is used to express:

  • an action in progress at a specific moment in the past: At 9 AM yesterday, I was attending a meeting.
  • an action interrupted by a sudden event: I was taking a shower when someone knocked on the door.
  • two parallel actions in the past: While she was preparing lunch, he was cleaning the house.
  • the setting or atmosphere of a narrative: The wind was blowing, and dark clouds were gathering in the sky.

Practice Exercise for the TOEIC®

Select the correct form:

  1. While I __ (to watch) TV, my sister __ (to read) a magazine.
  2. Last summer, we __ (to travel) to Spain and __ (to discover) Barcelona.
  3. He __ (to write) an email when his computer __ (to crash).
  4. During my teenage years, I __ (to practice) tennis every Saturday.
  5. The moon __ (to shine) and the stars __ (to twinkle) when they left.

To access the full answer key for this exercise, click here

In-depth Resources

To perfectly master these structures, discover our detailed courses that delve into each form:

  1. The Simple Past to succeed in the TOEIC®
  2. The Past Continuous to excel at the TOEIC®
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