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The past simple tense

Date: Oct 14 2007

Topic: Grammar

Author: samywaleed0

Lesson

We use the past simple to talk about actions and states which we see as completed in the past.

We can use it to talk about a specific point in time.

  • She came back last Friday.
  • I saw her in the street.
  • They didn't agree to the deal.

It can also be used to talk about a period of time.

  • She lived in Tokyo for seven years.
  • They were in London from Monday to Thursday of last week.
  • When I was living in New York, I went to all the art exhibitions I could.

You will often find the past simple used with time expressions such as these:

  • Yesterday
  • three weeks ago
  • last year
  • in 2002
  • from March to June
  • for a long time
  • for 6 weeks
  • in the 1980s
  • in the last century
  • in the past

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