YESTERDAY last night, THREE DAYS AGO, a finished activity, DEFINITE TIME
We use the Past Simple tense to talk about many different kind of events: short, quickly finished actions or happenings, longer situations and repeated events.
- Peter broke a window last night. (short)
- I spent all my childhood in Scotland. (longer)
- Regularly, every summer, Janet fell in love. (repeated)
1. The Simple Past is common in STORY-TELLING and when we are telling people about past events.
- One day, the Princess decided that she didn't like staying at home all day, so she told her father that she wanted to get a job.
2. With reference to finished periods and moments in time:
- I saw John yesterday morning.
- I bought that jacket last year.
- Max returned from Madrid three days ago.
- When did you finish school?
- I went to the swimming pool yesterday evening.
3. Short, quickly finished actions and happenings:
- The birds flew away as he walked past them.
- Then he put the phone down.
- Pete broke a window last night.
4. Longer situations and repeated events:
- She lived in Italy when she was a child.
- She didn't like her English teacher at all.
- Throughout his life he suffered from back problems.
- Maria and Tom studied physics at university.
5. Repeated activities:
- Every winter we went to my grandma's.
- Dr Thomas visited 55 patients yesterday.
- Every morning they had breakfast before they went fishing.
USED TO
We use it for repeated activities in the past, and to refer to a habit.
It contrasts the present situation.
I used to smoke. (but I don't any more)
- I didn't use to smoke. (but I do now)
- When we were children we used to play in that wood. (a habit in the past, we don't play there any more)
WOULD
In telling stories we use WOULD to describe a habit (or predictable behaviour in the past)
- When she was a child she would sit in the corner talking to herself for hours.
- Sometimes he would bring me little presents without saying why.
- On Sundays when I was a child we would all get up early and go fishing.
WOULD / USED TO
- When we were children we WOULD / USED TO go skating every winter.
- I USED TO HAVE a Rolls Royce. (not: I WOULD HAVE a Rolls-Royce).
Would and Used to are similar, however, there is an important difference between 'would' and 'used to'. 'Used to' can be used to talk about past states as well as past repeated actions and habits, but 'would' is only used to talk about past habits.
'Would' is not used to talk about past states.
- When I was younger, I used to paint for 2 hours every day - correct - this is a past repeated action or habit, so 'used to' is acceptable here.
- When I was younger, I would paint for 2 hours every day - correct - this is a past repeated action or habit, so 'used to' is acceptable here.
- I used to be a painter - correct - this is a past state - 'used to' is acceptable here.
- I
would be a painter - wrong - this is a past state - 'would' is not acceptable here.
If a past action happened only once, 'used to' can not be used.
- This painting
used to be commissioned in 1856 - wrong.
- This painting was commissioned in 1856 - right.
