Just as the present tense has four forms, the past tense also has four forms as shown below:

Read the sentences given below:

• I worked. (Simple past tense)
• I was working. (Past continuous tense)
• I had worked. (Past perfect tense)
• I had been working. (Past perfect continuous tense)

All these sentences refer to the past time.

The verb in sentence 1 is said to be in the simple past or past indefinite tense because it just makes a simple statement about an action – the action of working – without stating whether the action is complete or incomplete. In that sense, the statement is indefinite.

In sentence 2, the verb shows that the action was continuing for sometime in the past. Hence the tense of the verb is called past continuous.

In sentence 3, the verb indicates that the action had been completed before some other action or point of time in the past and hence the tense of the verb is called past perfect.

Note that when two past actions have to be mentioned, the past perfect tense is used for the earlier of the two, and the simple past for the later.

• I had finished my studies before I went to the library.

In sentence 4, the verb is said to be in the past perfect continuous tense, because it indicates that the action of working which started sometime in the past had been continuing till another action or point of time in the past. An example would make this clear.

His parents had been giving him money till he became financially independent.

Related posts:

1. Tenses