2. Past Simple and Past Progressive. Used to and Would.

Big picture (fast choice)

what to use?

Simple Past = a finished past event (completed point in a story).
Past Progressive = an action in progress in the past (background / “in the middle of”).
Used to = past habits or past states that are not true now.
Would = repeated past actions (routines), not states.

Simple Past: They launched a campaign in 2017.

Past Progressive: They were researching the market at that time.

Used to: This building used to be a studio. (state)

Would: Every Friday, we would meet to review results. (routine action)

1) Simple Past (finished past)

V2 / did + base

Form

Regular verbs: verb + -ed (work → worked)
Irregular verbs: special forms (go → went, buy → bought)

Negatives / Questions

Negative: didn’t + base verb
Question: Did + subject + base verb?

Typical time markers: yesterday, last week/month/year, two days ago, in 2017, when I was a child.

Practice A — Simple Past form (including did + base)

1 In 2017, the company a store in China. (open)

2 At first, customers the dolls. (not + buy)

3 Negative with didn’t: They didn’t the product. (buy)

4 customers the ad? (do + like)

5 They Malaysia a few times last year. (visit)

2) Past Progressive (action in progress in the past)

was/were + V-ing

Form: was/were + verb-ing

Use it for background or actions in progress at a specific past time.

Negative: wasn’t / weren’t + V-ing
Question: Was/Were + subject + V-ing?

At that time, they were developing a new campaign.

Customers weren’t buying the product then.

Practice B — Past Progressive form

6 At that time, they on a new campaign. (work)

7 During that period, customers the product. (not + buy)

8 they at that moment? (be + research)

9 Last night at 9 p.m., I the report. (write)

3) Contrast: background vs main event

PP (background) + SP (interrupt)

Past Progressive often sets the background. Simple Past is the main event that happens (often interrupting).

They were discussing the plan when sales dropped.

Practice C — Build the contrast

10 We about the slogan when the CEO . (talk + call)

11 They research when the problem . (do + appear)

12 In those years, costs quickly. (increase)

13 He the local team three times last week. (meet)

4) Important rule: stative verbs usually don’t use -ing

know / believe / want / need…

Stative verbs describe states, not actions, so they are usually not progressive (even in the past).

✅ They knew the ad wouldn’t work.

❌ They were knowing… (usually wrong)

Practice D — Stative verb: use Simple Past (not -ing)

14 They the strategy wouldn’t work. (know)

15 Customers affordable prices. (want)

16 The company the local culture. (understand)

5) Time clauses (order of events)

after / before / once / until / as soon as

Time words can introduce a time clause: after, before, once, when, while, until, as soon as.

Comma rule:

Time clause first → comma: After the store opened, customers came in.
Main clause first → no comma: Customers came in after the store opened.

Practice E — Choose the best time word

17 the store opened, customers came in.

18 They researched the market they launched the campaign.

19 they lowered the price, sales improved.

20 Sales didn’t improve they changed the message.

21 Choose punctuation: “After the store opened customers came in.”

6) Using when and while with past tenses

two key patterns

Pattern A (background + interruption): Past Progressive + when + Simple Past

Pattern B (two actions in progress): Past Progressive + while + Past Progressive

They were developing a campaign when the results came in.

While they were studying local culture, they were designing the ads.

Practice F — Fill the gaps (use correct past tense)

22 The head of marketing when I . (speak + arrive)

23 We the focus group when someone a cultural issue. (watch + mention)

24 While they on the campaign, they a new audience. (work + discover)

25 While they local culture, they the ads. (study + prepare)

7) Used to (past habits OR past states — not true now)

used to + base

Positive: used to + base verb
Negative: didn’t use to + base verb
Question: Did + subject + use to + base verb?

Important: Used to can describe states (be, know, like…).

Practice G — Used to (habit or state)

26 This building a cinema, but now it’s an office. (be)

27 We local markets, but now we do. (not + target)

28 you TV ads a lot? (watch)

29 I his name, but I forgot it. (know)

8) Would (past repeated actions only)

would + base (actions)

Would is for repeated past actions (routines): Every Friday, we would meet…
Would is NOT for states. Use Simple Past or Used to for states.

✅ Every Friday, we would meet to review ads.

✅ Ten years ago, companies were not sensitive to local customs. (state)

Practice H — Would vs Used to vs Simple Past

30 In the past, our team meet every Friday to review ads.

31 Ten years ago, companies not sensitive to local customs.

32 When I was a student, I hate marketing, but now I enjoy it.

9) Quick “avoid mistakes” review

base form + correct tense

After used to and would, use the base form.
Past Progressive = was/were + -ing.
Use Simple Past for specific completed events.
Use Past Progressive for background information.

Practice I — Fix the sentence (type only the corrected part)

33 He used to in Malaysia. (live)

34 We would one advertisement for all markets. (create)

35 They local culture when the issue appeared. (study)

36 The company the strategy until 2020. (not + change)

Show all answers

opened
didn't buy / did not buy
buy
Did / like
visited
were working
weren't buying / were not buying
Were / researching
was writing
were talking / called
were doing / appeared
were increasing
met
knew
wanted
understood
after
before
as soon as
until
comma
was speaking / arrived
were watching / mentioned
were working / discovered
were studying / were preparing
used to be
didn't use to target / did not use to target
Did / use to
used to know
would
were
used to
live
create
were studying
didn't change / did not change