Helping Hints for the Past
Auxiliary Verbs Used with Past Tenses
Knowledge of auxiliary verbs used in various tenses is the key to correct tense conjugation. Here is a review of auxiliary verbs for past tenses:
Past Simple:
Use 'did' in the question and negative form to express something that happened at a specific moment in the past. Use no auxiliary verb in the positive form.
Example:
The backend didn't process the data.
How did they run background checks last year?
BUT:
The President broke the backbone of the internet.
Past Continuous:
Use 'was / were' in the past tense for the positive, negative and question forms in the past continuous tense to express what was happening at a specific moment in the past.
Example:
Tom was configuring the packet when the power went out.
I wasn't changing the wallpaper when your email arrived.
Past Simple Passive:
Use 'was / were' in the past for positive, negative and question in the past simple passive to express a past passive operation. Remember that the passive takes the participle form of the principal verb.
Example:
That router wasn't the wireless access point used to access the internet.
Was the adware removed by the anti-virus program?
Past Perfect:
Use 'had' in the past for the positive, negative and question forms for the past perfect tense to express something that had happened before another action occurred in the past.
Example:
That peer-to-peer network was never used for violating copyright law.
Was the peripheral manufactured in China?
Past Perfect Continuous:
Use the verb 'had been' in the past perfect for the positive, negative and question forms for the past perfect tense to express the duration of something that had been happening up to another past moment in time.
Example:
He had been working on creating ASCII pictures from old magazines for years before he found a market for the images.
We hadn't been surfing long before she downloaded a browser plug-in.