1

Past Time
Isabel Allende:
Precious Past
Moments

Focus on Grammar 5
Part I, Unit 2
By Ruth Luman, Gabriele Steiner, and BJ Wells
Copyright 2006. Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Simple Past
Use the simple past to describe actions,
events, or states at a specific past time.
Isabel Allende grew up in
South America.
In the 1950s, she attended a
private school in Bolivia.
now
past

future

Past Progressive
Use the past progressive to express an action that
was in progress (not finished) in the past.
Allende was working for the United Nations. . .
. . . when she married her first husband in 1962.
1962
past

now
future

Present Perfect
Use present perfect to express actions, events,
or states completed at an indefinite time in the
past.
Isabel Allende has lived in Peru, Chile,
and Venezuela.
She has done numerous lecture tours
in America and Europe.
now
past

future

Simple Past vs. Present Perfect

Present perfect: for events at an indefinite time in the past
Simple past: for events at a definite time in the past

Isabel Allende has traveled all over

Europe.
In 1964, she traveled all over
Europe with her husband and daughter.
1964
past

now
future

Practice 1
past

Example:
She
had
(have)
herher
daughter in 1963.
1963

She
1.
(work)
has worked
for several
for
several
magazines
magazines.

Form sentences with

present perfect or
simple past.
now

future

She
4.
(live)
hasinlived
the U.S.
in the
forU.S.
forover
over15
15years
years.
She
married
second
3. (marry)
herher
second
husband
in 1988.
husband
in 1988
She
moved
Venezuela
2. (move)
to to
Venezuela
with
herher
family
in 1975.
with
family
in 1975

Past with Used To

Use used to + base form to show habitual
events that were true in the past but not today.
She used to be on the editorial staff
of a Chilean magazine called Paula.
She used to write many humorous
and feminist articles for that magazine.
now
past

future

Past Perfect 1
Use the past perfect to express events that
happened before a past event.
Allende had published many magazine articles . . .
. . . before she wrote her famous novel House of Spirits.

now
past

future

before
past event

past
event

Past Perfect 2
The past perfect is often used with by or by the time.
The by clause may precede or follow the main clause.
By the time Isabel Allende returned to Chile in 1991 . . .
. . . fifteen years had gone by.
fifteen years
past

now
future

1976

1991

Practice 2

Form sentences with simple

past and past perfect using
before.

She
worked for
(work)had
for the
United
Nations
United
Nations
Example: the
before
(have)she
her had her
son
Nicolas
son
Nicolas.
past

She
been a
1.
(be)had
a contributor
to Mampato to
contributor
Magazine
Mampato
magazine(direct)
before
the
magazine
she directed
the
magazine.

now
future

Isabel
published
2. Isabelhad
(publish)
severalnovels
novels before she
several
started a trilogy for
young
(start)
a
trilogy for
adults.

young adults

Past with Was / Were Going To

Use was / were going to + base form to describe
events that were supposed to happen but did not.
Isabel Allende was going to stay in Chile, but after the
military coup in 1973, she had to leave the country.
In 1978, they were going to separate, but Allende
soon returned to her husband.
now
past

did not
happen

future

Practice 3
Example:

Form sentences with

was / were going to.

Allende
was going She
to live
Allende planned
hadintoChile,
flee
to live
Chile.
but
shein had
to flee the
thecountry.
country.

She
was going
a letter,
She planned
to to write
The letter
turned
writethe
a letter.
a novel.
but
letter turnedinto
into
a novel.

They planned
to toThey
in
They
were going
staydivorced
together,
staythey
together.
but
divorced in1987.
1987.

References
Copyright 2006 Pearson Education
and its licensors. All rights reserved.
Photo Credits:
Isabel Allende Loria Barra