Past Time Expressions

Last month, we studied some prepositions of time. Now we are studying the past, it’s time to add some new expressions:

Time Expressions Often Used in the Past

last- used when speaking about the previous week, month or year

Example: They went on holiday last month.

yesterday- used when speaking about the previous day

Example: I was with my best friend yesterday.

ago- used when speaking about X days, weeks, months, years before. NOTE: ‘ago’ follows the number of days, weeks, etc.

Example: We went to Cleveland three weeks ago.

for- used with a period of time.

Example: We lived in Paris for three years.

when- used with a past time clause

Example: I played tennis when I was a teenager

And, of course, the prepositions of time we studied in January:

Example: She was in Merbourne in 1976.

 I was at school on Monday.

We were at home at 7pm.

Ready to try some exercises? Exercise 1, exercise 2, exercise3

Source: EOI Elx