Past Simple - Revise

Past simple 

 The Basics

We use the past simple to talk about completed actions in the past.

• The Little Ice Age reached its extreme point in the 15th century in the Pacific Ocean. (The action is finished)

In a story, we use the past simple to talk about past events in chronological order; i.e. the main events of a story.

• In 2018, China prohibited 24 types of waste from entering the country. As a consequence, the market began flooding any country that would take the trash. Vietnam, Thailand or Indonesia eventually had to take similar measures to protect themselves.

We also use the past simple to talk about past habits or past states.

• Before recycling became popular, most waste ended up in landfills.
• Previously, we simply lived with dirty air.