5.40 Emphasizing time in the past: using adjuncts

When you are using past tenses, you normally use an adjunct of time at some point to indicate that you are talking about the past.

• At one time the arts of reading and writing were classed among the great mysteries of life for the majority of people.
• I've made some poor decisions lately, but I'm feeling much better now.
• It was very splendid once, but it's only a ruin now.
• It's Mark who lost his wife. A year last January.
• It was terribly hot yesterday.