Past Simple
We use the simple past for events that started and finished at a specific time in the past.
Time expressions such as yesterday last week, last year, in 2010, and so on, are often used
with the past simple.
Examples:
My father was a teacher many years ago.
We arrived on Monday.
This morning, the alarm clock rang, so I got out of bed and had a shower.
She did not like vegetables when she was little.
Did you watch the new movie last night?
We use used to + main verb in the infinitive for events or habits in the past that are no
longer true or current.
Examples:
I used to eat a lot of sweets when I was a child.
I used to smoke, but I have stopped.
Forming the past simple
For regular verbs, add –d or –ed
For regular verbs ending in a consonant+-y, change –y to –i then add –ed.
Examples
Walk- walked, want-wanted, live-lived
Study-studied, deny- denied
For regular one-syllable verbs ending in a consonant, double the consonant and add
–ed
Examples:
Shop-shopped, plan-planned
For the many irregular verbs, see the verb table.
For the negative and questions, use the past simple of do (did) as the auxiliary with
the main verb
Examples:
I did not go to the shop yesterday.
Did they visit their grandparents last weekend?
Exercises
A. i) Change the following sentences into the past simple. The verbs have been underlined to
help you. Remember to check the irregular verb table.
ii) Make the sentences you did in i) into past simple questions.
iii) Change the sentences you did in i) into the negative past simple.
Example: She plays in the garden
i) She played in the garden.
ii) Did she play in the garden?
iii) She did not / didn’t play in the garden.
1. John sees that I am angry with him.
2. She asks if you know who she is.
3. Just as I go out, the rain begins to fall.
4. He imagines that he knows everything.
5. The fog becomes denser as we reach the mountain top.
6. They all think that he is very wealthy.
7. She knows all too well what she is doing.
8. As we walk along, she takes me by the arm.
9. I see that she is baking cakes today.
10. He does not care what happens to the bicycle.
B. Change the following sentences into the past simple tense. All these verbs are irregular.
1. I sell the house.
2. We go home.
3. Is he writing a letter?
4. You catch the ball!
5. The do not feel ill any longer.
6. He runs home quickly.
7. She tears the paper into pieces.
8. The dog digs into the soil.
9. We eat fruit after dinner.
10. He throws the pebble into the pond.
11. She falls as she tries to regain her balance.
C. Add more detail to this dialogue, using the past simple where possible:
Why did you make
such a mess?
I was
searching for
something!
D. Using the present perfect and the past simple:
Ask questions with Have you ever…? Did you…when…? And When was the last time you…?
Then answer the questions. You could also ask follow up questions and give these answers.
Use the phrases below to help you, or make up your own questions:
act in a play – give a speech – perform in public – play an instrument – tell a joke
Example:
A: Have you ever acted in a play?
B: Yes, I acted in Macbeth in my last year of high school.
A: What part did you play?
B: I was Lady Macbeth.
You could also do this activity with a partner.
Irregular verbs
https://www.esl-lounge.com/reference/grammar-reference-most-common-irregular-verb-
list.php
