Past Simple

Use of the Past Simple

The Past Simple is used to write and talk about completed actions that happened in a time before the present. It is the basic form of the past tense in English. Study the following information how to form the simple past and how to form the negation and questions.

Regular Verbs

How to form: Infinitive + ed = 2^nd form

Examples:

walk + ed = walked

laugh + ed = laughed

want + ed = wanted

Note:

cry - cried - y » i

carry - carried - y » i

love - loved - no e

hope - hoped - no e

stop - stopped - if you speak a short vowel » doubling

drop -dropped - if you speak a short vowel » doubling

Key words: yesterday, last week (month, Monday, October,...), in 1984, ago

Irregular Verbs

Irregular verbs lists: FRENCH / GERMAN / ITALIAN / SPANISH

Negation of the Past Simple

How to form: didn't (= did not) + 1^st form

He didn't go to her last party. They didn't like his story.

BUT: was not (wasn't), were not (weren't), could not (couldn't)

Questions in the Past Simple

How to form: did + 1^st form

Did he go to her last party? Did they like his story?

Where did they live? How did she feel?

Question word - did - person - verb

BUT: Was he angry? Were they late? Could they swim?

EXERCISES

Past simple - Exercise 1 - regular, irregular, negative forms

Past simple - Exercise 2 - regular forms

Past simple - Exercise 3 - irregular forms

Past simple - Exercise 4 - regular and irregular forms, story

Past simple - Exercise 5 - regular and irregular forms

Past simple - Exercise 6 - regular and irregular forms

Past simple negation - Exercise 1 - complete with the negative form

Past simple negation - Exercise 2 - write the opposite of the positive sentence

Past simple negation - Exercise 3 - write the opposite of the positive sentence

Past simple negation - Exercise 4 - write the negation of the positive sentence

Past simple negative forms - Exercise - fill in the negative form of the verbs

Past simple negative forms - Exercise 2 - fill in the negative form of the verbs

Past simple questions - Exercise 1 - form questions with did

Past simple questions - Exercise 2 - write questions to the statements

Past simple questions - Exercise 3 - complete with did, person and verb

Past simple questions - Exercise 4 - form questions

Past simple questions - Exercise 5 - complete with did, person and verb

Past simple questions - Exercise 6 - complete with did, person and verb

Forms of to be in the past tense - Exercise 1 - was, were

Past simple - grammar test

Forms of to be in the past tense - grammar test - was, were