Simple Past Tense

-Form
-Meaning and Use
How do we form the simple past tense?

English has two types of

verbs in the past:
-regular
-irregular
Let’s read the following list of past tense
verbs….. Which are regular and which
are irregular?

walked regular
studied regular
taught irregular
gave irregular
became irregular
cried regular
lived regular
did irregular
Regular verbs are verbs that end with -ed
Simple form verbs: Past tense verbs:
walk walked

study studied

cry cried

live lived
 Rules for adding –ed:
 Add –ed to most verbs
 Drop the “e” and add “ed” to verbs that end with
“e” (smile= smiled).
 Change the “y” to “i” and add –ed to verbs that
end with a consonant and “y” (carry= carried,
study= studied).
 Double the consonant and add –ed to verbs that
end with one vowel and one consonant ( drag=
dragged, stop= stopped).
Irregular verbs are verbs that don’t end in
–ed……..
Sometimes with irregular
past tense verbs you
have to change the vowel
to make the verb past
tense:

become became
give gave
drive drove
forget forgot
Other irregular verbs have a different kind
of change…..you need to memorize
these!
teach taught

bring brought

leave left

hear heard

buy bought
Why do we use past tense verbs?

TO TELL THAT AN ACTION IS

COMPLETED!!!!!! FINISHED!!! OVER!!!
 Negative sentences

In Simple Present you use DO/DOES

In Simple Past you use

River Phoenix SMOKED

River Phoenix DID NOT SMOKE Attention!

He DID NOT drink alcohol

He took drugs He didn’t take drugs
 Examples:

Regular verbs
Joshua doesn’t drink coffee every day
Yesterday Joshua _______ any coffee. didn’t
drink
Marlene doesn’t play computer games 

She ________ computer games didn’t

play

didn’t
Bea and Cristian don’t go to the theatre on every went
Saturday

Bea and Cristian ______ to the theatre last Saturday

didn’t go
 Regular Verb (to
Regular Verb (to Short Short
work)
work) Statements Questions answer answer
Statements
+ + -
-
No, I
I worked. I didn't work. Did I work? Yes, I did.
didn't.
Yes, he No, he
He worked. He didn't work. Did he work?
did. didn't.
Yes, she No, she
She worked. She didn't work. Did she work?
did. didn't.
Yes, it No, it
It worked. It didn't work. Did it work?
did. didn't.
Yes you No, you
You worked. You didn't work. Did you work?
did. didn't.
Yes we No, we
We worked. We didn't work. Did we work?
did. didn't.
Yes they No, they
They worked. They didn't work. Did they work?
did. didn't.
Simple past timeline

For example:

"Last year I took my exams."

"I got married in 1992."

It can be used to describe events that happened
over a period of time in the past but not now.

For example:

"I lived in South Africa for two years."

The simple past tense is also used to talk about

habitual or repeated actions that took place in the
past.

For example:
"When I was a child we always went to the
seaside on bank holidays."
To be To be
Statements Statements Questions ?
+ -
I was. I wasn't. Was I?
He was. He wasn't. Was he?
She was. She wasn't. Was she?
It was. It wasn't. Was it?
You were. You weren't. Were you?
We were. We weren't. Were we?
They were. They weren't. Were they?
9-1 Let’s Practice

_______
Why did To learn English.
_______
you go to (I went to class to
______?
class learn English.)

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9-1 Let’s Practice

Did you eat

_________
breakfast
________? Yes, I did.
(I ate breakfast.)

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 9-1 Let’s Practice

Nothing.
_____________
What did you eat (I didn’t eat
for breakfast
____________? breakfast.)

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9-2 Let’s Practice

What did they see

__________________?

A movie.
SHORT ANSWER

They saw a movie.

LONG ANSWER

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9-2 QUESTIONS WITH WHAT

What did Joe see?

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9-2 Let’s Practice

What did you get for your birthday?

______________________________

A computer.
SHORT ANSWER

I got a computer for my

birthday.
LONG ANSWER

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