Simple past
When do we use the simple past ?
The simple past is used principally to talk or describe events or actions that started and
ended in the past, and there are some common expressions we use:( yesterday, last night,
a month ago, last week, yesterday afternoon) etc.
Here are the main uses of the simple past.
1 - Finished events in the past:
Examples:
- I saw a movie yesterday.
- William shakespeare wrote Hamlet.
- Christoph Columbus discovered America in 1492.
- He kissed her and left.
How do we spell regular verbs in the simple past ?
Most regular verbs take – ed in the simple past:
Walk Walked
Watch Watched
Open Opened
Ask Asked
There are some exceptions :
Verbs ending with –e we add only d ):
Live lived .
Like liked .
Verbs ending with a consonant + y ,the y changes to – ied ).
apply applied.
Try tried.
Study Studied.
Verbs that ends with one vowel and one consonant
([Link]),we double the last consonant before adding – ed.
Stop Stopped.
Plan Planned.
Grab grabbed.
Warning !!!
Be careful with verbs that end in the letter « e ». Since final « e » is not
pronounced in English, We have to go by the sound before that « e ».
Ex: Wave – final sound is v.
Which is a voiced sound,so waved would be pronounced wavd.
Same thing happens with : Smile, rake, wade, tame, etc.
An irregular verb is one that does not take the ending for the past simple form .
While most irregular verbs Change completely (Ex : buy -bought)
Some irregular verbs do not change (Ex: Put – Put)
How do we form the simple past (Regular verbs )
Affirmative : (Subject +verb (in past tense)+object).
Ex: I / you / he / she / it / we / they played football yesterday.
Negative : (Subject+didn’t+base form +object) .
Ex:I / you / he / she / it / we / they didn’t play football yesterday .
Interrogative : (yes/No question) ( Did+ subject +base form +object?)
EX : Did I / you / he / she / it / we / they play football yesterday?
(Wh-qustion.) Interrogative :( Wh word + did + subject + base form?)
Ex : What did I / you / he / she / it / we / they play yesterday ? Football .
How we form the simple past: ( Irregular verbs)
Affirmative: ( Subject+ 2nd form +object)
Ex: I / you / he / she / it / we / they went to the cinema.
Negative: (Subject + didn’t + base form +object)
Ex : I / you / he / she / it / we / they didn’t go to the cinema last night.
Interrogative (Yes/No question) :( Did+ Subject+ Base form +object ?)
Ex: Did I / you / he / she / it / we / they go to the cinema last night?
Interrogative (Wh question) : ( Wh word+ did+ subject+ base form +object?)
Ex: Where did I / you / he / she / it / we / they go last night ? To the cinema.
Exercises :
• Exercise :1 Put the verbs in brackets in the simple past form :
1- I…………….( work)for 3 hours and then I …………….( come ) home .
2- He is clever. He ………………………..(understand)immediately .
3- No ,we didn’t walk here .We ……………….(drive).
4- Mark…………( be) [Link] ………….(hold) my bag for me.
5- I don’t live there anymore . I …………….( sell) the house last year.
6-My parents…………….(be)very pleased ton see me.
7- Ali ………………..(throw)the ball and David ……………..(Catch).
8- She is a good artist .She ………(draw)a beautiful picture.
9-Is this your phone ? I ……………..(find) it on the floor.
10- They ………………( go) to London for a meeting .
11- The old man………….(begin) to fall asleep on the train .
12- Sara ……………(read) 3 books during her summer holiday .
13 Jane ..........................(see)me and ………………(wave).
14- The baby ……(sleep)for 10 hours .
Exercises:2 Put the verbs into the correct form (Simple past):
1- Adam……….( kick) the ball and ……………….( break) the window .
2- Ali ………………..(buy) me a tie for my birthday .
3- Do you like our car? We …………….(choose)it together.
4- Fifty people ………………( come) to the party .
5- I have a headache .I ……………(drink) too much water last night.
6- Sara isn’t hungry .She …………..(eat) a big pizza for lunch .
7- I think they …………….(go) to the park.
8- My mum……………….(make)a cake for my birthday.
Exercise :3 Put a tick ( √ )next to the correct forms of the past simple ,and cross out those which are
incorrect .
Wrote - √ Drinked Went Played Writed Swam
asked Walked Cooked Gived Spent Finded
Taked Flew Made Sended Buyed
meeted
Drank Took Left Found Winned
passed Gave Stoped Followed Sent Eated
cryed Met Comed Drove Bought Brought
Won cried stopped ate crossed
swimmed
leaved
Exercise 4: Make sentences using the
correct form of the past simple :
1- When/you/leave/the party? When did you leave the party.
2- When/you/finish/your exams ? ……………………………………………………………………..
3-I /wait/for an hour ,but he /not/phone. ……………………………………………………………………
4- you/watch/the news on TV last night ? …………………………………………....................................
5-Mark/stop/smoking/last month,and he /start/playing tennis again last week ……………………………………..
6-He /ask/me a question,but I not/know/the answer. …………………………………………………………………………
7-I/live/there for a few years,but I /not /like/the place. …………………………………………………………………………
Exercise 5: Look at the table and write questions
and answers:
• Yesterday Tony………
1- buy some food √
2- see his friends ×
3- play tennis√
4- buy a newspaper ×
5- go to work√
6- listen to the radio ×
1- Did Tony buy some food yesterday ? Yes , he did.
2-………………………………………………………. ………………
3-………………………………………………………… ………………
4-……………………………………………………….. ………………
5-………………………………………………………. ………………
6-……………………………………………………….. ………………
Exercises 6: Sara spent last weekend in
Madrid .Ask her some questions using Was or Were
.
• (your hotel/good?) Was your hotel good?
• (your room/comfortable?) ……………………………..
• (The weather/nice ?) ……………………………….
• (The streets/full of people?) ……………………………….
• (The shops/exciting at night?) ………………………………..
• (The museums/interesting?) ………………………………..
• (The people/friendly?) …………………………………
• (Your flight/ok?) …………………………………
