Past simple
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This document provides information about using verbs in the simple past tense in English. It discusses how regular verbs are conjugated by adding "-ed", and lists common irregular verbs like "call", "have", and "be". It provides examples of using simple past verbs to talk about completed actions, series of actions, durations, habits, and past facts/generalizations. The document encourages practicing simple past verbs by making sentences and questions.
![FORM
[VERB+ed] or irregular verbs
Examples:
You called Debbie.
Did you call Debbie?
You did not call Debbie.](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/pastsimple-150322103542-conversion-gate01/85/Past-simple-2-320.jpg)
Past simple
- 2. FORM [VERB+ed] or irregular verbs Examples: You called Debbie. Did you call Debbie? You did not call Debbie.
- 4. Most Verbs Most verbs conjugate by adding -ed like the verb "wait" below. QuestionNegativePositive Did I wait? Did you wait? Did we wait? Did they wait? Did he wait? Did she wait? Did it wait? I did not wait. You did not wait. We did not wait. They did not wait. He did not wait. She did not wait. It did not wait. I waited. You waited. We waited. They waited. He waited. She waited. It waited.
- 5. Irregular Verbs Many verbs, such as "have," take irregular forms in the Simple Past. Notice that you only use the irregular verbs in statements. In negative forms and questions, "did" indicates Simple Past. To learn more about irregular verbs, visit Englishpage.com's Irregular Verb Dictionary. You can also use Englishpage.com's Online Irregular Verb Flashcards to memorize irregular verb forms.
- 6. Irregular Verbs (Have) QuestionNegativePositive Did I have? Did you have? Did we have? Did they have? Did he have? Did she have? Did it have? I did not have. You did not have. We did not have. They did not have. He did not have. She did not have. It did not have. I had. You had. We had. They had. He had. She had. It had.
- 7. Verb To Be The verb "be" is also irregular in the Simple Past. Unlike other irregular verbs, there are two Simple Past forms: "was" and "were." It also has different question forms and negative forms. Always remember that you DO NOT use "did" with the verb "be" in the Simple Past.
- 8. Verb To Be (Be) QuestionNegativePositive Was I? Were you? Were we? Were they? Was he? Was she? Was it? I was not. You were not. We were not. They were not. He was not. She was not. It was not. I was. You were. We were. They were. He was. She was. It was.
- 9. Modal Verbs Modal verbs behave very strangely in the Simple Past. The most important verb to remember is "must." Notice how it becomes "had to" in the Simple Past. "Must" becomes "had to": I must call my wife now. I had to call my wife yesterday.
- 11. USE 1 Completed Action in the Past
- 12. USE 1 Completed Action in the Past Use the Simple Past to express the idea that an action started and finished at a specific time in the past. Sometimes, the speaker may not actually mention the specific time, but they do have one specific time in mind. Examples: I saw a movie yesterday. I didn't see a play yesterday. Last year, I traveled to Japan. Last year, I didn't travel to Korea. Did you have dinner last night? She washed her car. He didn't wash his car
- 13. USE 2 A Series of Completed Actions
- 14. USE 2 A Series of Completed Actions We use the Simple Past to list a series of completed actions in the past. These actions happen 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and so on. Examples: I finished work, walked to the beach, and found a nice place to swim. He arrived from the airport at 8:00, checked into the hotel at 9:00, and met the others at 10:00. Did you add flour, pour in the milk, and then add the eggs?
- 15. USE 3 Duration in Past
- 16. USE 3 Duration in Past The Simple Past can be used with a duration which starts and stops in the past. A duration is a longer action often indicated by expressions such as: for two years, for five minutes, all day, all year, etc. Examples: I lived in Brazil for two years. Shauna studied Japanese for five years. They sat at the beach all day. They did not stay at the party the entire time. We talked on the phone for thirty minutes. A: How long did you wait for them? B: We waited for one hour.
- 17. USE 4 Habits in the Past
- 18. USE 4 Habits in the Past The Simple Past can also be used to describe a habit which stopped in the past. It can have the same meaning as "used to." To make it clear that we are talking about a habit, we often add expressions such as: always, often, usually, never, when I was a child, when I was younger, etc. Examples: I studied French when I was a child. He played the violin. He didn't play the piano. Did you play a musical instrument when you were a kid? She worked at the movie theater after school. They never went to school, they always skipped class.
- 19. USE 5 Past Facts or Generalizations
- 20. USE 5 Past Facts or Generalizations The Simple Past can also be used to describe past facts or generalizations which are no longer true. As in USE 4 above, this use of the Simple Past is quite similar to the expression "used to." Examples: She was shy as a child, but now she is very outgoing. He didn't like tomatoes before. Did you live in Texas when you were a kid? People paid much more to make cell phone calls in the past
- 21. Make sentences and questions in the past simple form and keep on practicing.