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EnglishPage - Simple Past

The document discusses the simple past tense in English. It explains that the simple past is formed by adding "-ed" to most regular verbs or using irregular forms. It provides examples of using the simple past to talk about completed past actions, durations, habits, and generalizations no longer true. When-clauses that provide background context for the main clause are noted to always refer to events that happened first chronologically.

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Armando Ramirez
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64 views

EnglishPage - Simple Past

The document discusses the simple past tense in English. It explains that the simple past is formed by adding "-ed" to most regular verbs or using irregular forms. It provides examples of using the simple past to talk about completed past actions, durations, habits, and generalizations no longer true. When-clauses that provide background context for the main clause are noted to always refer to events that happened first chronologically.

Uploaded by

Armando Ramirez
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Simple Past

http://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/simplepastforms.htm

FORM
[VERB+ed] or irregular verbs

Examples:
 You called Debbie.
 Did you call Debbie?
 You did not call Debbie.

Complete List of Simple Past Forms


Most Verbs
Most verbs conjugate by adding -ed like the verb "wait" below.

Positive Negative Question

 I waited.  I did not wait.  Did I wait?


 You waited.  You did not wait.  Did you wait?
 We waited.  We did not wait.  Did we wait?
 They waited.  They did not wait.  Did they wait?
 He waited.  He did not wait.  Did he wait?
 She waited.  She did not wait.  Did she wait?
 It waited.  It did not wait.  Did it wait?

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.

Positive Negative Question

 I had.  I did not have.  Did I have?


 You had.  You did not have.  Did you have?
 We had.  We did not have.  Did we have?
 They had.  They did not have.  Did they have?
 He had.  He did not have.  Did he have?
 She had.  She did not have.  Did she have?
 It had.  It did not have.  Did it have?
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.

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.

Positive Negative Question

 I was.  I was not.  Was I?


 You were.  You were not.  Were you?
 We were.  We were not.  Were we?
 They were.  They were not.  Were they?
 He was.  He was not.  Was he?
 She was.  She was not.  Was she?
 It was.  It was not.  Was it?

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.
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.

IMPORTANT When-Clauses Happen First


Clauses are groups of words which have meaning but are often not complete sentences.
Some clauses begin with the word "when" such as "when I dropped my pen..." or "when
class began..." These clauses are called when-clauses, and they are very important. The
examples below contain when-clauses.

Examples:
 When I paid her one dollar, she answered my question.
 She answered my question when I paid her one dollar.
When-clauses are important because they always happen first when both clauses are in the
Simple Past. Both of the examples above mean the same thing: first, I paid her one dollar,
and then, she answered my question. It is not important whether "when I paid her one
dollar" is at the beginning of the sentence or at the end of the sentence. However, the
example below has a different meaning. First, she answered my question, and then, I paid
her one dollar.
Example:
 I paid her one dollar when she answered my question.

ADVERB PLACEMENT
The examples below show the placement for grammar adverbs such as: always, only, never,
ever, still, just, etc.
Examples:
 You just called Debbie.
 Did you just call Debbie?

ACTIVE / PASSIVE
Examples:
 Tom repaired the car. ACTIVE
 The car was repaired by Tom. PASSIVE

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