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Simple Past Tense New

This document discusses the simple past tense in English. It provides examples of how to form the simple past using regular verbs with "-ed" and irregular verbs. It then outlines five main uses of the simple past tense: 1) to express completed actions in the past, 2) to list a series of completed past actions, 3) to describe durations that started and stopped in the past, 4) to describe past habits, and 5) to describe past facts or generalizations. The document also discusses the placement of "when" clauses and adverbs, and how to form yes/no and question sentences in the simple past tense.

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116 views

Simple Past Tense New

This document discusses the simple past tense in English. It provides examples of how to form the simple past using regular verbs with "-ed" and irregular verbs. It then outlines five main uses of the simple past tense: 1) to express completed actions in the past, 2) to list a series of completed past actions, 3) to describe durations that started and stopped in the past, 4) to describe past habits, and 5) to describe past facts or generalizations. The document also discusses the placement of "when" clauses and adverbs, and how to form yes/no and question sentences in the simple past tense.

Uploaded by

Hamidi
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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IN THE NAME OF ALLAH

Simple Past Tense


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
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.

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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

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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.

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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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QUESTION FORM
Yes, she was hungry.
I Yes, she was.
He hungry? No, she wasn’t hungry.
Was She
No,she wasn’t.
It

Yes, we were.
We at the theatre
No,we weren’t.
Were You last weekend?
They

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QUESTION FORM

I
You
find your umbrella?
He
Did She Yes, I found my umbrella.
It Yes, I did.
We No, I didn’t find my umbrella.
You No, I didn’t.
They

Transform the sentences into Past Simple Tense.


 She is at the park now.
(+) - She was at the park yesterday.
(-) - She wasn’t at the park yesterday.
(?) - Was she at the park yesterday?
 She goes to the hospital to visit her friend.
(+) - She went to the hospital to visit
her friend last week.
(-) - She didn’t go to the hospital to
visit her friend last week.
(?) - Did she go to the hospital to visit
her friend last week?

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Why do we use Simple Past Tense?

Completed actions in the past.

- My mom made some pancake for us yesterday.

A series of completed actions in the past.

- I finished my work, walked to the beach, and


found a nice place to swim.

Fill in the blanks with the correct form of verbs.


1)Minnie________(bake)
baked a huge cake for
Mickey’s birthday party.(+)

broke
2)John________(break) a window while he was
playing football.(+)

3)____
Did you____(ask)
ask a question during the
lesson(?)

4)They __________(have)
didn’t have a picnic at the
weekend(-)

Were they at the party last night(?)


5)____

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