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Past Simple

The document discusses the past simple tense in English. It provides examples of how to form the past simple of regular and irregular verbs. It also discusses the main uses of the past simple tense, which is for finished actions in the past. Finally, it provides examples of how to form positive and negative sentences and ask questions in the past simple tense.

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Rumyana Popova
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
16 views

Past Simple

The document discusses the past simple tense in English. It provides examples of how to form the past simple of regular and irregular verbs. It also discusses the main uses of the past simple tense, which is for finished actions in the past. Finally, it provides examples of how to form positive and negative sentences and ask questions in the past simple tense.

Uploaded by

Rumyana Popova
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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PAST SIMPLE

/talk about the past/

2 days
last ago
month 2 minutes ago

last yesterday
2005
week …

PAST NOW FUTURE


past

The verb To be in Past Simple

AFFIRMATIVE NEGATIVE

I was happy. I wasn’t happy.


wasn’t =
He was happy. He wasn’t happy. was not
She was happy. She wasn’t happy.
It was heavy. It wasn’t heavy.

We were happy. We weren’t happy.


weren’t =
You were happy. You weren’t happy. were not
They were happy. They weren’t happy.

QUESTIONS

(+) Affirmative They were happy. She was scared.

(?) Question Were they happy? Was she scared?

Short answer: Yes, they were / No, they weren’t Yes, she was / No, she wasn’t

WH – word: Why were they happy? What was she scared of?

I was born in 1982: Correct NOT I am born in 1982: Wrong


WHEN TO USE PAST SIMPLE?

The main use of the Past Simple is for finished actions in the past.

• I was born in San Francisco. • I cleaned my room.


• I forgot my key. • They always enjoyed visiting their friends.
• We saw a film on Saturday.
/the action happened within a finished period of time)
• I lived abroad for ten years.
• We travelled to India in 1999. They went to a rock concert last week.
• He bought a new car yesterday. I was afraid of spiders when I was a child.
She was at school between 9 am and 1 pm. /but she’s not there now/

I spent all morning cooking. /it’s the afternoon now, so the morning is in the past/
I lost my ring in Paris. /it is not the time that fixes the action in the past, but the place; I lost my ring
when I was in Paris, but I am no longer there/

Shakespeare wrote over 30 plays. /this was during his life; we know he’s not alive and the period of
time is finished/

To talk about SERIES of actions which started and finished in the past /actions that
followed each other in a story/:

Yesterday, I finished school, went to the store with my friends and bought a new dress.
I got up, had breakfast, left home and went to work.

TIME EXPRESSIONS USED WITH THE PAST SIMPLE:

• yesterday
• in + year/ month (in 1999; in April)
• last: last Monday, last week, last month, last April, last summer, last year
• ago: three days ago, two weeks ago, a month ago, two years ago; a long time ago
• when + past period: when I was a child; when we were on holiday
• this morning (when the morning is over); that day/afternoon; the other day/week; at eleven
o'clock, on Tuesday

HOW DO WE FORM THE PAST SIMPLE?

The form of the Past Simple is the same for all persons. Regular verbs are formed by adding -ed to the
infinitive of the verb:

• start → started I/ you/ he/ she/ it/ we/ they started to cry.

• walk → walked I/ you/ he/ she/ it/ we/ they walked into the room.
If a verb ends in -e, we add -d: If a verb ends in a vowel and a consonant, the consonant is
usually doubled before -ed.
agree → agreed escape → escaped like → liked
stop → stopped clap → clapped plan → planned

If a verb ends in consonant and -y, remove the - y and add -ied. But if the word ends in a vowel and -y, you add -ed.

try → tried carry → carried play → played enjoy → enjoyed

POSITIVE

Subject + Past Tense of the verb + object (s) + time expression

I went to the dentist yesterday.

QUESTIONS

(Question Word) + Did + subject + infinitive + object(s) + time expression

Did she play tennis when she was younger? Did you pass the exam?

Did you fail your exam? Short answer: ---- Yes, I did. / No, I didn't.

With Who we often don't use did:


Who discovered penicillin? Who wrote Don Quixote? Who scored the goal?

NEGATIVE

Subject + did + not (didn't) + infinitive + object(s) + time expression

They didn't go to Spain last year.

They didn't visit us for dinner last week. I didn't see you yesterday.

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