Forming the Past Tense

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was an Austrian musician and composer.

He lived from 1756 to 1791. He started composing at the age of five
years old and wrote more than 600 pieces of music. He was only 35
years old when he died.

The verbs "was, lived, started, wrote, died" are in the simple past
tense.

Notice that:

 lived, started, died are regular past forms.

 was, wrote are irregular past forms.

Forming the Past Tense of regular Verbs

The past form of regular verbs ends in 'ed'.

Regular verbs ending in a silent e take /-d/ in the simple past

and past participle: close=closed

Regular verbs ending in a vowel + y take /-ed/ in the simple

past and past participle: play=played

Regular verbs ending in a consonant + y take /-ied/ in the

simple past and past participle (the ' y' becomes an
' i' followed by /-ed/)
marry=married

All the other regular verbs take /-ed/ in the simple past and
past participle. visit=visited

Verbs ending in a...

3. consonant
1. silent e 2. vowel + y 4. other forms
+y
close = closed marry = married visit = visited
die = died play = played carry = carried miss = missed
phone = phoned destroy = destroyed study = studied watch = watched
show = showed finish = finished
fix = fixed
buzz = buzzed
Irregular verbs must be studied and learned individually. There is no rule for these verbs. You should
learn them by heart.

The infinitive The simple past

be was/were
write wrote
come came
do did
meet met
speak spoke

Here is a list of past forms of some of the most common irregular verbs.

 be - was/were  do - did  keep - kept  see - saw

 begin - began  drink - drank  know - knew  sell - sold
 break - broke  eat - ate  leave - left  send - sent
 bring - brought  find - found  make - made  speak - spoke
 build - built  fly - flew  meet - met  spend - spent
 buy - bought  get - got  pay - paid  take - took
 come - came  give - gave  put - put  teach - taught
 cost - cost  go - went  read - read  tell - told
 cut - cut  have - had  say - said  think - thought

The Affirmative form of the simple past:

I, you, he, she, it, we, they played, Wrote, did.

Examples: I played tennis with my friends yesterday.

I wrote a letter, and I did my homework.

The interrogative form of the simple past:

Did I, you, he, she, it, we, they play, write, do?

Examples: Did you play basketball yesterday?

Did you write a letter?
Did you do the homework?

The negative form of the simple past:

I, you, he, she, it, we, they did not/didn't play, write, do
 Examples: I didn't play tennis yesterday
I didn´t write a letter, and I didn´t do my homework
Put the verbs into the simple past:
1. Last year I (go) ___________ to England on holiday.
2. It (be) ____________ fantastic.
3. I (visit) _____________ lots of interesting places.
4. I (be) ______________ with two friends of mine.
5. In the mornings we (walk) _________________ in the streets of London.
6. In the evenings we (go) _______________ to pubs.
7. The weather (be) ____________ strangely fine.
8. It (not / rain) ___________ a lot.
9. But we (see) ____________________ some beautiful rainbows.
10. Where (spend / you) ________________ your last holiday?

Put the sentences into simple past.

1. We move to a new house. →
2. They bring a sandwich. →
3. He doesn't do the homework. →
4. They sell cars. →
5. Does he visit his friends? →

Write sentences in simple past.

1. Janet / miss / the bus →
2. she / tidy / her room →
3. Nancy / watch / not / television→
4. she / read / a book →

List of Irregular Verbs in English

Verb Simple past Past Participle

abide abode/abided abode/abided/

alight alit/alighted alit/alighted

arise arose arisen

awake awoke awoken

babysit babysat babysat

be was/were been

bear bore born

beat beat beat/beaten

become became become

befall befell befallen

begin began begun

behold beheld beheld

bend bent bent

beset beset beset

bet bet bet

bid bid/bade bid/bidden

bind bound bound

bite bit bitten

bleed bled bled

blow blew blown

break broke broken

breed bred bred

bring brought brought

broadcast broadcast broadcast

build built built

burn burnt/burned burnt/burned

burst burst burst

bust bust/busted bust/busted

buy bought bought

cast cast cast

catch caught caught

choose chose chosen

cling clung clung

clothe clad/clothed clad/clothed

come came come

cost cost cost

creep crept crept

cut cut cut

deal dealt dealt

dig dug dug

dive dove/dived dove/dived

do did done

draw drew drawn

dream dreamt/dreamed dreamt/dreamed

drink drank drunk

drive drove driven

dwell dwelt/dwelled dwelt/dwelled

eat ate eaten

fall fell fallen

feed fed fed

feel felt felt

fight fought fought

find found found

fit fit fit

flee fled fled

fling flung flung

fly flew flown

forbid forbade/forbad forbidden

forcast forcast forcast

foresee foresaw foreseen

foretell foretold foretold

forget forgot forgot/forgotten

forgive forgave forgiven

forsake forsook forsaken

freeze froze frozen

get got got/gotten

give gave given

go went gone

grow grew grown

hang hung/hanged hung/hanged

have had had

hear heard heard

hide hid hidden

hit hit hit

hold held held

hurt hurt hurt

input input/inputted input/inputted

interweave interwove interwoven

keep kept kept

kneel knelt/ kneeled knelt/ kneeled

knit knit/knitted knit/knitted

know knew known

lay lain lain

lead led led

lean lent/leaned lent/leaned

leap leapt/leaped leapt/leaped

learn learnt/learned learnt/learned

leave left left

lend lent lent

let let let

lie lay lain

light lighted/lit lighted/lit

lose lost lost

make made made

mean meant meant

meet met met

mislead misled misled

misspell misspelt/misspelled misspelt/misspelled

mistake mistook mistaken

misunderstand misunderstood misunderstood

overcome overcame overcome

pay paid paid

prove proved proved/proven

put put put

quit quit quit

read read read

rid rid/ridded rid/ridded

ride rode ridden

ring rang rung

rise rose risen

run ran run

saw sawed sawed/sawn

say said said

see saw seen

seek sought sought

sell sold sold

send sent sent

set set set

sew sewed sewed/sewn

shake shook shaken

shave shaved shaved/shaven

shear sheared/shore sheared/shorn

shed shed shed

shine shone shone

shoe shod/shoed shod/shoed

shoot shot shot

show showed shown

shrink shrank shrunk

shrive shrived/shrove shrived/shriven

shut shut shut

sing sang sung

sink sank sunk

sit sat sat

slay slew slain

sleep slept slept

slide slid slid

sling slung slung

slink slunk slunk

slit slit slit

smell smelt/smelled smelt/smelled

sneak snuck/sneaked snuck/sneaked

sow sowed sown/sowed

speak spoke spoken

speed sped/speeded sped/speeded

spell spelt spelt

spend spent spent

spill spilt/spilled spilt/spilled

spin spun/span spun

spit spat/spit spat/spit

split split split

spoil spoilt/spoiled spoilt/spoiled

spread spread spread

spring sprang sprung

stand stood stood

steal stole stolen

sting stung stung

stink stank stunk

strew strewed strewed/strewn

stride strode stridden

strike struck struck/stricken

string strung strung

strip stript/stripped stript/stripped

strive strived/strove strived/striven

sublet sublet sublet

swear swore sworn

sweep swept swept

swell swelled swollen

swim swam swum

swing swung swung

take took taken

teach taught taught

tear tore torn

tell told told

think thought thought

thrive thrived/throve thrived/thriven

throw threw thrown

thrust thrust thrust

tread trod trodden

unbind unbound unbound

undercut undercut undercut

underlie underlay underlain

understand understood understood

undertake undertook undertaken

undo undid undone

unedrgo underwent undergone

unsee unsaw unseen

unwind unwound unwound

upset upset upset

wake woke woken

wear wore worn

weave wove/weaved woven/weaved

win won won

wind wound wound

withdraw withdrew withdrawn

withhold withheld withheld

withstand withstood withstood

wring wrung wrung

write wrote written