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EIC 2 Materials meeting3

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EIC 2 Materials meeting3

Uploaded by

2023110017
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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The Past Simple tense is used to describe completed actions in the past.

It is often used with


time expressions such as yesterday, last week, two days ago, in 2020, when I was a child, etc.

The sentence structure changes depending on whether the sentence is affirmative, negative, or
interrogative. Below is a thorough explanation of each type with examples.

1. Affirmative Sentences in the Past Simple

Structure:

Subject + Verb (past form) + Object/Complement

 If the verb is regular, add -ed to form the past tense.


 If the verb is irregular, use the second form (V2).

Examples:

 Regular verbs:
o I watched a movie last night.
o She played tennis yesterday.
o They visited their grandparents last weekend.
 Irregular verbs:
o He went to the store in the morning. (Go → Went)
o We bought some new clothes. (Buy → Bought)
o They wrote an essay for school. (Write → Wrote)

2. Negative Sentences in the Past Simple

Structure:

Subject + did not (didn’t) + Base form of the verb + Object/Complement

 In negative sentences, we use did not (didn't).


 The main verb stays in the base form (not in the past form).

Examples:

 I did not (didn't) watch TV last night.


 She did not (didn't) play tennis yesterday.
 They did not (didn't) visit their grandparents last weekend.
 Irregular verbs:
o He did not (didn't) go to the store in the morning. (Not "didn't went")
o We did not (didn't) buy any new clothes. (Not "didn't bought")
o They did not (didn't) write an essay. (Not "didn't wrote")

3. Interrogative Sentences in the Past Simple

Structure:

Did + Subject + Base form of the verb + Object/Complement?

 In questions, we use Did at the beginning.


 The main verb stays in the base form (not in the past form).
 We use a question mark (?) at the end.

Examples:

 Did you watch TV last night?


 Did she play tennis yesterday?
 Did they visit their grandparents last weekend?
 Irregular verbs:
o Did he go to the store in the morning? (Not "Did he went")
o Did we buy any new clothes? (Not "Did we bought")
o Did they write an essay? (Not "Did they wrote")

Summary Table

Sentence Type Structure Example


Affirmative Subject + Verb (Past) + Object She played soccer yesterday.
Negative Subject + Did not + Base Verb + Object She did not play soccer yesterday.
Interrogative Did + Subject + Base Verb + Object? Did she play soccer yesterday?

Interrogative Sentences with Question Words in the Past Simple

When forming questions in the past simple tense using question words (who, what, where,
when, why, how, etc.), we follow these structures:

1. Structure for Most Questions:

Question Word + Did + Subject + Base Form of the Verb + Object/Complement?


🔹 Examples:

 Where did you go last weekend?


 When did she arrive at the airport?
 Why did they leave early?
 How did he fix the computer?
 What did you eat for dinner?

📌 Notice that after "did," the verb stays in its base form (not past form).

2. Structure for Subject Questions (Who/What as Subject)

If the question word itself is the subject, we do not use "did" and keep the verb in past form
(V2).

🔹 Examples:

 Who wrote this book? (Not "Who did write")


 What happened at the meeting? (Not "What did happen")
 Who won the match? (Not "Who did win")
 Which company hired him last year?

📌 In these cases, the question word (Who/What) is the subject, so we use the past simple verb
directly.

Examples of Past Simple Questions with Question Words

Question Word Example Question


Who Who discovered America?
What What did she say to you?
Where Where did you buy that book?
When When did they arrive?
Why Why did he leave the party early?
How How did she solve the problem?
Which Which hotel did they stay at?
Whose Whose idea did they choose?

Practice Exercise

Convert these sentences into questions using the question words in parentheses:
1. She met her best friend at school. (Where)
2. They finished the project last week. (When)
3. He called his mother because he was sick. (Why)
4. The teacher explained the lesson clearly. (How)
5. Someone broke the window. (Who)

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. ❌ I didn’t went to school yesterday. → ✅ I didn’t go to school yesterday.


(Use the base form of the verb after "didn't")
2. ❌ Did she played tennis last weekend? → ✅ Did she play tennis last weekend?
(Use the base form of the verb after "Did")
3. ❌ She not went to the party. → ✅ She did not go to the party.
(Use "did not" for negatives, not "not" directly with the verb)

Practice Questions

Try changing these sentences into negative and interrogative forms:

1. He ate dinner at 8 PM.


2. They visited the museum last Saturday.
3. I wrote an email to my teacher.
4. She watched a documentary last night.
5. We bought a new car two months ago.

Past Simple Question Formation Exercise

A. Rewrite the sentences as questions using the given question words.

1. She visited her grandmother last weekend. (Who)


2. They bought a new car at the dealership. (Where)
3. He left the party early because he was tired. (Why)
4. We arrived at the airport at 7 PM. (When)
5. She borrowed my book yesterday. (What)
6. The students studied for the exam at the library. (Where)
7. They traveled to Japan last summer. (Where)
8. He learned English from online courses. (How)
9. Someone found my lost phone in the park. (Who)
10. She chose the red dress for the party. (Which)

B. Complete the dialogue with the question words below.


how often what when where which who why
Mia Hi, Henry. 1…………………………… did you do at the weekend?
Henry I went to the beach on Saturday.
Mia That’s nice! 2…………………………… did you go with?
Henry Matt and Alex.
Mia Alex West? 3…………………………… do you see him?
Henry Only two or three times a year. He doesn’t live near here any more.
Mia 4…………………………… does he live now?
Henry In London.
Mia Does he? 5…………………………… part of London?
Henry I’m not sure. North London, I think.
Mia 6…………………………… did he move?
Henry I think his mum got a new job. Anyway, 7…………………………… did you last see
him?
Mia Oh, about two years ago.

c. Put the words in order to make questions. Then write answers that are true for you.
1 homework / how much / last / did / you / night / do / ?
………………………………………………………..
………………………………………………………..
2 with / travel / did / to / school / you / who / today / ?
………………………………………………………..
………………………………………………………..
3 best / meet / where / you / did / friend / your / ?
………………………………………………………..
………………………………………………………..
4 first / teacher / who / your / was / English / ?
………………………………………………………..
………………………………………………………..

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