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Past Simple
The Past Simple is
used for facts and events that existed in the
past. For example:
- I played tennis with some guys from
work yesterday.
- We stayed in Shanghai for five days.
Regular past simple
verbs are formed by adding "-ed" to
the verb. For example:
- jump -> jumped: The dog jumped over
the fence.
- walk -> walked: I walked 22 kilometers
yesterday.
- work -> worked: We worked together
as lawyers for 15 years.
Usage
The past simple is
used for a completed action. For example:
- We watched a movie at the weekend.
- She arrived on Thursday.
A specific time must
be given or implied. For example:
- I walked to work this morning. - A specific
time is given.
- I walked to work. - A specific time is not
given, but in context we would understand what
time is being referred to.
Negatives
Past simple negatives
are made with did and not. Did
is the past form of the verb to do. Did
and not are often contracted to didn't.
For example:
- I arrived in London on Monday. I didn't
arrive on Sunday.
- They stayed at the Vivaldi Hotel. They didn't
stay at the Carlton Hotel.
Because "did"
is a past form, the main verb doesn't change.
For example:
- We didn't live in Italy. Did
is a past form so live is unchanged.
- We didn't lived in Italy. Incorrect
Questions
Questions are made
by putting did before the subject. For
example:
- You lived in Japan. Did you live in
Japan?
- They stayed at the Vivaldi Hotel. Did
they stay at the Vivaldi Hotel?
Again the main verb
doesn't change, for example:
- You lived in Japan. Did you lived
in Japan? Incorrect
- You lived in Japan. Did you live in
Japan? Correct
Irregular Verbs
There are many irregular
past simple verbs in English, these do not add
-ed. Below are some of the most common
ones but there are many more.
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be - was/were
become - became
begin - began
break - broke
bring - brought
build - built
buy - bought
catch - caught
choose - chose
come - came
do - did
draw -drea
eat - ate
feel - felt
fight - fought
find - found
fly - flew
forget - forgot
get - got
give - gave
go - went
have - had
hear - heard
hit - hit
know - knew
learn - learnt/learned
leave - left
lose - lost
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make - made
meet - met
pay - paid
read - read
ride - rode
run - run
say - said
sell - sold
send - sent
shut - shut
sing - sang
sit - sat
sleep - slept
smell - smelt/smelled
speak - spoke
stand - stood
swim - swam
take - took
teach - taught
tell - told
think - thought
understand - understood
wear - wore
win - won
write - wrote
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Click below for exercises
using the Past Simple.
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