The simple past expresses an action in the past taking place once, never, several times. It can also be used for actions taking place one after another or in the middle of another action.
Form of Simple Past
| Positive | Negative | Question | |
|---|---|---|---|
| no differences | I spoke. | I did not speak. | Did I speak? |
For irregular verbs, use the past form (see list of irregular verbs, 2nd column). For regular verbs, just add “ed”.
Exceptions in Spelling when Adding ‘ed’
| Exceptions in spelling when adding ed | Example |
|---|---|
| after a final e only add d | love – loved |
| final consonant after a short, stressed vowel or l as final consonant after a vowel is doubled | admit – admitted travel – travelled |
| final y after a consonant becomes i | hurry – hurried |
Use of Simple Past
- action in the past taking place once, never or several timesExample: He visited his parents every weekend.
- actions in the past taking place one after the otherExample: He came in, took off his coat and sat down.
- action in the past taking place in the middle of another actionExample: When I was having breakfast, the phone suddenly rang.
- if sentences type II (If I talked, …)Example: If I had a lot of money, I would share it with you.
Signal Words of Simple Past
- yesterday, 2 minutes ago, in 1990, the other day, last Friday
Exercises on Simple Past
Was or Were?
Positive Sentences in Simple Past
Answer Questions in Simple Past
Negative Sentences in Simple Past
Questions in Simple Past
Questions with Interrogatives in Simple Past
Mixed Exercise in Simple Past
Pool of exercises
Goldilocks and the three bears: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3
Exercise on the text “Chicago”Exercise on the text “Oxford”
Grammar Exercises - Simple Past Tense
Positive Sentences in Simple Past
Answer Questions in Simple Past
Negative Sentences in Simple Past
Questions in Simple Past
Questions with Interrogatives in Simple Past
Mixed Exercise in Simple Past
Pool of exercises
Goldilocks and the three bears: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3
Exercise on the text “Chicago”Exercise on the text “Oxford”
Grammar Exercises - Simple Past Tense
PDFS:
