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Tuesday 31 December 2013

Grammar (6): The Simple Past
(Level: Elementary to Pre-Intermediate / A2 to B1 / * to **)


Form:
Two types of verbs

1. Regular verbs

       + ED (to the infinitive)        

   work  ----  worked          answer --- answered           ask --- asked


        + D (to the infinitive ending in -e)

   love ---- loved                like  ---- liked

 

The rules about doubling the final consonant when adding -ing also apply when adding -ed (if the consonant is preceded by a short vowel)                          


   stop ----  stopped          chat ----  chatted          
  travel --- travelled (in British English) /  traveled (in American English)
  admit --- admitted (double 't' because stress on second syllable)
  BUT: happen --- happened (one 'n' because stress on first syllable)




The verbs ending in -y following a consonant change the y into i before -ed

    carry -----  carried           bury  -----  buried

  BUT : obey ---- obeyed          survey – surveyed          enjoy --- enjoyed



Example of a regular verb (to work) in the simple past
Note the use of DID + S + infinitive (questions) and DID NOT / DIDN'T + infinitive (negations)!


positive
negative
negative  (contractions)
interrogative
I worked
You worked
He / She  worked
We worked
You worked
They worked
I did not work
You did not work
He / She did not work
We did not work
You did not work
They did not work
I didn’t work
You didn’t work
He / She didn’t work
We didn’t work
You didn’t work
They didn’t work
Did I work?
Did you work?
Did he / she work?
Did we work?
Did you work?
Did they work?

The -ed (or -d) form is used only in positive sentences!


2. Irregular verbs

a) Auxiliaries and among them...

-BE


positive
negative
negative (contractions)
Interrogative
I was
You were
He / She was
We were
You were
They were
I was not
You were not
He / She was not
We were not
You were not
They were not
I wasn’t
You weren’t
He / She wasn’t
We weren’t
You weren’t
They weren’t
Was I?
Were you?
Was he / she?
Were we?
Were you?
Were they?

-CAN


Present +
Present -
Idem (contr.)
Present ?
Past +
Past -
Idem (contr.)
Past ?
/ You / He / She / We / You / They 

can
I  / You / He / She / We / You / They

cannot
I  / You / He / She / We / You / They 

 can’t
 
Can I?
Can you?
Can he?
Can we?
Can you?
Can they?
I  / you / he / she / we / you / they

could
 
I  / you / he / she / we / you / they


could  not
I  / You / He / She / We / You / They

 couldn’t
Could I
Could you?
Could he?
Could we?
Could you?
Could they?

 
b) the strong verbs

speak ----- spoke     eat ---- ate       have ---- had       see ----saw  


positive
negative
negative (contractions)
interrogative
I spoke         
You spoke    
He spoke      
We spoke     
You spoke    
They spoke   
I did not speak
You did not speak
He did not speak
We did not speak
You did not speak
They did not speak
I didn’t speak
You didn’t speak
He didn’t speak
We didn’t speak
You didn’t speak
They didn’t speak
Did I speak?
Did you speak?
Did he speak?
Did we speak?
Did you speak?
Did they speak?

The irregular simple past forms of strong verbs are used only in positive sentences!
In negative sentences, you need DID NOT / DIDN'T  + infinitive
In interrogative sentences, you need to use the structure DID + S + infinitive

BUT not for the auxiliaries: see CAN and BE above!

Here is two lists of irregular / strong verbs including archaic forms.
It may be time for you to have a good recap!

http://jiel.b.free.fr/languages_doc/englishstrongverbs.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_English_irregular_verbs



Use:

The Simple Past is used when two conditions are systematically fulfilled:

a)      The action (or event) is finished
b)      You know exactly when the action (or event) took place

 
She phoned me one hour ago.
When did you see her?  / I saw her yesterday.
I met them last night.
How long ago did you write your essay?  I wrote it two days ago.
When did you have your car repaired?  I had it repaired last week.
When did you last go to the cinema?   I last went to the cinema last month.
When did she meet her boyfriend?  She met him when she was a student.
They got married in 1995.
I didn’t see my friends last weekend when I went to the football match.
He didn’t see his parents for four years. 
How long were you a student?   I was a student for four years, between 1983 and 1987.





 












Past time phrases
Prepositions

at
- for points of time in the past

What did you do at six o'clock?
She was in the office at 10.30.
I went shopping at the end of last week.
She saw her parents at the end of last month.

on
- for days and dates in the past

What did you do on Monday / on 15th May / on Wednesday 3rd June?
I phoned her on Tuesday / I moved out  on 2 September.

in
- for other periods of time (in the past)

She was on holiday in July.
The accident happened in 2009.



No prepositions

- with last

They phoned us last month / last week / last weekend / last Friday ...

- with time adverbials / phrases yesterday / the day before yesterday

 I saw her yesterday.

- ago (used to measure time back from now)

I met my best friends 26 years ago.
 


 

          I met my best friends 30 years ago               NOW  ( = 2013)              
                                (in 1983)
          ......................ò...........................................................ò.........

                                       
         
                    
Pronunciation of final -ed:

Pronunciation of final –ed: /t/; /d/ or /Id/

                            

Verb ending
Pronunciation
Examples
- Voiced consonants
/b/; /g /; /m/ ; /n/ ;

/ dʒ / ...

  - Vowels 

 - Diphthongs
/d/
played
cleaned
breathed
phoned
showed
begged
saved
- Voiceless consonants
 /p/; /s/; /k/; /ʃ/; ...

 
/t/
stopped
missed
rushed
asked
fetched
- Final /t/ or /d/
/Id/
wanted
demanded

 




























DRILLS (+ SEE FURTHER: Additional exercises)

1
Find the Simple Past form of the following regular verbs and write the way the ending is pronounced. Make sure you know how to pronounce the infinitive!

match 
kiss
breathe
delete
fetch
delay
dub
listen
look
rush
telephone
download
repair
fell
walk
pack
dim
deploy
call
cough
laugh
grasp
recover
rip
clean

2
Find the Simple past form (affirmative)

1.      He (answer)                                       the question. 

2.      They (be) ________________ elsewhere yesterday.

3.      You (ask)                                 a stupid question.

4.      They (call)                                us.

5.      We (leave)                               at 10pm.

6.      She (come)                                        to see you.

7.      They (go)                                 home late.

8.      She (forget)                                       her name.

9.      I (know)                                   why she didn’t want to see me.

10.    The police (catch) __________________ the murderer before he (can)

          _________________ kill again.

11.     He (see) ____________ me and (recognise) _________________ me at once.

 
3
Make negative sentences

1.      They collected postcards.                                                       

2.      You jumped high.                                                                  

3.      Fiona visited her grandma.                                                    

4.      You were thirsty.                                                                   

5.      I bought bread.                                                                     

6.      You saw the house.                                                               

7.      He caught the ball.                                                                

8.      She wrote short stories. _______________________________

9.      They drove all day long. _______________________________

10.     I got lost. __________________________________________

11.     She downloaded lots of films. __________________________
 
12.     I met an old friend of mine. ____________________________


4
Make questions

1.         She pushed her trolley.

                                                                                                                     

2.         She carried a suitcase.

                                                                                                                      

3.         We waited in the car park.

                                                                                                                     

4.         The police arrested the murderer.

                                                                                                                      

5.         We ate fish and chips.

                                                                                                                      

6.         She watched a film last weekend.

                                                                                                                      

7.         She asked her mum because she wanted to know how to use the machine.

                                                                                                                      

8.         I opened the window.

                                                                                                                      

9.         His dad was operated on last week. 

                                                                                                                      

10.       She wanted a  car.
                                                                                                                     



Answer keys: see further





Additional exercises

Here are a few interesting sites to go to so as to practise the Simple Past (regular and irregular verbs). Have fun!


Simple Past of to be
http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/simple-past/exercises?03

Simple Past - Positive sentences
http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/simple-past/exercises?04

Simple Past - answering questions
http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/simple-past/exercises?02

Simple Past - Negative sentences
http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/simple-past/exercises?05

Simple Past - Questions
http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/simple-past/exercises?06

Simple Past - Questions
http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/simple-past/exercises?07

Simple Past - Mixed exercise
http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/simple-past/exercises


Strong / Irregular verbs - Mixed exercises
http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/irregular-verbs




Language game to practise your irregular verbs: Verb Dash
Have fun!

http://games.wordreference.com/language-games/verb-dash







Answer keys

1
matched     /t/
kissed     /t/
breathed     /d/
deleted     /Id/
fetched     /t/
delayed     /d/
dubbed     /d/
listened     /d/
looked     /t/
rushed     /t/
telephoned     /d/
downloaded     /Id/
repaired     /d/
felled     /d/
walked     /t/
packed     /t/
dimmed     /d/
deployed     /d/
called     /d/
coughed     /t/
laughed     /t/
grasped     /t/
recovered     /d/
ripped     /t/
cleaned     /d/


2
1.      He answered the question. 

2.      They were elsewhere yesterday.

3.      You asked a stupid question.

4.      They called us.

5.      We left at 10pm.

6.      She came to see you.

7.      They went home late.

8.      She forgot her name.

9.      I knew why she didn’t want to see me.

10.    The police caught the murderer before he could kill again.

11.     He saw me and recognised me at once.


3
1.      They collected postcards.    They didn't collect postcards.

2.      You jumped high.    You didn't jump high.

3.      Fiona visited her grandma.     Fiona didn't visit her grandma.

4.      You were thirsty.      You weren't thirsty.

5.      I bought bread.        I didn't buy bread.

6.      You saw the house.  You didn't see the house.

7.      He caught the ball.  He didn't catch the ball.

8.      She wrote short stories.  She didn't write short stories.

9.      They drove all day long.  They didn't drive all day long.

10.     I got lost.  I didn't get lost.

11.     She downloaded lots of films.  She didn't download lots of films.
 
12.     I met an old friend of mine.  I didn't meet any old friend of mine.


4

1.         What did she push?
2.         What did she carry?

3.         Where did you wait?

4.         Who did the police arrest?

5.         What did you eat?

6.         When did she watch the match?

7.         Why did she ask her mum?
8.         What did you open?
9.          Who was operated on last week?
10.        What did she want?