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 ?
I  / 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?