Meaning
- Use the simple past to talk about completed actions.
- For most regular verbs, add -d or -ed to the base form of the verbs.
- The simple past has the same form all subjects.
Examples:
I finished my homework last night. (action is completed)
They lived here ten years ago. (regular verb ‘live’ is added -d)
She called me last night. (regular verb ‘call’ is added -ed)
I walked along the park.
Peter walked along the park.
Verbs in past tense
Regular and irregular verbs.
Regular verbs in past tense
We add –ed or –d at the end of the verbs and the past form of the verbs is only used in positive sentences when we tell past events.
For example:
Jack visited his grandparents yesterday.
My mother baked a chocolate cake yesterday afternoon.
Irregular verbs in past tense
Irregular verbs are only used in positive sentences. Look at the following table and examples. You can see how the irregular verbs change in past tense.
For example: The verbs eat, tell and send
PRESENT | PAST | sentence |
---|---|---|
eat | ate | The children ate their dinner quickly. |
tell | told | She told a funny story. |
send | send | Mary sent her boss an email yesterday. |
Click here for more information about irregular verbs.
Regular verbs examples
Subject | verb | |
---|---|---|
I | hiked | a lot on my holiday. |
You | arrived | late last night. |
He | started | his trip in August. |
She | travelled | to Canada last summer. |
We | walked | three miles yesterday morning. |
You (plural) | visited | some interesting places in Mexico. |
They | stayed | at a very expensive hotel. |
What did they do? Look at the example and write the sentences in past tense.
Who | what | with who | where | when |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. Peter | go to football match | with his friends | in Liverpool | last weekend |
2. Mandy | play tennis | with Sally | on the tennis court | last week. |
3. Mark | has dinner | with his family | in an Italian restaurant | last night. |
4. Jane | ride a bike | with her children | in the park | yesterday afternoon. |
5. The students | wait for the bus | with their teacher | at the bus stop | yesterday. |
6. Molly | bake a chocolate cake | with her mum | in the kitchen | an hour ago. |
7. The policeman | catch the thief | with his partner | under the bridge | last week. |
1. Peter went to the football match with his friends in Liverpool last weekend.
2. Mandy ________________________________________________________________
3. Mark __________________________________________________________________
4. Jane __________________________________________________________________
5. The students ___________________________________________________________
6. Molly __________________________________________________________________
7. The police _____________________________________________________________