Past Simple

Read these sentences. How are the underlined verbs in each pair different from each other?

☑ I usually go to a restaurant on weekends. ➜ Last week, I went to an Italian restaurant. 

☑ Most people enjoy playing with their pets. ➜ They really enjoyed the time they spent here.  

 

The second verb in each pair is the past form of the first verb. In fact, the second sentence shows that the action happened in the past.

 

 

Regular Verbs in Past Simple Tense

accept ➜ accepted	dance ➜ danced	paint ➜ painted
add ➜ added	deliver ➜ delivered	pick ➜ picked
advise ➜ advised	enjoy ➜ enjoyed	play ➜ played
agree ➜ agreed	explain ➜ explained	practise ➜ practised
arrive ➜ arrived	finish ➜ finished	push ➜ pushed
ask ➜ asked	guess ➜ guessed	react ➜ reacted
attack ➜ attacked	hate ➜ hated	search ➜ searched
behave ➜ behaved	help ➜ helped	select ➜ selected
borrow ➜ borrowed	kiss ➜ kissed	start ➜ started
brush ➜ brushed	like ➜ liked	talk ➜ talked
call ➜ called	listen ➜ listened	train ➜ trained
change ➜ changed	move ➜ moved	use ➜ used
clean ➜ cleaned	need ➜ needed	visit ➜ visited
create ➜ created	offer ➜ offered	walk ➜ walked
damage ➜ damaged	open ➜ opened	wait ➜ waited

 

 

 

Irregular Verbs in Past Simple Tense

 

In some verbs, the past form does not follow a certain rule. These verbs are called irregular verbs. Look at the table below:

 

 

arise ➜ rose	drink ➜ drank	hold ➜ held	see ➜ saw
awake ➜ awoke	drive ➜ drove	hurt ➜ hurt	sell ➜ sold
begin ➜ began	eat ➜ ate	keep ➜ kept	send ➜ sent
bite ➜ bit	fall ➜ fell	know ➜ knew	set ➜ set
blow ➜ blew	feel ➜ felt	lead ➜ led	shake ➜ shook
break ➜ broke	find ➜ found	leave ➜ left	shine ➜ shone
bring ➜ brought	fly ➜ flew	let ➜ let	sing ➜ sang
build ➜ built	forget ➜ forgot	lose ➜ lost	take ➜ took
buy ➜ bought	forgive ➜ forgave	make ➜ made	teach ➜ taught
catch ➜ caught	get ➜ got	meet ➜ met	tell ➜ told
choose ➜ chose	give ➜ gave	put ➜ put	think ➜ thought
come ➜ came	go ➜ went	read ➜ read	throw ➜ threw
cost ➜ cost	grow ➜ grew	ride ➜ rode	wear ➜ wore
cut ➜ cut	hear ➜ heard	run ➜ run	win ➜ won
dig ➜ dug	hide ➜ hid	say ➜ said	write ➜ wrote

 

 

 

To make the negative form of a verb in past simple, we add did not (or didn’t) to the verb. This is used for both regular and irregular verbs.

☑ When we were at college, we did not pay much attention to our food. (Or didn’t pay …)

☑ I called you, but you did not hear me! (Or didn’t hear …)

☑ Jeanie was a bit unwell today. She did not go to work. (Or didn’t go …)

Forming Questions in Past Simple

The question forms of verbs in past simple follow these structures:   

 

 ◉ Did + subject + main verb (base form) + …   

 ◉ Didn’t + subject + main verb (base form) + …   

 ◉ Wh-word + did/didn’t + subject + main verb (base form) + …   

 

☑ Did you see the news about the earthquake last night?

☑ Did you not know that your sister’s getting married?

☑ Why did they not call us to arrange the meeting?

 

 

Uses of Past Simple Tense

 

We use past simple to talk about different actions and situations in the past. This is the most common form of the verb when we are talking about past events, and it can be about a one-off action or a past habit.

 

I. actions that happened once and did not repeat or happen again

II. actions that continued for some time in the past

III. past habits or actions that happened repeatedly over a period in the past

☑ When we were at college, most evenings we stayed in the library and studied together.

☑ He smoked so heavily that he caused serious damage to his lungs.

☑ Before my surgery, I went swimming and jogging regularly.

 

Note that with the past simple, it is common to use words and phrases that refer to a specific time in the past that has been completed. In the examples above, words and phrases like ‘last summer’, ‘last week’, ‘when we were at college’, and ‘before my surgery’ all refer to a finished time in the past.

 

 

 

Action vs State Verbs in Past Continuous

Note that when we want to describe a series of past actions that occurred immediately after one another, we prefer to use the past simple for all of them.

☑ It was about 5 in the afternoon that he took his umbrella and left the office. After a short walk down the street, he sat in the same café, took the newspaper out, and ordered a cup of coffee.

 

Spelling Rules for Past Simple Verbs

 

Note that if the base form of the verb ends in –e, we only add a –d to make the past form.

line ➜ lined      lie ➜ lied       injure ➜ injured

use ➜ used                                                    decorate ➜ decorated                                                     trade ➜ traded

Note that if the base form of the verb ends in a consonant + -y, we change -y to -i and then add –ed to make the past form. In case the verb ends in a vowel + -y, we only add -ed.

try ➜ tried      fry ➜ fried      cry ➜ cried

verify ➜ verified                                    occupy ➜ occupied                                    prophesy ➜ prophesied

play ➜ played           prey ➜ preyed           destroy ➜ destroyed

 

 

Note that if the base form of the verb ends in one stressed vowel + one consonant, we double the final consonant and then add a –d to make the past form.

grip ➜ gripped          dim ➜ dimmed      trap ➜ trapped

fit ➜ fitted                           pin ➜ pinned                           shop ➜ shopped

cap ➜ capped                                 sip ➜ sipped                       trim ➜ trimmed

prefer ➜ preferred            regret ➜ regretted            blur ➜ blurred

Note that verbs ending in -w do not follow the rule above.

borrow ➜ borrowed          follow ➜ followed          brew ➜ brewed

glow ➜ glowed                                                                         allow ➜ allowed                                                                         renew ➜ renewed

Note that if in a vowel + consonant pattern the vowel is not stressed, we only add –d to make the past form.

visit ➜ visited            prosper ➜ prospered            listen ➜ listened

ransom ➜ ransomed                                                                 cover ➜ covered                                                                 orbit ➜ orbited

Note that if the base form of a verb ends in –c, we add -k and then –d to make the past form.

picnic ➜ picnicked          panic ➜ panicked

mimic ➜ mimicked                                          traffic ➜ trafficked

The End