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Simple Past – Free Exercise

Complete the sentences with the simple past of the verbs in brackets.

  • William (visit)     his grandparents last weekend. regular verb → add ed
  • Jane (arrive)     an hour ago. regular verb that ends in e → add a d
  • We (go)     to Bob's birthday party yesterday. irregular verb, 2nd verb form (go- went -gone)
  • I (be)     on holiday last week. irregular verb, 2nd verb form (be- was/were -been) for I/he/she/it we use was
  • She (see)     fire. irregular verb, 2nd verb form (see- saw -seen)

Make the sentences negative.

  • I phoned Lucy last night. → I   Lucy last night. didn’t + infinitive
  • You cleaned your room. → You   your room. didn’t + infinitive
  • Olivia worked as an actress. → Olivia   as an actress. didn’t + infinitive
  • We looked for the treasure. → We   for the treasure. didn’t + infinitive
  • He spoke Spanish. → He   Spanish. didn’t + infinitive

Make simple past questions using the words in brackets.

  • (you/dance)     at the party last night? did + subject + infinitive
  • (she/do)     her homework? did + subject + infinitive
  • (Robert/work)     at the post office? did + subject + infinitive
  • (they/help)     you with the washing-up? did + subject + infinitive
  • When (I/say)     that? question word + did + subject + infinitive

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Past simple exercises PDF

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Past simple tense

  • Online exercises
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Past simple exercises + PDF worksheets

PDF exercises to download for free:

Past simple verbs PDF 1

Key with answers 1

  • Dear Jane, How are you doing? Yesterday I ___ (do) my homework, ___ (tidy) my bedroom and ___ (decide) to go out.

Past simple verbs PDF 2

Key with answers 2

  • cast, catch, cost, cut The goalkeeper ___ the ball. Our holiday in the Caribbean ___ a fortune.

Past simple was, were PDF 3

Key with answers 3

  • A: ___ I often ill when I was a child? B: Not really. You ___ healthier than your brother.

Past simple was, were PDF 4

Key with answers 4

  • Samuel, I hear you ___ eighteen years old last week. Yes, I ___ . I had a big birthday party.

Past simple questions PDF 5

Key with answers 5

  • (Bill | arrive | on time) Did Bill arrive on time?

Past simple questions PDF 6

Key with answers 6

  • Did your students their homework? or Did your students do their homework?

Past simple positive + negative PDF 7

Key with answers 7

  • The Beatles were formed in London in 1960. The Beatles ___ (not be) formed in London. They ___ (start) to play together in Liverpool in 1960.

Past simple negative PDF 8

Key with answers 8

  • I ___ (not have) a good day yesterday. I ___ (cannot) stay in bed late, because it was Monday and I had to go to school again.

Past simple vs. Past continuous exercises PDF

Past simple vs. Past perfect exercises PDF

Past simple vs. Present perfect exercises PDF

Past simple passive exercises PDF

Online exercises with answers:

  • Complete sentences with regular and irregular verbs.

Past simple - irregular verbs 1

  • Choose correct verbs from the list to complete sentences.

Past simple - irregular verbs 2

  • Complete sentences with verbs in brackets.
  • Correct the information in the general knowledge.
  • Complete the story. (Blue Monday)
  • Choose the correct questions.
  • Regular and irregular verbs, negative forms and questions (three exercises).

Grammar rules PDF:

Past simple and continuous PDF rules

We add -ed to the base form of a verb to make regular past simple forms: work - worked, jump - jumped . It is the same for all persons, singular and plural.

Positive statement: I listened, he listened Negative statement: I did not listen (I didn't listen), he did not listen (he didn't listen) Question: Did you listen? Negative question: Did you not listen? (Didn't you listen?)

Spelling rules

We add -d (not -ed) to the verbs that end with -e: like - liked. If the verb ends with a consonant and -y, we change -y into -i: carry - carried, try - tried. But: play - played , because this verb ends with a vowel and -y.

If the verb has only one syllable and ends with a vowel and a consonant, we double the consonant to keep the same pronunciation: stop - stopped . The same rule applies to the verbs that end with -l: travel - travelled .

All the irregular verbs have different forms: go - went, buy - bought, cut - cut etc.

We use did to make past simple questions: I cried. - Did you cry? He slept. - Did he sleep?

We do not use the auxiliary verb did with the verb to be and modal verbs. Were you a student? Was he in London? I was not at home. He was not happy. Could you sing? Could he come? I could not swim. He could not stay.

Wh- questions

The auxiliary verb did is not used in questions beginning with wh- pronouns (who, which) in case that the pronoun is the subject of the question. Who met you? (who is the subject) Which train arrived on time? (which train is the subject) But: Who did you meet? Which train did you miss? (who and which train are the objects)

The negative question normally shows a surprise. Didn't you know it?

Negative forms

We use did not or didn't to make negative forms: You did not come. Julia didn't do her homework.

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  • Simple Past Tense | Examples & Exercises

Simple Past Tense | Examples & Exercises

Published on August 22, 2023 by Eoghan Ryan . Revised on October 23, 2023.

The simple past tense is a verb form used to refer to an action or series of actions that were completed in the past.

The simple past tense of regular verbs is formed by adding “-ed” to the infinitive form of the verb (e.g., “cook” becomes “cooked”). Most verbs in the simple past take the same form regardless of the subject (e.g., “He worked/we worked”).

Simple Past Tense Forms

Table of contents

How to use the simple past, present perfect vs. past simple, simple past vs. past perfect, how to form negatives, how to form questions, how to form the passive voice, exercises: simple past tense, other interesting language articles, frequently asked questions about the simple past tense.

The simple past tense (also called the past simple or preterite ) is used to describe an action or series of actions that occurred in the past.

The past simple of regular verbs is typically formed by adding “-ed” to the end of the infinitive (e.g., “talk” becomes “talked”).

Irregular verbs don’t follow a specific pattern: some take the same form as the infinitive (e.g., “put”), while others change completely (e.g., “go” becomes “went”).

Most verbs in the simple past tense don’t follow subject-verb agreement (i.e., they don’t change form depending on the subject).

Ariana rented a car and drove to the coast.

We visited a museum, walked the Champs-Élysées, and dined at a fancy restaurant.

Forming the simple past

The simple past of regular verbs is usually formed by adding “-ed” to the end of the verb (e.g., “guess” becomes “guessed”). However, this can vary depending on the verb’s ending.

-e -add “d” love; loved
short verbs, where the last three letters follow a consonant-vowel-consonant pattern -double the last letter and add “-ed” stop; stopped

plan; planned

long verbs with a stressed syllable at the end, where the last three letters follow a consonant-vowel-consonant pattern -double the last letter and add “-ed” prefer; preferred

admit; admitted

Consonant + y -ied (replacing the “y”) try; tried

Irregular verb: “be”

The stative verb “be” in the simple past tense is used to describe unchanging past conditions (e.g., “My father was a good man”) and temporary past situations (e.g., “The children were tired”). Unlike other verbs in the simple past, “be” changes form depending on the subject, as shown in the table below.

I was
You were
He/she/it was
We were
You were
They were

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Both the present perfect and past simple tenses are used to refer to past action. However, they serve different purposes:

  • The present perfect is used to refer to an action that began in the past and may continue or to an action that took place in the past and has present consequences.
  • The past simple is typically used to describe an action that was completed in the past and is not ongoing.

I have run a marathon before. [I may run a marathon again]

I was a vegetarian when I was younger.

While the past simple is used to describe an action or series of actions that occurred in the past, the past perfect is used to indicate that an action was completed before another past action began.

In the past simple tense, negative statements are formed by adding “did not” (or the contraction “didn’t”) between the subject and the infinitive form of the verb.

For the verb “be,” negative statements are formed by adding “was not/were not” (or the contractions “wasn’t/weren’t”) after the subject .

To ask a yes–no question using the simple past, add “did” before the subject and the infinitive form of the verb.

To ask a question starting with a wh-word (an interrogative pronoun like “who” or an interrogative adverb like “where”), follow the same word order as above, but add the pronoun or adverb at the start of the sentence.

Why did Eva leave so early?

Passive sentences are ones in which the subject is not the person or thing performing the action. Instead, the subject is the person or thing being acted upon.

In the past simple, passive constructions are formed using a subject , “was”/“were,” and the past participle of the verb.

Maria was ignored by the salesman.

Practice using the simple past correctly with the exercises below. In the blank space in each sentence, fill in the correct simple past form based on the subject and verb specified (e.g., “[he / talk]” becomes “he talked”). Some answers may also be negative statements or questions.

  • Practice questions
  • Answers and explanations
  • __________ [you / go] to the shop this morning.
  • __________ [they / play] a board game.
  • __________ [my son / not / study] for the exam.
  • __________ [the band / rehearse] every day this week.
  • __________ [I / plan] to be home by six!
  • When __________ [you / travel] to France?
  • The simple past form of the irregular verb “go” is “went.”
  • The simple past form of the regular verb “play” is “played.”
  • In the simple past tense, negative statements are formed by adding “did not” (or the contraction “didn’t”) between the subject (“my son”) and the infinitive form of the verb (“study”).
  • The simple past form of the regular verb “rehearse” is “rehearsed.”
  • For short verbs, where the last three letters follow a consonant-vowel-consonant pattern (e.g., “plan”), you double the final consonant and add “-ed.”
  • To ask a question starting with a wh-word, add the wh-word at the start of the sentence, followed by “did,” the subject (“you”), and the infinitive form of the verb (“travel”).

If you want to know more about commonly confused words, definitions, common mistakes, and differences between US and UK spellings, make sure to check out some of our other language articles with explanations, examples, and quizzes.

Nouns & pronouns

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The simple past tense of the verb “read” is “read” (e.g., “I read a book last week”).

While “read” is spelled the same in both its past and present forms, its pronunciation differs depending on the tense :

  • The simple present form is pronounced “reed.”
  • The simple past form is pronounced “red.”

The simple past tense of the verb “teach” is “taught” (e.g., “You taught me a lesson”).

While the simple past of a regular verb is typically formed by adding “-ed” to the end of the infinitive (e.g., “talk” becomes “talked”), irregular verbs like “teach” don’t follow a specific pattern.

The simple past tense of the verb “go” is “went” (e.g., “Ava went to Spain”).

While the simple past of a regular verb is typically formed by adding “-ed” to the end of the infinitive (e.g., “jump” becomes “jumped”), irregular verbs like “go” don’t follow a specific pattern.

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The Simple Past of Regular and Irregular Verbs

Table of contents, what is the simple past tense, the simple past of regular and irregular verbs, the simple past of regular verbs.

Verb + ed
The InfinitiveThe Simple Past
livelived
startstarted
diedied
visitvisited
playplayed
watchwatched
phonephoned
marrymarried

The Simple Past Of Irregular verbs

For example, the verbs “was, wrote” are irregular past forms. “ Was ” is the simple past of “ to be ,” and “ wrote ” is the simple past of “ write .”

The InfinitiveThe Simple Past
bewas/were
comecame
dodid
drivedrove
givegave
gowent
meetmet
runran
seesaw
speakspoke
swimswam
writewrote

The Simple Past Of Regular And Irregular Verbs (Form And Use)

The forms of the simple past tense, 1. the affirmative form of the simple past:.

I, you, he, she, it, we, they tennis last Sunday.
the movie last Saturday.
the report two days ago.
the homework yesterday evening.

2. The Interrogative Form of the Simple Past:

AUXILARY VERB “DID” + SUBJECT + BASE FORM OF THE VERB
Did you have lunch?
DidI, you, he, she, it, we, theyplay tennis?
watch the movie?
write the report?
do the homework?

The Negative Form of the Simple Past

I did not/didn’t have lunch
I, you, he, she, it, we, they  tennis last Sunday.
 the movie last Saturday.
 the report two days ago.
 the homework yesterday evening.

The Use of the Simple Past

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Simple past.

The simple past a common verb tense in English. It is for actions in the past. This lesson shows you how to use the simple past correctly and gives you examples. You can find the exercises at the bottom of the page .

Let’s start with regular and irregular verbs:

Simple Past Verbs

Two types of verbs are used in the simple past: Regular and Irregular .

Regular Verbs

To make a regular verb in the past tense, ad “ ed ” to the base verb.

Play Play
Talk Talk
Watch Watch

Irregular Verbs

Irregular verbs don’t end in “ ed ”.  They have different endings.  For example:

The Verb to Be

“ Be ” is an irregular verb with more than one conjugation in the past:

I Was
You Were
He/She/It Was
We Were
They Were

Here are some example sentences with “be” in the simple past.

  • I was tired yesterday.
  • They were hungry this morning.

Here is a list of common irregular verbs and their past tense forms:

Be Was, Were
Can Could
Have Had
Do Did
Go Went
Say Said
Take Took
Make Made
Know Knew
Eat Ate
Run Ran

Simple Past Structure

You can form this verb tense with this structure:

Subject   +   Verb (Past)   +   Object

Here are some examples:

  • I played baseball.
  • She finished the game.
  • He went home.
  • They ate lunch.

The verb is the same for all subjects.

  • They played

Now let’s see when to use the simple past verb tense.

Simple Past Uses

Completed Actions in the Past

Use the simple past to talk about actions that are finished in the past.

  • She went to the movie theatre yesterday.
  • He ate breakfast at 8:30 this morning.
  • Susan finished her homework last night.

Past Status

Use “was” and “were” to talk about past status.

  • He was a teacher 5 years ago. He is not anymore.
  • They were tired last night.
  • It was hot last week. Now it is cold.

Past Routines

Activities that happened many times in the past also use simple past.

  • I worked every day last week.
  • She watched television very often when she was a child.
  • The kids always walked home from school.

Simple Past Questions

Yes/No questions in the simple past are like questions in the simple present. You can ask  Did questions and Be questions.

Use “Did” to form questions with other verbs.

Did   +   Subject   +   Base Verb
  • Did you eat yesterday?
  • Did she watch the movie?
  • Did Charles leave ?

Use “Did” with all subjects:

  • Did they walk to the store?
  • Did you finish the game?
  • Did she like the book?
  • Did Greg and Tony play soccer last night?

Also, make sure the verb is in its simple form.  After “ did “, the verb is in present form.

  • Did Sandra and Jim go home?
  • Did she buy new shoes?

To answer these questions, use the following two options:

  • Yes, I did.
  • No, I did not.

Here is an example conversation with questions using “ did ”:

Tom:                 Did you bring your jacket?

Kelly:                No, I did not.

Tom:                 Did you bring a sweater?

Kelly:                Yes, I did.

Use the verb “ be ” with adjectives and nouns . “ Be ” is a verb, so you do not need another verb.  Here is the structure:

Be (in past)   +   Subject   +   Adjective/Noun
  • Were you hungry last night?
  • Was she a teacher last year?
  • Was it cold last week?

Be is conjugated as “ was ” or “ were ”:

I Was
You Were
She Was
He Was
It Was
We Were
They Were

WH questions in the past are the same as WH questions in the present.  They are formed as follows:

WH   +   Did   +   Subject   +   Verb
  • Where did you go last night?
  • What did you eat for breakfast yesterday?
  • When did you wake up this morning?
WH   +   Was/Were   +   Subject   +   Noun/Adjective
  • Where was the party last night?
  • When was the game yesterday?
  • Who was the champion at the tournament?

Here is a sample conversation with “wh” questions in the past:

James:      Hi Doug, How was your weekend?

Doug:        It was good, thanks.

James:      What did you do?

Doug:        I went to a restaurant for dinner.

James:      Where did you go?

Doug:        I went to Super Pizza.

James:      How was it?

Doug:        The pizza was delicious.

Simple Past Negative Sentences

There is a special structure to use when making negative statements in the past.  There are two types of negative sentences with simple past: Did and Be .

Subject   +   Did   +   Not   +   Verb (in present)
  • I did not eat yesterday.
  • She did not wear a hat last night.
  • We did not go to a restaurant.

“Did not” is contracted as “didn’t”.

  • He didn’t listen to the teacher.
  • We didn’t go to the concert.

Be is conjugated as “was” and “were”.  These negative sentences are used for past status.

Subject   +   Be   +   Not   +   Adjective/Noun
  • I was not tired yesterday.
  • We were not quiet in class.
  • Jeremy was not awake at 7:00 am this morning.

Simple Past Time Phrases

There are many words used to show an activity is in the past.  Here are the 2 most important:

Ago is used with a measure of time to show when something happened.  It goes after the measure of time:

Time   +   Ago
  • He arrived 30 minutes ago .
  • She lived in San Francisco 5 years ago .
  • They left 2 hours ago .

Last means a time before the current time.  It goes before the unit of time:

Last   +   Time
  • He worked at McDonald’s last
  • They ate Italian food last week.

Simple Past Exercises

Are you ready to check your understanding of the simple past? Try these simple past exercises:

Simple Past Test

Simple past test 2, simple past questions test, simple past questions test 2, simple past verbs test.

You can also practice with this listening activity that uses a song by The Beatles:

Simple Past Listening Exercise

And here is a reading activity:

Simple Past Reading

More grammar lessons and tests.

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  • Gerunds and Infinitives
  • Modal Verbs
  • Passive Voice
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  • Rather and Prefer
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The Past Simple Tense

Perfect english grammar.

past simple homework

(also called the simple past tense)

Click here to learn about how to USE the past simple.

It's similar to the present simple because it has different rules for the verb 'be', which becomes 'was' or 'were':

The Past Simple with 'be'

Here's how to make the positive:

I cold
you tired
he in the garden
she late
it sunny
we on holiday
they hungry

To make the negative with 'be', just add 'not':

I was sleepy I was sleepy
you were on the bus you were on the bus
he was at school he was at school
she was beautiful she was beautiful
it was cold it was cold
we were at work we were at work
they were tired they were tired

Here's an exercise to practise the positive and negative forms with 'be'

To make a question, just like the present simple, we change the position of 'was / were' and the subject.

Here are the past simple 'yes / no' questions with 'be':

sleepy?
late?
at the cinema?
kind?
hot?
hungry?
at work?

And the 'wh' questions with 'be' (the question word just goes at the beginning, everything else is the same):

why sleepy?
where ?
when at the cinema?
how ?
how ?
why hungry?
when at work?

And here's an exercise for 'wh' and 'yes / no' questions

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The Past Simple (Simple Past) with Other Verbs

The positive:

We usually make the positive by adding '-ed' to the infinitive. For example, 'play' becomes 'played'. However, there are some irregular verbs , for example 'go' becomes 'went' and 'run' becomes 'ran'.

(Here's some help if you are not sure how to pronounce '-ed' at the end of a verb).

I (regular)
you (regular)
he (regular)
she (regular)
it (regular)
we (irregular)
they (irregular)

Click here for a list of 50 common irregular verbs (PDF file)

Click here for an exercise about irregular verbs in this verb tense

Click here for another irregular verb exercise

In the negative there aren't any irregular verbs. All verbs use 'did not (didn't) + infinitive':

I walk I walk
you play you play
he cook he cook
she listen she listen
it rain it rain
we eat we eat
they drink they drink

Here's an exercise about the negative form

Questions are also very easy. Just put 'did' before the subject, and the infinitive after it.

Here are the 'yes / no' questions:

I ?
you ?
he ?
she ?
it ?
we ?
they ?

And here's an exercise about 'yes / no' questions

To make a 'wh' question, of course, put the question word at the beginning of the sentence:

where I ?
what you ?
what he ?
why she ?
when it ?
where we ?
how they ?

And here's an exercise about 'wh' questions

Here are some exercises about making all the forms: Mixed Exercise 1 Mixed Exercise 2 Mixed Exercise 3 Mixed Exercise 4

Click here to learn about when we use this tense

past simple homework

Past Simple Tense: How to Use It, With Examples

Published by

Olivia Drake

On this page:

Simple past tense definition

The simple past tense is a verb tense that is used to describe completed actions or events that occurred in the past. The simple past tense is commonly used in storytelling and narration, as well as in conversations about past experiences. In this article, we will explain how to use the simple past and provide examples to help you understand it better.

When to use the simple past tense?

1. Actions That Occurred in the Past The simple past tense is commonly used to describe actions that happened in the past. For example:

  • I walked to the store.
  • They studied English last night.
  • She ate pizza for dinner.

2. Completed Actions Completed ActionsThe simple past tense is used to describe actions that were completed in the past. For example:

  • I finished my homework before dinner.
  • They left for the airport at 5am.
  • She visited her grandparents last weekend.

3. Sequences of Events in the Past The simple past tense can also be used to describe a sequence of events that occurred in the past. For example:

  • I woke up, brushed my teeth, and ate breakfast.
  • They arrived at the party, greeted their friends, and danced all night.
  • She got dressed, packed her bags, and left for the airport.

4. Past Habits or States The simple past tense can be used to describe habits or states in the past. For example:

  • I always drank coffee in the morning.
  • They lived in New York City for ten years.
  • She had curly hair when she was a child.

5. Specific point in the past To talk about a specific point in the past. For example:

  • He finished his project last night at 10 pm.

How to form the simple past tense?

The simple past tense is formed using the past form of the main verb. The structure of a simple past form is as follows:

Subject + past form of the verb

The formation of the simple past tense depends on whether the verb is regular or irregular:

1. For regular verbs, simply add “-ed” to the base form of the verb to form the past simple tense. For example:

  • walk (base form) -> walked (past simple)
  • play (base form) -> played (past simple)
  • watch (base form) -> watched (past simple)

2. For irregular verbs, the simple past form is different from the base form of the verb and must be learned individually. Some common irregular verbs and their past simple forms include:

  • go (base form) -> went (past simple)
  • eat (base form) -> ate (past simple)
  • see (base form) -> saw (past simple)
  • do (base form) -> did (past simple)

Note that there are some verbs that are both regular and irregular, depending on their meaning. For example:

  • “learned” (regular) and “learnt” (irregular) are both used in different regions and contexts.

Also, it’s important to remember that the verb “be” has two different past simple forms: “was” (for the singular pronouns: I, he, she, it) and “were” (for the plural pronouns: we, you, they).

Here are some examples of the past simple tense in use:

  • Regular verb: “She played tennis yesterday.”
  • Irregular verb: “He went to the store last night.”
  • Irregular verb: “I saw a movie last weekend.”
  • Regular verb: “We walked to the park.”
  • Irregular verb: “They did their homework before dinner.”

How to make a negative form?

To make a negative sentence in the past simple tense, you need to use the auxiliary verb “did” and the negative particle “not” (or “n’t”). The formula forming the simple past is:

Subject + did not (didn’t) + base form of the verb + object

For example:

  • I did not (didn’t) go to the party last night.
  • He did not (didn’t) finish his homework on time.
  • They did not (didn’t) visit their grandparents over the weekend.

Note that the contracted form “didn’t” is more commonly used in spoken English.

Also, for regular verbs, the negative form is formed by adding “-not” (or “-n’t”) to the auxiliary verb “did” and using the base form of the verb. For example:

  • I did not (didn’t) walk to the store.
  • She did not (didn’t) play soccer last weekend.
  • They did not (didn’t) watch a movie yesterday.

How to make a question form?

You can read more here about the  question form

Can I use the simple past tense to talk about ongoing actions in the past?

No, the past simple tense is not used to talk about ongoing actions in the past. It is used to describe a completed action or event that happened at a specific time in the past. If you want to talk about an action that was in progress in the past, you should use the past continuous tense.

For example, if you want to describe an action that was ongoing in the past, you could say “I was reading a book,” using the past continuous tense. If you were to use the past simple tense, it would imply that you had already finished reading the book, and would say “I read a book” use the simple past instead.

Can I use the simple past tense to talk about future events from a past perspective?

No, the simple past tense is not typically used to talk about future events, even from a past perspective. It is primarily used to describe completed actions or events that occurred at a specific point in the past.

If you want to talk about a future event from a past perspective, you would typically use the past perfect tense. For instance, “By the time I arrived at the party, the cake had already been cut,” suggests that the cake was cut before the speaker arrived at the party.

Alternatively, you could use the present perfect tense to describe a future event that has already been planned or arranged. For instance, “I have reserved a table at the restaurant for tomorrow night,” suggests that the reservation has already been made for a future event.

What are some common irregular verbs in the simple past tense?

In English, there are many irregular verbs, which means their past tense and past participle forms do not follow the rules of the regular -ed ending pattern. Here are some common irregular verbs in the simple past tense:

  • have -> had
  • say -> said
  • make -> made
  • come -> came
  • take -> took

It is important to remember that irregular verbs do not follow a specific rule, so they need to be memorized.

Are there any exceptions or special cases when using the simple past tense?

Yes, there are a few exceptions and special cases when using the simple past tense in English:

  • Modal verbs (can, could, may, might, must, shall, should, will, would) do not have a past tense form. Instead, their past meaning is expressed through the use of the perfect infinitive (e.g. could have, should have, would have).
  • The verb “to be” has two past tense forms: “was” for the singular subjects (I, he, she, it) and “were” for the plural subjects (we, you, they).
  • Some verbs have the same past simple form as their base form. For instance, “cut” is the past simple form of “cut,” and “put” is the past simple form of “put.”
  • The simple past tense is sometimes used in  conditional sentences  to express a hypothetical situation that is unlikely or impossible. For example, “If I had known you were coming, I would have baked a cake.”
  • In  reported speech , the simple past tense is often used to report a past action or event. For example, “She said she saw the movie yesterday.” Here, the original statement might have been “I saw the movie yesterday,” but in the reported speech, the simple past tense “saw” is changed to “said she saw.”

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Simple past worksheet - English online exercises

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  • Simple past
  • 01 Simple Past rules
  • 02 Simple Past - to be
  • 03 Simple Past - to be
  • 04 Simple Past - to be
  • 05 Past regular verbs
  • 06 Past regular verbs
  • Irregular verbs
  • 07 past irregular verbs
  • 08 past irregular verbs
  • 09 simple past questions
  • 10 simple past questions
  • 11 simple past questions
  • 12 crossword Simple Past
  • 13 crossword Simple Past
  • 14 crossword Simple Past
  • 15 crossword Simple Past
  • 16 crossword Simple Past
  • 17 past - present crossword
  • 18 past - present crossword
  • 19 simple past worksheets
  • 40 more exercises
  • English Tenses
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  • Simple Past Tense
  • Present Perfect
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Simple past worksheets

Simple past worksheet exercises.

1 Simple Past rules and explanations PDF 2 Simple Past regular verbs PDF exercises 3 Simple Past exercises answers PDF 4 Simple Past reguar verbs  worksheet PDF 5 Simple Past regular verbs  answers PDF 6 Simple Past regular verbs  worksheet PDF 7 Simple Past regular verbs  secrets answers PDF 8 Simple Past reguar verbs  worksheet PDF 9 Simple Past irregular verbs  secrets answers PDF

Irregular verbs - worksheets

10 Simple Past irregular verbs 11 Simple Past irregular verbs answers 12 Simple Past irregular verbs 13 Simple Past irregular verbs answers 14 Simple Past to be 15 Simple Past to be answers ▶  These exercises as free online exercises

Signal words Simple Past - worksheets

16 Simple Past signal words worksheet PDF 17 Simple Past signal words answers 'to be' PDF 18 Simple Past signal words  word order worksheet PDF 19 Simple Past signal words answers PDF 20 Simple Past signal words exercises worksheet PDF 21 Simple Past signal words answers - PDF ▶  These exercises as free online exercises

Questions simple past - worksheets

22 Simple Past did exercises PDF 23 Simple Past questions did answers - PDF worksheet 24 Simple Past did exercises PDF 25 Simple Past questions did answers - PDF worksheet 26 Simple Past questions with did 27 Simple Past questions answers PDF 28 Simple Past questions with was/were PDF worksheet 29 Simple Past questions answers - PDF 30 Simple Past worksheet did - was/were 31 Simple Past worksheet did - was/were PDF 32 Simple Past worksheet did - was/were 33 Simple Past worksheet did - answers PDF

Simple Past negatives - worksheets

34 Simple Past negative exercise PDF 35 Simple Past negative answers - PDF worksheet 36 Simple Past negative exercises PDF 37 Simple Past negative answers - PDF worksheet 38 Simple Past negative 39 Simple Past negatives answers PDF 40 Simple Past negative PDF worksheet 41 Simple Past negative answers - PDF 42 Simple Past negative worksheet 43 Simple Past worksheet answers PDF

Simple Past mixed exercises pdf

44 Simple Past mixed exercise PDF 45 Simple Past mixed answers - PDF worksheet 46 Simple Past mixed exercises crossword PDF 47 Simple Past answers - PDF worksheet 48 Simple Past mixed exercises crossword 49 Simple Past answers PDF 50 Simple Past crossword crossword PDF worksheet 51 Simple Past answers - PDF

Online exercises Simple Past

01 Simple Past rules 02 Simple Past exercises 03 Simple Past regular verbs 04 Simple Past 05 Simple Past exercises 06 Simple Past exercises 07 Simple Past irregular verbs 08 Simple Past 09 Simple Past irregular verbs 10 Simple Past examples 11 Simple Past exercise

12 To be Simple Past 13 To be Simple Past 14 To be Simple Past 15 To be to be exercise

Simple Past worksheet - exercises

Simple Past English Tenses and English grammar worksheets, grammar rules, grammar exercises. English Simple past worksheet review to help advanced level English classes and students review for all major tenses.  

Past Simple tense

Past Simple tense - I did

The Past Simple tense is sometimes called the "preterite tense". We can use several tenses and forms to talk about the past, but the Past Simple tense is the one we use most often.

In this lesson we look at the structure and use of the Past Simple tense, followed by a quiz to check your understanding.

How do we make the Past Simple tense?

There are two basic structures for the Past Simple tense:

1. Positive sentences

subject + main verb

2. Negative and question sentences

subject + auxiliary + main verb
conjugated in Past Simple  

Look at these examples with the main verbs go (irregular) and work (regular):

  subject auxiliary verb   main verb  
+ I     went to school.
You     worked very hard.
- She did not go with me.
We did not work yesterday.
? Did you   go to London?
Did they   work at home?

From the above table, notice the following points...

For positive sentences:

  • There is no auxiliary verb .
  • The main verb is conjugated in the Past Simple, invariable: -ed (or irregular)

For negative and question sentences:

  • The auxiliary is conjugated in the Past Simple, invariable: did
  • The main verb is invariable in base form: base
  • For negative sentences, we insert not between the auxiliary verb and main verb.
  • For question sentences, we exchange the subject and the auxiliary verb.
  • "Why didn't you go to the party?" / "I did go."
  • It did seem a bit strange.
  • After drinking it I did in fact feel better.

Past Simple with main verb be

The structure of the Past Simple with the main verb be is:

subject + main verb
conjugated in Past Simple

Look at these examples with the main verb be :

  subject main verb    
+ I, he/she/it was   here.
You, we, they were   in London.
- I, he/she/it was not there.
You, we, they were not happy.
? Was I, he/she/it   right?
Were you, we, they   late?
  • There is no auxiliary verb , even for questions and negatives.
  • The main verb (be) is conjugated in the Past Simple: was, were
  • For negative sentences, we insert not after the main verb.
  • For question sentences, we exchange the subject and the main verb.

How do we use the Past Simple tense?

We use the Past Simple tense to talk about an action or a situation - an event - in the past. The event can be short or long .

Here are some short events with the Past Simple:

The car at 9.30am yesterday.
She to the door.
We not the telephone.
you that car?
   

Here are some long events with the Past Simple tense:

I in Bangkok for 10 years.
The Jurassic period about 62 million years.
We not at the concert.
you TV last night?
   

Notice that it does not matter how long ago the event is: it can be a few minutes or seconds in the past, or millions of years in the past. Also it does not matter how long the event is. It can be a few milliseconds (car explosion) or millions of years (Jurassic period). We use the Past Simple tense when:

  • the event is in the past
  • the event is completely finished
  • we say (or understand) the time and/or place of the event

Here are some more examples:

  • I lived in that house when I was young.
  • He did n't like the movie.
  • What did you eat for dinner?
  • John drove to London on Monday.
  • Mary did not go to work yesterday.
  • Did you play tennis last week?
  • I was at work yesterday.
  • We were not late (for the train).
  • Were you angry?

Note that when we tell a story, we usually use the Past Simple. We may start with the Past Continuous tense to "set the scene", but we almost always use the Past Simple tense for the action. Look at this example of the beginning of a story:

Josef Essberger, founder EnglishClub.com

  • Verb Tense Intro.
  • Types of Verbs
  • Active/Passive
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Simple Past

  • Past Continuous
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  • Present Perf. Cont.
  • Past Perfect
  • Past Perfect Cont.
  • Simple Future
  • Future Continuous
  • Future Perfect
  • Future Perfect Cont.
  • Would Always
  • Future in the Past

The simple past (also called past simple, past indefinite or preterite) is a verb tense which is used to show that a completed action took place at a specific time in the past. The simple past is also frequently used to talk about past habits and generalizations. Read on for detailed descriptions, examples, and simple past exercises.

Simple Past Forms

The simple past is formed using the verb + ed . In addition, there are many verbs with irregular past forms . Questions are made with did and negative forms are made with did not .

  • Statement: You called Debbie.
  • Question: Did you call Debbie?
  • Negative: You did not call Debbie.

Complete List of Simple Past Forms

Simple Past Uses

Use 1 completed action in the past.

Use the simple past to express the idea that an action started and finished at a specific time in the past. Sometimes, the speaker may not actually mention the specific time, but they do have one specific time in mind.

  • I saw a movie yesterday.
  • I didn't see a play yesterday.
  • Last year, I traveled to Japan.
  • Last year, I didn't travel to Korea.
  • Did you have dinner last night?
  • She washed her car.
  • He didn't wash his car.

USE 2 A Series of Completed Actions

We use the simple past to list a series of completed actions in the past. These actions happen 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and so on.

  • I finished work, walked to the beach, and found a nice place to swim.
  • He arrived from the airport at 8:00, checked into the hotel at 9:00, and met the others at 10:00.
  • Did you add flour, pour in the milk, and then add the eggs?

USE 3 Duration in the Past

The simple past can be used with a duration which starts and stops in the past. A duration is a longer action often indicated by expressions such as for two years , for five minutes , all day , all year , etc.

  • I lived in Brazil for two years.
  • Shauna studied Japanese for five years.
  • They sat at the beach all day.
  • They did not stay at the party the entire time.
  • We talked on the phone for thirty minutes.
  • A: How long did you wait for them? B: We waited for one hour.

USE 4 Habits in the Past

The simple past can also be used to describe a habit which stopped in the past. It can have the same meaning as used to . To make it clear that we are talking about a habit, we often add expressions such as always , often , usually , never , when I was a child , when I was younger , etc.

  • I studied French when I was a child.
  • He played the violin.
  • He didn't play the piano.
  • Did you play a musical instrument when you were a kid?
  • She worked at the movie theater after school.
  • They never went to school, they always skipped class.

USE 5 Past Facts or Generalizations

The simple past can also be used to describe past facts or generalizations which are no longer true. As in USE 4 above, this use of the simple past is quite similar to the expression used to .

  • She was shy as a child, but now she is very outgoing.
  • He didn't like tomatoes before.
  • Did you live in Texas when you were a kid?
  • People paid much more to make cell phone calls in the past.

Simple Past Tips

Important when-clauses happen first.

Clauses are groups of words which have meaning but are often not complete sentences. Some clauses begin with the word when such as "when I dropped my pen" or "when class began." These clauses are called when-clauses, and they are very important. The examples below contain when-clauses.

  • When I paid her one dollar , she answered my question.
  • She answered my question when I paid her one dollar .

When-clauses are important because they always happen first when both clauses are in the simple past. Both of the examples above mean the same thing: first, I paid her one dollar, and then, she answered my question. It is not important whether "when I paid her one dollar" is at the beginning of the sentence or at the end of the sentence. However, the example below has a different meaning. First, she answered my question, and then, I paid her one dollar.

  • I paid her one dollar when she answered my question .

ADVERB PLACEMENT

The examples below show the placement for grammar adverbs such as always , only , never , ever , still , just , etc.

  • You just called Debbie.
  • Did you just call Debbie?

ACTIVE / PASSIVE

  • Tom repaired the car. Active
  • The car was repaired by Tom. Passive

More About Active / Passive Forms

Simple Past Exercises

Simple Past and Past Continuous
Simple Past and Past Continuous
Simple Past and Present Perfect
Simple Past and Present Perfect
Simple Past and Past Perfect
Simple Past, Present Perfect, and Past Perfect
Tenses with durations
Present and Past Tenses with Non-Continuous Verbs
Present and Past Tense Review
Cumulative Verb Tense Review
Cumulative Verb Tense Review
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Home » Simple Past Tense | Structure, Rules, Usage and Examples

Simple Past Tense | Structure, Rules, Usage and Examples

Simple past tense

Simple past tense, also known as past indefinite tense, allows us to talk about events or actions that happened in the past and are now completed. It’s a straightforward way of expressing that something occurred at a specific point in time before the present moment. Understanding the simple past tense is crucial when describing past events, narrating stories, or expressing historical facts. This tense expresses actions or states that have no connection to the present or future moments. In this article, we will explore the structure, rules, usage, and various examples of the simple past tense to help you better understand this important grammatical concept. So let’s get started!

What is Simple Past Tense?

Simple Past Tense is used to talk about actions or events that happened and were completed in the past. In simple words, it’s a way of expressing what happened before the current moment. This tense is formed by using the past form of the main verb , which is often formed by adding “ -ed ” to regular verbs, while irregular verbs have unique past forms. For regular verbs, the past tense follows a consistent pattern. For example, the base form “walk” becomes “walked” in the past tense. Irregular verbs, however, don’t follow the same pattern, and their past forms must be memorized. For instance, “go” becomes “went,” and “eat” becomes “ate.”

Simple past tense helps us communicate when something occurred and provides a clear timeline of events. For instance, “Yesterday, I walked to the store and bought some groceries.” Here, “walked” and “bought” are both in the simple past tense, indicating that these actions happened and were completed in the past. Simple Past Tense is used when the time of the action or event is clearly in the past, and there is no connection to the present. This tense doesn’t provide information about the duration of an action; it simply communicates that the action or event is completed.

For example:

  • I ate pizza for lunch. (eat)
  • We watched a movie last night. (watch)
  • I studied for the exam all night. (study)
  • He bought a new car last month. (buy)
  • He fixed the broken window. (fix)

Negative Form:

To form the negative simple past tense, you generally use the auxiliary verb “did” followed by “not” (“did not” or “didn’t”), and then the base form of the main verb. it is essential to remember that the main verb remains in its base form (the infinitive form without “to”) when forming negative sentences in the simple past tense.

  • Statement: He went to the store.
  • Negative: He didn’t go to the store.
  • She did not pass the exam.
  • I did not see you at the party.
  • He did not eat lunch at noon.
  • We did not find the lost keys.
  • The team didn’t win the game last night.

Interrogative Form:

Questions are formed by using the auxiliary verb “ did ” followed by the subject and the base form of the main verb.

  • Statement: We watched a movie.
  • Question: Did we watch a movie?
  • Did he pass the exam ?
  • Did they visit the museum ?
  • Did he call you yesterday ?
  • Did they find the lost keys ?
  • Did you enjoy the movie last night ?

Structure of Simple Past Tense

Positive sentences:.

ubject + Past Verb (2nd Form) + Object
  • They ate pizza for dinner.
  • She read a book before bed.
  • He bought a new car last month.

Negative Sentences:

ubject +Did + not + Base Verb (1st Form) + Object
  • I didn’t eat breakfast this morning.
  • I did not see that movie before.
  • I did not finish my homework last night.

Interrogative Sentences (yes/no questions):

id + Subject + Base Verb (1st Form) + Object + ?
  • Did you read the book?
  • Did he call you last night?
  • Did you finish your homework?

Interrogative Sentences (wh-questions):

) + Object +?

Wh-word: (who, what, where, when, why, how)

  • What did you eat for dinner?
  • Where did they go on vacation?
  • Why did she resign from her job?

Negative Interrogative Sentences:

)+ Object +?
  • Did she not like the book?
  • Did he not call you back?
  • Did she not   finish her homework?

Simple Past Tense Timeline:

Simple Past Tense refers to actions completed in the past. It’s used to talk about specific, finished events or states that occurred before the present moment. It helps establish a clear timeframe for events that are no longer happening in the present.

| ——–Past——— | ——-Present——- >

He watched a movie. | (the action is completed before the present moment)

Simple Past Tense Time Words:

It’s important to note that the Simple Past Tense is often used with time expressions like yesterday, last year, in 2005, or specific periods in the past. They are essential in Simple Past Tense to specify when an action occurred. Here are some basic words and expressions that are often associated with the simple past tense:

Simple Past Tense Uses:

  • Completed Actions: Use to talk about actions that started and finished in the past.
  • Sequencing Events: Describe a series of completed events in chronological order.
  • Habits or Routines in the Past: Discuss past routines or repeated actions.
  • Past States: Express a state of being in the past.
  • Changes Over Time: Explain how things were different in the past.
  • Past Achievements: Share accomplishments or achievements that occurred in the past.
  • Narrative Writing: Employ it for storytelling to recount past experiences.
  • Reported Speech: Use it in a reported speech to convey what someone said.
  • Biographical Information: Provide details about a person’s life story.
  • Historical Events: Talk about specific events or occurrences in history.
  • Time Expressions: Use words like “yesterday,” “last month,” or “in 2005.”
  • Past Facts: Used for statements of fact in the past or past events in literature

Regular vs Irregular Verbs

The Simple past tense is formed by adding the past tense marker “-ed” to regular verbs or using the irregular form of the verb.

Regular Verbs:

Formation: Regular verbs follow a predictable pattern in the past tense. To form the Simple Past Tense for regular verbs, you typically add “-ed” to the base form of the verb.

  • Walk (Base) → Walked (Simple Past)
  • Play (Base) → Played (Simple Past)
  • Talk (Base) → Talked (Simple Past)

In the Simple Past Tense, regular verbs follow a straightforward pattern by adding “-ed” to their base form.

Irregular Verbs:

Formation: Have unique past tense forms that don’t follow a predictable pattern.

  • Go (Base) → Went (Simple Past)
  • Eat (Base) → Ate (Simple Past)
  • Take (Base) → Took (Simple Past)

Irregular verbs in the Simple Past Tense do not follow the regular “-ed” pattern. Instead, they have distinct forms that need to be memorized.

Simple Past Tense Rules:

  • Regular Verbs: Add “-ed” to the base form for simple past tense. Example: Walk → Walked .
  • Irregular Verbs: Have unique past forms. Example: Go → Went .
  • Negative Form: Use “did not” + base verb. Example: I did not eat .
  • Question Form: Begin with “Did” + base verb. Example: Did you finish?
  • Base Verbs:  Use base verbs (V1) in negative and interrogative sentences.
  • Time Words: Use words like yesterday, last week, or ago to indicate past time.
  • Habitual Actions: Describe repeated past actions. Example: I always ate breakfast.
  • Completed Actions: Express events that happened and finished. Example: I finished my homework.
  • Series of Events: Narrate a sequence of actions. Example: He woke up , brushed , and had breakfast.

Simple Past Tense Chart with Examples

Subject + Past Verb (regular) + Object I basketball.
Subject + Past Verb (irregular) + Object They pizza for dinner.
Subject + Did not + Base Verb + Object She lunch.
Did + Subject + Base Verb + Object +? you your homework
Wh-word + Did + Subject + Base Verb + Object +? you for dinner?
Did + Subject + Not + Base Verb (1st Form)+ Object +?   he   you back?

Simple Past Example Sentences:

  • He studied for the exam all night.
  • She didn’t pass the exam.
  • She watched a movie yesterday.
  • We ate pizza for dinner.
  • Did you see that movie before?
  • I traveled to Paris last summer.
  • She read a book in one sitting.
  • He didn’t buy a new car.
  • We went to the beach on Sunday.
  • Did he forget your birthday?
  • She called her friend after school.
  • The children didn’t go to bed early.
  • The team didn’t win the match.
  • We visited the museum yesterday.
  • They wrote a letter to their teacher.
  • I had a great time at the party.

Simple Past Exercises

Choose the correct option to complete each sentence.

1) Yesterday, I ______ to the store.

a) go  b) goes  c) went  d) going

2) She ______ her keys at home.

a) forgets  b) forgetting  c) forgot  d) forget

3. He ______ his favorite book last night.

a) reads  b) reading  c) read  d) readed

4. My parents ______ in London when I was born.

a) lives  b) live  c) lived  d) living

5. We ______ the exam last week.

a) pass  b) passes  c) passed  d) passing

6. Sarah ______ her lunch in the cafeteria.

a) eats  b) eating  c) ate  d) eat

7. They ______ to the museum on Saturday.

a) go  b) going  c) went  d) goes

8. Last summer, I ______ to Italy.

a) travel  b) traveling  c) travels  d) traveled

9. We ______ our friends at the restaurant.

a) meet  b) meeting  c) met  d) meets

10. Last year, I ______ my own business.

a) start  b) starting  c) starts  d) started

  • d) traveled

Q1: What is Simple Past Tense?

Simple Past Tense is a grammatical tense used to express actions or events that occurred and were completed in the past. It is formed by adding the past tense marker “-ed” to regular verbs or using irregular forms for irregular verbs.

Q2: How is Simple Past Tense formed?

For regular verbs, the Simple Past is formed by adding “-ed” to the base form of the verb (e.g., walk → walked, play → played). Irregular verbs, however, have unique past tense forms (e.g., go → went, eat → ate).

Q3: When do we use Simple Past Tense?

Simple Past Tense is used to narrate completed actions or events in the past. It can express a one-time occurrence, a habitual action, or an action that was in progress for a specific duration in the past.

Q4: What are the common time expressions used with Simple Past Tense?

Time expressions such as yesterday, last week, in 2005, and specific dates are commonly used with Simple Past Tense to provide a timeframe for the past action.

Q5: How do we form negative sentences in Simple Past Tense?

To form negative sentences, the auxiliary verb “did not” (didn’t) is used, followed by the base form of the main verb. For example, “I did not go to the store.”

Q6: How are questions formed in Simple Past Tense?

Questions are formed by using the auxiliary verb “did” followed by the base form of the main verb. For example, “Did you finish your homework?”

Q7: Give example sentences of simple past tense.

Here are some basic examples of simple past tense:

  • I visited Paris last summer.
  • It rained heavily last night.
  • Did they arrive on time?
  • Did she find her lost keys?

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  • 12 English Tenses
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  • Irregular Verbs with Examples

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Past Simple Tense - Worksheet

Robert Muteș Ionel

Robert Muteș Ionel

A worksheet to practise the past simple tense. Key included. Thank you

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Past Simple Tense - Worksheet

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Regular verbs exercises

Affirmative: irregular verbs

Negative: irregular verbs

Questions: irregular verbs

Mixed forms - exercises

Intermediate level - 1

Intermediate level - 2

Past simple: irregular

Exercises - affirmative forms.

  • Common irregular verbs 1-10
  • Verbs 1-10: drag and drop
  • Irregular verbs 1-10: write
  • Common irregular verbs 11-20
  • Verbs 11-20: drag and drop
  • Irregular verbs 11-20: write
  • Common irregular verbs 21-30
  • Verbs 21-30: drag and drop
  • Irregular verbs 21-30: write
  • Common irregular verbs 31-40
  • Verbs 31-40: drag and drop
  • Irregular verbs 31-40: write
  • Quiz 1 : irregular verbs 01-15
  • Quiz 2 : irregular verbs 16-30
  • Quiz 3 : irregular verbs 31-45
  • Quiz 4 : irregular verbs 46-60
  • 90 irregular verbs: 9 pages
  • Irregular verbs 01-30: write
  • Irregular verbs 31-60: write
  • 20 irregular verbs - write
  • Past simple - affirmative
  • Past simple - game

My dog ate my homework (Past Simple and Past Continuous)

  • Games and Role Plays
  • Past Tenses

Grammar - Past Simple and Past Continuous

Past Simple and Past Continuous

This is a standalone lesson but it can also be used as part of the set titled:

  • Tell me what happened

photo of the author

LESSON OVERVIEW

In this lesson, students learn the difference between Past Simple and Past Continuous . They also get the chance to practise using the two tenses in a variety of tasks. 

PAST SIMPLE AND PAST CONTINUOUS

At the beginning of the lesson students read the definition of the word excuse and think what excuses people often give in different situations (e.g. when they are late). Then, students read six situations and think of an excuse they might give in each of them (e.g. You borrowed a friend’s laptop and broke it .) Next, they look at a list of excuses and match them with the situations they talked about. The excuses contain verbs in Past Simple and Past Continuous forms. After that, students look at some of the excuses again and find the verbs , as well as decide which tense they are. They also work out the rules of using Past Simple and Past Continuous. 

In this part of the lesson students practise using the past tenses . First, they do a controlled activity in which they need to choose the correct verb forms in sentences. Then, they look at four photos of people who might have done something wrong and discuss some questions. For instance, they explain what happened (e.g. someone broke some plates), say whether these situations ever happened to them, and decide if the people should apologize for what happened. Then, students use the four photos to create some excuses for what happened. They need to use Past Simple and Past Continuous, as well as some verbs in brackets. Finally, students play a game in which they get a list of situations (e.g. You promised to cook dinner but you didn’t .). In pairs, they need to create excuses for what happened, and their partner needs to guess what the situation is.

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Really fun, my students love tense revision lessons, happy this was added

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Great practice for reviewing past tenses and recycling vocabulary!

That’s really good to hear. Thanks!

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What a great lesson! My beginner students loved it and found it extremely useful and clear

Awesome! Thanks for the feedback 🙂

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I love it! My students love it! Congrats!

Thank you 🙂 Happy to hear the lesson was a success!

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An enjoyable and imaginative lesson for all! Just one little thing, the instructions on slide 10 are not very clear, and it took a while for me and the student to work out what was actually required. Great work Ewa. Highly recommended.

Thanks for the feedback, Pete 🙂 We have redisigned the task a bit to make it clearer.

Thank Ewa. Much better now!

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GREAT LESSON! THE STUDENTS LOVE IT!

Fantastic! Thank you 🙂

Lovely lesson. Just a little correction (I think!): slide 16 has “down” from the “walked/walking down the street” example crossed out in the answers – I don’t think it should be as it makes sense with both tenses.

Hi, thanks for spotting that! We’ve fixed it.

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This lesson is excellent. The students can practice grammar while discussing a funny topic. I would love similar lesson for the other past tenses.

Thanks for the comment 🙂 We always try to make grammar lessons more than just about grammar. You can browse other (hopefully equally fun) lessons covering past tenses and talking about the past here .

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  4. 2,944 Past simple tense English ESL worksheets pdf & doc

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COMMENTS

  1. 2,946 Past simple tense English ESL worksheets pdf & doc

    Past simple: all for. 4 exercises to revis. 92226 uses. angelmix. Simple Past- exercis. Just a simple set of. 91060 uses. islandgirl. Simple Present tense. Students write the s. 72888 uses. rmartinandres. THE TREE HOUSE - PAR. Students find in a p. 71321 uses. ladygargara. PAST SIMPLE- Regular. Very easy ws for beg.

  2. PDF Simple Past Grammar Practice Worksheets ESL Library

    A common way to form the simple past is to add -ed to the end of a verb. These verbs are called "regular verbs.". Other verbs have many kinds of changes. They are called "irregular verbs.". The Be verb is a special kind of irregular verb. It has two forms (was and were). It also has diferent sentence patterns.

  3. Past simple: worksheets pdf, printable exercises, lessons

    Past simple - pdf exercises. Past simple - pdf exercises. Worksheet - crossword pdf. Worksheet : affirmative-negative forms. Past simple - exercises. Past simple tense - worksheet. Worksheet : simple past - interrogative. Past simple - worksheets. Past simple - negative.

  4. Simple Past

    Exercises Complete the sentences with the simple past of the verbs in brackets. William (visit) his grandparents last weekend. regular verb → add ed; Jane (arrive) an hour ago. regular verb that ends in e → add a d; We (go) to Bob's birthday party yesterday. irregular verb, 2nd verb form (go-went-gone); I (be) on holiday last week. irregular verb, 2nd verb form (be-was/were-been)

  5. Past simple exercises PDF

    Past simple exercises + PDF worksheets. PDF exercises to download for free: Past simple verbs PDF 1. Key with answers 1. Dear Jane, How are you doing? Yesterday I ___ (do) my homework, ___ (tidy) my bedroom and ___ (decide) to go out. Past simple verbs PDF 2. Key with answers 2.

  6. Simple Past Tense

    Revised on October 23, 2023. The simple past tense is a verb form used to refer to an action or series of actions that were completed in the past. The simple past tense of regular verbs is formed by adding "-ed" to the infinitive form of the verb (e.g., "cook" becomes "cooked"). Most verbs in the simple past take the same form ...

  7. Grammar Exercises: Simple Past Tense

    Put the verbs into the simple past: Last year I (go) to England on holiday. It (be) fantastic. I (visit) lots of interesting places. I (be) with two friends of mine . In the mornings we (walk) in the streets of London. In the evenings we (go) to pubs. The weather (be) strangely fine. It (rain) a lot.

  8. The Simple Past of Regular and Irregular Verbs

    The simple past, also known as the past simple or preterite, is the fundamental form of the past tense. It is used to describe past actions and events that occurred before the present moment. The simple past of regular verbs is formed by adding -ed to the bare infinitive (e.g., play → played, watch → watched, etc.).However, there are hundreds of irregular verbs with various forms (e.g., go ...

  9. Simple Past

    Simple past lesson with explanations of the grammar structure including questions, and negatives. Find links to simple past exercises. Skip links. ... Susan finished her homework last night. Past Status. Use "was" and "were" to talk about past status. He was a teacher 5 years ago. He is not anymore.

  10. Past Simple Tense ESL Worksheets

    A fun esl printable grammar test worksheet for learning, teaching and practising past simple tense with irregular verbs. First write the past forms of the irregular verbs. Second rewrite the sentences making them positive. Next rewrite the sentences making them negative. Then answer the questions about yourself.

  11. The Past Simple (or Simple Past) Tense

    We make the past simple just like the present simple except we use 'did' instead of 'do / does'. It's really easy because 'did' doesn't change, even with 'he / she / it'. The positive: We usually make the positive by adding '-ed' to the infinitive. For example, 'play' becomes 'played'. However, there are some irregular verbs, for example 'go ...

  12. Past simple exercises

    Past simple - regular verbs. Past simple affirmative - write. Past simple regular - write. Past tenses: -ed / -ied. Negative forms - past simple. Affirmative - negative: write. Interrogative forms - past simple. Affirmative - interrogative: write. Negative - interrogative: write.

  13. 2.1: Simple Past

    The simple past verb tense is used to write about events that happened in the past and are complete. Simple past is an easy choice when the time of the event is given by some time expression. ... For Homework: Choose one of the topics above and write a story in paragraph form (not a list of sentences.) Use the simple past tense in six or more ...

  14. Past Simple Tense: How to Use It, With Examples

    To make a negative sentence in the past simple tense, you need to use the auxiliary verb "did" and the negative particle "not" (or "n't"). The formula forming the simple past is: Subject + did not (didn't) + base form of the verb + object. For example: I did not (didn't) go to the party last night. He did not (didn't) finish ...

  15. Simple past

    Simple past - Exercises. Rony Rodríguez. Member for 4 years 4 months Age: 7+ Level: Grade 8th. Language: English (en) ID: 123254. 23/04/2020. Country code: EC. Country: Ecuador. School subject: English as a Second Language (ESL) (1061958) Main content: Simple past (2013134) From worksheet author: Simple past ...

  16. Simple past worksheets

    English Simple past worksheet review to help advanced level English classes and students review for all major tenses. 50 simple past worksheets as pdf, handouts and printable exercises. Exercises free and with help function, teaching materials and grammar rules.

  17. Past Simple tense (with example sentences)

    We use the Past Simple tense when: the event is in the past. the event is completely finished. we say (or understand) the time and/or place of the event. In general, if we say the past time or place of the event, we must use the Past Simple tense; we cannot use the present perfect. Here are some more examples:

  18. Simple Past Tense

    Simple Past. The simple past (also called past simple, past indefinite or preterite) is a verb tense which is used to show that a completed action took place at a specific time in the past. The simple past is also frequently used to talk about past habits and generalizations. Read on for detailed descriptions, examples, and simple past exercises.

  19. Simple Past Tense

    To form the Simple Past Tense for regular verbs, you typically add "-ed" to the base form of the verb. Examples: Walk (Base) → Walked (Simple Past) Play (Base) → Played (Simple Past) Talk (Base) → Talked (Simple Past) In the Simple Past Tense, regular verbs follow a straightforward pattern by adding "-ed" to their base form.

  20. Past simple

    Regular past simple forms are formed by adding - ed to the infinitive of the verb. That seems easy! Yes, but there are some spelling rules. If a verb ends in - e, you add - d. If a verb ends in a vowel and a consonant, the consonant is usually doubled before - ed. If a verb ends in consonant and - y, you take off the y and add - ied.

  21. Past Simple Tense

    12/03/2019. Country code: RO. Country: Romania. School subject: English as a Second Language (ESL) (1061958) Main content: Irregular verbs (2013224) From worksheet author: A worksheet to practise the past simple tense. Key included. Thank you.

  22. Past simple exercises

    Irregular verbs 21-30: write. Common irregular verbs 31-40. Verbs 31-40: drag and drop. Irregular verbs 31-40: write. Quiz 1 : irregular verbs 01-15. Quiz 2 : irregular verbs 16-30. Quiz 3 : irregular verbs 31-45. Quiz 4 : irregular verbs 46-60. 90 irregular verbs: 9 pages.

  23. My dog ate my homework (Past Simple and Past Continuous)

    In this lesson, students learn the difference between Past Simple and Past Continuous. They also get the chance to practise using the two tenses in a variety of tasks. A2 / Pre‐Intermediate 60 min Standard Lesson Premium Plan. Unlock these lesson worksheets with the Premium subscription.