SIMPLE PAST TENSE
● We use the simple past to talk about
something that already happened.
● It is finished.
Examples:
● I walked to school.
● She ate lunch.
Formula: Subject + Past Form of Verb +
Object
Types of Verbs
1. Regular Verbs
Most verbs add -ed.
walk → walked
play → played
jump → jumped
Types of Verbs
Spelling Rules:
● If the verb ends in e, add -d
E. g. live → lived
● If the verb ends in consonant + y, change y to i
and add -ed
E. g. study → studied
● Short word? Double the last letter and add -ed
E. g. stop → stopped
Types of Verbs
2. Irregular Verbs
● Irregular verbs do NOT add -ed.
● They change in different ways.
Types of Verbs
You must memorize
them.
make → made
go → went
run→ ran
eat → ate
give → gave
see → saw
take → took do → did
have → had forget → forgot
choose → chose
Some irregular verbs follow patterns.
Vowel change (i → a) Change to -ew
sing → sang know → knew
drink → drank throw → threw
begin → began grow → grew
Change to -ought / No change
-aught cut → cut
buy → bought put → put
bring → brought hit → hit
teach → taught
think → thought
Negative Form
Formula: Subject + did not + base verb
● I did not go.
● She didn’t eat.
● They didn’t finish.
⚠ After did not, use the base verb.
Wrong: ❌ did not went
Correct: ✅ did not go
Questions Form
Formula: Did + subject + base verb?
● Did you finish?
● Did she call?
● Did they win?
⚠ With questions, use the base verb.
Practice: Complete each sentence with the correct
form of the simple past tense.
1. Kelvin made a lot of new friends when he changed
schools. (make)
2. By the end of the first week he ______ everyone in
his class. (know)
3. At first he ______ to school on his own. (walk)
4. Soon he ______ there with a group of friends. (go)
5. Before the term ______ he was rather nervous.
(begin)
6. It did not ______ him long to feel at home in his
new class. (take)
7. His grandmother ______ a new bag for his books.
(buy)
8. He ______ the bag himself. (choose)
9. He ______ it was exciting to go to a new school.
(think)
10. He did not ______ his friends at his old school.
(forget)