"Mastering the Past Simple: A Guide to Using the Simple Past Tense in English"

For many of us, the best possessions we have are our memories from our past, and if we want to share these memories with others, we need to know how to do that. If you have ever struggled with sharing memories from the past, or even what you did yesterday when speaking English, do not worry because today you will learn all about the past simple. By the end of this article, you will understand the form, uses, and common irregular verbs used in the past simple :)

Now, maybe you are wondering, how can we do that? Well, lets go over the form!

Affirmative

This morning, I cooked, cleaned, and walked. I also ate breakfast, went for a run, and drank coffee with my friend.

In the sentence above, take some time, and try to figure out what words are in the past simple. I will give you a hint. Three verbs are regular, and three verbs are irregular.

Regular verbs

This morning, I cooked, cleaned, and walked.

1. This morning I cooked.

2. This morning I cleaned.

3. This morning I walked.

When a verb is regular we simply add ed to the end.

1. walk >walked

2. Talk >talked

3. Play> Played

4. Watch > Watched

5. Ask> Asked

6. Work> Worked

7. Jump> Jumped

8. Smile> Smiled.

9. Visit > Visited.

10. Show>Showed

11. Start>Started

12. Try> Tried

• What happened to the "Y"?

• When a word ends with "Y", we drop the it, and add "ied."

1. Carry>..How do you spell this?

• Carried

So the form for regular verbs is:

Subject + base form +ed

1. .He cooked all day.

2. She cleaned the bathroom.

3. We watched a movie together.

4. I tried to run but it was raining.

5. I wanted to watch go to the beach today but it was raining.

Now, we will go over irregular verbs. For irregular verbs, we do not add "ed." We must remember each irregular verb in the past simple, but do not worry because I know that you can do it.

1. Be - Was/Were

2. Become - Became

3. Begin - Began

4. Bite - Bit

5. Break - Broke

6. Bring - Brought

7. Build - Built

8. Buy - Bought

9. Catch - Caught

10. Choose - Chose

11. Come - Came

12. Do - Did

13. Draw - Drew

14. Drink - Drank

15. Drive - Drove

16. Eat - Ate

17. Fall - Fell

18. Feel - Felt

19. Find - Found

20. Fly - Flew

21. Forget - Forgot

22. Get - Got

23. Give - Gave

24. Go - Went

25. Grow - Grew

26. Have - Had

27. Hear - Heard

28. Hide - Hid

29. Hit - Hit

30. Hold - Held

31. Keep - Kept

32. Know - Knew

33. Leave - Left

34. Lend - Lent

35. Let - Let

36. Lose - Lost

37. Make - Made

38. Mean - Meant

39. Meet - Met

40. Put - Put

41. Read - Read

42. Ride - Rode

43. Run - Ran

44. Say - Said

45. See - Saw

46. Sell - Sold

47. Sing - Sang

48. Sit - Sat

49. Sleep - Slept

50. Speak - Spoke

Affirmative paragraph

"I woke up early yesterday and walked to the park. The birds chirped as I sat on a bench and read a book. Suddenly, a dog ran past me, chasing a squirrel. I watched as they disappeared into the distance. Later, I met my friends at a cafe, and we had a delicious lunch. Afterward, we went to the beach and swam in the refreshing water. It was a wonderful day filled with adventures and laughter."

In this paragraph:

• "woke" is the past simple of the irregular verb "wake."

• "walked" is the past simple of the regular verb "walk."

• "chirped" is the past simple of the irregular verb "chirp."

• "sat" is the past simple of the irregular verb "sit."

• "read" is the past simple of the irregular verb "read."

• "ran" is the past simple of the irregular verb "run."

• "watched" is the past simple of the regular verb "watch."

• "met" is the past simple of the irregular verb "meet."

• "had" is the past simple of the irregular verb "have."

• "went" is the past simple of the irregular verb "go."

Negative

Yesterday, I didn't wake up on time and missed my alarm. As a result, I didn't have time to eat breakfast at home. I didn't catch the bus to work and had to take a taxi instead. Unfortunately, I didn't bring my wallet, so I couldn't pay the taxi fare. When I arrived at the office, I realized I didn't complete an important task the previous day. My coworkers were disappointed because I didn't contribute to the project as expected. Overall, it was a challenging day filled with various setbacks and missed opportunities.

Take some time to read this paragraph, and try and look for actions that didn't happen.

1. Yesterday, I didn't wake up on time and missed my alarm

2. I didn't have time to eat breakfast at home.

3. I didn't catch the bus to work and had to take a taxi instead.

4. Unfortunately, I didn't bring my wallet, so I couldn't pay the taxi fare

5. I realized I didn't complete an important task the previous day.

Form

Subject + did not + infinitive

In speech and informal writing , did not, is contracted to didn't.

1. We didn't visit the museum during our trip.

2. They didn't win the competition despite their hard work.

3. He didn't like the movie that everyone was talking about.

4. I didn't receive any response to my email.

5. She didn't go to the party last night.

Example paragraph

Yesterday, I didn't go to the grocery store because it was raining heavily. I didn't buy any vegetables or fruits for dinner. Instead, I cooked a simple meal using the ingredients I already had at home. I didn't invite any friends over because I wanted some alone time. After dinner, I didn't watch television or browse the internet. I read a book and went to bed early. It was a quiet and relaxing evening without any unnecessary distractions.

Take some time to read the paragraph, then think about the negative examples that you see.

1. She didn't finish her work on time.

2. We didn't go on vacation last year.

3. They didn't pass the exam despite studying hard.

4. He didn't play the guitar at the concert.

5. I didn't see the movie that everyone was talking about.

6. She didn't call me yesterday.

7. We didn't have any pizza left for dinner.

8. They didn't invite me to their party.

9. He didn't take the bus to work today.

10. I didn't meet him at the cafe as planned.

Interrogative

Did you enjoy the concert last night? The band played all of their hit songs, and the crowd was thrilled. Did you dance and sing along with everyone? Were your friends there with you? Did you take any photos or videos to remember the moment? Did you stay until the end of the show? It was an amazing night, and I'm curious to know about your experience.

Take some time to read the paragraph and look for the questions that are asked.

1. Did you enjoy the concert last night?

2. Did you dance and sing along with everyone?

3. Were your friends there with you?

4. Did you take any photos or videos to remember the moment?

5. Did you stay until the end of the show?

Form

Did + subject + infinitive + rest of sentence

1. Did you finish your homework before dinner?

2. Did they visit their relatives during the holidays?

3. Did she win the race?

4. Did you see that movie in the theater?

5. Did he play any musical instruments when he was younger?

Example paragraph

Did you travel to any new destinations last summer? I heard you went on a road trip. Did you visit any national parks along the way? How many miles did you drive in total? Did you try any local cuisines during your journey? Did you have any memorable experiences or encounters during your travels? I'm curious to hear all about your adventures!

Again, take some time, read the paragraph and look for examples.

1. Did you travel to any new destinations last summer?

2. Did you visit any national parks along the way?

3. How many miles did you drive in total?

4. Did you try any local cuisines during your journey?

5. Did you have any memorable experiences or encounters during your travels?

Uses

Now, maybe you are wondering, what the past simple is used for. Well, the answer is simple. We use the pas simple to:

1. Describe actions and states that finished in a completed period of time

2. Describe past habits

3. Narrate a series of past events

Describe past actions and states that finished in a completed period of time

• This means that the action finished in the past. It could be an event, such as a soccer game, a party that happened last night, or even a vacation that happened last year. The important thing is that the event finished in the past.

Describe past habits

• Past habits are habits that we did the past but no longer do now. We can talk about past habits and routines, but these actions no longer happen now. We use words such as:

• Went

• Would

• Used to

1. She always walked her dog in the park after dinner.

2. We used to have family game nights every Saturday.

3. He would often read a book before going to bed.

4. They regularly went for a jog in the morning.

5. I would visit my grandparents every summer vacation.

Narrating a past series of events

• This is like past story telling. We narrate an event or story that happened in the past.

1. She entered the room and greeted everyone.

2. They walked along the beach, enjoying the sound of the crashing waves.

3. He opened the book and started reading the first chapter.

4. We visited the museum and admired the artwork on display.

5. The team scored a goal in the final minutes of the match, securing their victory.

Homework

Now it is time for homework!

1. Write a paragraph of 5-10 sentences about your favorite vacation and post it in the comments!

2. Write three sentences about events and actions that happened in the past for each picture

.