Past Simple Tense

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• havo, vwo
• Leerjaar 1-3

Past Simple Tense 

Table of Contents:

* Lesson Aims

* Past Simple Form

* Regular / Irregular Verbs 

* Usage

* Signal words

* Differentiation Past Simple - Present Perfect

* Past Simple Exercises

* Video explanation (in Dutch)

Lesson Aims:

* To use the past simple form in both a grammatical and communicative manner.

* To be able to differentiate between the past simple and present perfect tenses. 

Past Simple Form (using to be):

Past Simple Form (using to do):

Regular verb spelling

Irregular verb spelling

Simple past regular verbs:

Add -ed to the regular verb. 

Example: look - looked, watch - watched,

Some verbs you need to change a bit.

Verb ending in...-e 

only add - d 

Examples: live - lived / date - dated /create-created

Consonant +y

Change y to i an add -ed

Examples:  carry - carried / cry - cried 

1 vowel + 1 consonant

Double consonant and add -ed

Examples: stop - stopped

(This does not apply to the letters w, x, and y)

Simple past irregular (not regular) verbs:

Some verbs are not regular. They are irregular. You should learn them by heart!

Usage:

* The Simple past describes a completed action in a 

time before now and things that happen one after 

another in the past.

* The simple past form is the same for all persons.

Rules:

* Note that the simple past form is the same for all persons.

* For past simple questions- to form a question: first begin with 'did' + subject + infinitive.

* Also the time goes at either the beginning or at the end of the sentence! 

Example: Yesterday, we had a great time. /We had a great time yesterday. 

Signal words:

Also :

Past dates (ex.: in  2010) 

Past holidays (last Christmas)

Using the word Ago

(Ex.: a few seconds ago, a minute ago, etc.)

Differentiation Past Simple - Present Perfect:

Past Simple Exercises:

Mum and Dad (to be) happy about the present.

1. are
2. was
3. were
4. is

The teachers (to be) very strict in 2011.

1. is
2. was
3. were
4. are

What time (he/ to get up) yesterday?

1. do he get up
2. did he get up
3. get he up
4. was he up

The wedding was (to plan) one year ago.

1. plant
2. planning
3. planned
4. planed

We (not/ to use) the computer last night.

1. have not used
2. use not
3. would not use
4. did not use

Usain Bolt (to break) many Olympic men's sprinter records.

1. broken
2. broke
3. breaked
4. breaking

Christian (to buy - not) a new guitar.

1. hasn't bought
2. buy not
3. buyed not
4. did not buy

Affirmative:
The man (to carry) the box inside.

Affirmative:
The wind (to blow) the clothes away.

Turn into Negation:
I forgot to take the book with me.

Turn into Negation:
Marlies was lazy last week.

Turn the sentence into a question.
The lamb ate the grass.

Turn the sentence into a question.
They went far away.

Turn into a question.
Ron did not sign the document in 2011.

Following lesson:

Past Continous Tense