INSTITUCION TECNOLOGICA COLEGIO

MAYOR DE BOLIVAR ITCMB

THE PAST TENSE

THE PAST TENSE OF BE

AFFIRMATIVE NEGATIVE INTERROGATIVE

I WAS I WASN´T WAS I?

YOU WERE YOU WEREN´T WERE YOU?
HE WAS HE WASN´T WAS HE?
SHE WAS SHE WASN´T WAS SHE?
IT WAS IT WASN´T WAS IT?
WE WERE WE WEREN´T WERE WE?
YOU WERE YOU WEREN´T WERE YOU?
THEY WERE THEY WEREN´T WERE THEY?

EXAMPLES WASN´T WEREN´T

 I WAS AN ENGLISH TEACHER

 YOU WERE A GOOD STUDENT.
 HE WAS AN AEROBICS INSTRUCTOR.
 SHE WAS A BEAUTIFUL QUEEN.
 IT WAS A NICE ISLAND.
 WE WERE FAMOUS SINGERS.
 YOU WERE SMART GIRLS.
 THEY WERE LATE.
 WERE YOU A STUDENT? YES, I WAS A STUDENT.
 WAS HE A PILOT? NO, HE WASN´T A PILOT.
 WERE THEY GOOD STUDENTS? YES, THEY WERE GOOD STUDENTS.
 THE SIMPLE PAST TENSE
The most basic use of the past tense is to describe one completed action in the past.

EXAMPLE: The fire started at 9:00 pm.

The simple past tense uses combinations to mark the common time: yesterday, yesterday
morning, yesterday afternoon, yesterday evening, last night, last month, last year, two days
ago, two weeks ago, three years ago, in 1998, on Monday, at 5:30.

TO CLEAN TO WORK TO FIX TO WALK

I cleaned I worked I fixed I walked
You cleaned You worked You fixed You walked
He cleaned He worked He fixed He walked
She cleaned She worked She fixed She walked
It cleaned It worked It fixed It walked
We cleaned We worked We fixed We walked
You cleaned You worked You fixed You walked
They cleaned They worked They fixed They walked

TO DANCE TO START TO PLAY TO STUDY

I danced I started I played I studied
You danced You started You played You studied
He danced He started He played He studied
She danced She started She played She studied
It danced It started It played It studied
We danced We started We played We studied
You danced You started You played You studied
They danced They started They played They studied

REGULAR VERBS: IF A VERB IS REGULAR, THE PAST SIMPLE AND PAST

PARTICIPLE END IN ED.

NOTE
 In the simple past tense of regular verbs, the regular ending is ED; it is added to the
simple form of the verb. If the verb ends in e, only D is added.

TO WALK WALKED
TO DANCE DANCED

 When the simple form of the verb ends in a single consonant preceded by a single
vowel and the stress is on the last syllable, the consonant is doubled before a suffix
beginning with a vowel.

TO STOP STOPPED
 When the simple form of the verb ends in y preceded by a consonant, the y changes to
i before ED.
TO STUDY STUDIED

EXAMPLE
TO DANCE DANCED
TO NOTICE NOTICED
TO STUDY STUDIED
TO PRONOUNCE PRONOUNCED
TO MISS MISSED
TO OMIT OMITTED
TO WATCH WATCHED
TO WALK WALKED
TO ASK ASKED
TO FINISH FINISHED
TO LEARN LEARNED
TO PASS PASSED
TO EXPRESS EXPRESSED
TO LISTEN LISTENED
TO LIVE LIVED
TO CLOSE CLOSED
TO USE USED
TO ARRIVE ARRIVED
TO CHANGE CHANGED
TO ORDER ORDERED
TO ANSWER ANSWERED

EXERCISES

GIVE THE PAST TENSE OF THE VERBS IN PARENTHESES.

 He_________________hard yesterday. (work)

 We__________________to the radio for an hour. (listen)
 Mary__________________a great deal of English last year. (learn)
 The teacher__________________the unit 5. (explain)
 He__________________as far as the church with them. (walk)
 The teachers__________________to go to the factory. (decide)
 Pamela__________________the University. (like)
 Alice__________________us to her house. (invite)
 The guys__________________very well. (play)
 Mr. Perez_________________the house. (rent)
  Carol__________________on Garden Street two years ago. (live)
 My mother___________________to buy a car. (need)
 I_________________to the radio yesterday night. (listen)
 We__________________to speak English. (want)
 The students__________________to learn English. (want)

HOW TO MAKE QUESTIONS IN THE SIMPLE PAST TENSE

The helping verb DID is used in the past tense for questions and negatives.

DID is used for all subjects. (I-YOU-HE-SHE-IT-WE-THEY).

AFFIRMATIVE NEGATIVE INTERROGATIVE

I DID I DIDN´T DID I?

YOU DID YOU DIDN´T DID YOU?
HE DID HE DIDN´T DID HE?
SHE DID SHE DIDN´T DID SHE?
IT DID IT DIDN´T DID IT?
WE DID WE DIDN´T DID WE?
YOU DID YOU DIDN´T DID YOU?
THEY DID THEY DIDN´T DID THEY?

EXAMPLES

 They liked the last English class.

Did they like the last English class? (INTERROGATIVE)
Yes, they liked the last English class. (AFFIRMATIVE)
No, they didn’t like the last English class. (NEGATIVE)

 Carlos studied English two years ago.

Did he study English two years ago? (INTERROGATIVE)
Yes, he studied English two years ago. (AFFIRMATIVE)
No, he didn’t study English two years ago. (NEGATIVE)

EXERCISES
CHANGE THESE SENTENCES TO QUESTIONS.

1. They learned English.

________________________________________________________________?

2. They listened to the radio yesterday morning.

________________________________________________________________?

3. Alice danced with him.

________________________________________________________________?

4. Mrs. Brown received a letter this morning.

________________________________________________________________?

5. Herb lived on Clark Street.

________________________________________________________________?

6. They signed the contract two weeks ago.

________________________________________________________________?

7. He missed the bus this morning.

________________________________________________________________?

8. The Browns followed the instructions.

________________________________________________________________?

9. My mother rented her house.

________________________________________________________________?

10. They answered all the questions.

________________________________________________________________?

NOTE
Some common verbs have an irregular past tense and are therefore called irregular
verbs.

IRREGULAR VERBS: When the past simple and past participle don’t end in ED, the
verb is irregular.

 With some irregular verbs, all three forms (infinitive, past simple and past
participle) are the same. For example, HIT-HIT-HIT.
 With other irregular verbs, the past simple is the same as the past participle,
but different from the infinitive. For example, TELL-TOLD-TOLD.
 With other irregular verbs, all three forms are different.
For Example, BREAK-BROKE-BROKEN.

THE FOLLOWING VERBS CAN BE REGULAR OR IRREGULAR:

Burn……Burned or Burnt Smell……Smelled or Smelt

Dream……Dreamed or Dreamt Spell……Spelled or Spelt
Lean……Leaned or Leant Spill……Spilled or Spilt
Learn……Learned or Learnt Spoil……Spoiled or Spoilt

LIST OF IRREGULAR VERBS

INFINITIVE PAST SIMPLE PAST PARTICIPLE

Be Was/Were Been
Beat Beat Beaten
Become Became Become
Begin Began Begun
Bend Bent Bent
Bet Bet Bet
Bite Bit Bitten
Blow Blew Blown
Break Broke Broken
Bring Brought Brought
Broadcast Broadcast Broadcast
Build Built Built
Burst Burst Burst
Buy Bought Bought
Catch Caught Caught
Choose Chose Chosen
Come Came Come
Cost Cost Cost
Creep Crept Crept
Cut Cut Cut
Deal Dealt Dealt
Dig Dug Dug
Do Did Done
Draw Drew Drawn
Drink Drank Drunk
Drive Drove Driven
Eat Ate Eaten
Fall Fell Fallen
Feed Fed Fed
Feel Felt Felt
Fight Fought Fought
Find Found Found
Flee Fled Fled
Fly Flew Flown
Forbid Forbade Forbidden
Forget Forgot Forgotten
Forgive Forgave Forgiven
Freeze Froze Frozen
Get Got Got
Give Gave Given
Go Went Gone
Grow Grew Grown
Hang Hung Hung
Have Had Had
Hear Heard Heard
Hide Hid Hidden
Hit Hit Hit
Hold Held Held
Hurt Hurt Hurt
Keep Kept Kept
Kneel Knelt Knelt
Know Knew Known
Lay Laid Laid
Lead Led Led
Leave Left Left
Lend Lent Lent
Let Let Let
Lie Lay Lain
Light Lit Lit
Lose Lost Lost
Make Made Made
Mean Meant Meant
Meet Met Met
Pay Paid Paid
Put Put Put
Read Read Read
Ride Rode Ridden
Ring Rang Rung
Rise Rose Risen
Run Ran Run
Say Said Said
See Saw Seen
Seek Sought Sought
Sell Sold Sold
Send Sent Sent
Set Set Set
Sew Sewed Sewn/Sewed
Shake Shook Shaken
Shine Shone Shone
Shoot Shot Shot
Show Showed Shown/Showed
Shrink Shrank Shrunk
Shut Shut Shut
Sing Sang Sung
Sink Sank Sunk
Sit Sat Sat
Sleep Slept Slept
Slide Slid Slid
Speak Spoke Spoken
Spend Spent Spent
Spit Spat Spat
Split Split Split
Spread Spread Spread
Spring Sprang Sprung
Stand Stood Stood
Steal Stole Stolen
Stick Stuck Stuck
Sting Stung Stung
Stink Stank Stunk
Strike Struck Struck
Swear Swore Sworn
Sweep Swept Swept
Swim Swam Swum
Swing Swung Swung
Take Took Taken
Teach Taught Taught
Tear Tore Torn
Tell Told Told
Think Thought Thought
Throw Threw Thrown
Understand Understood Understood
Wake Woke Woken
Wear Wore Worn
Weep Wept Wept
Win Won Won

EXERCISES
ANSWER THESE SENTENCES IN AFFIRMATIVE FORM.

1. Did you take a train?

Yes, ____________________________________________________________

2. Did he give you his seat?

Yes, ____________________________________________________________

3. How much money did you lend him?

4. Did they go last night?

Yes, ____________________________________________________________

5. Did she forget her book?

Yes, ____________________________________________________________

6. Did he tell you the truth?

Yes, ____________________________________________________________

7. Did you send the package?

Yes, ____________________________________________________________

8. Did he pay for the tickets?

Yes, ____________________________________________________________

9. Did you win the prize?

Yes, ____________________________________________________________

10. Did the English class begin on time?

Yes, ____________________________________________________________

JAIRO TADEO RAMIREZ FONSECA

ENGLISH TEACHER