Amelia Rueda Pre-Intermediate Level

PAST SIMPLE FORM

2-1 EXPRESSING PAST TIME: THE SIMPLE PAST

(a) Mary walked downtown yesterday The simple past is used to talk about activities or situations that began and
(b) I slept for eight hours last night. ended in the past (e.g., yesterday, last night, two days ago, in 1999).
(c) Bob stayed home yesterday morning. Most simple past verbs are formed by adding –ed to a verb, as in (a), (c) and
(d) Our plane arrived on time last night. (d)
(e) I had breakfast this morning. Some verbs have irregular past forms, as in (b), (e), and (f)
(f) Sue took a taxi to the airport yesterday.
(g) I was busy yesterday. The simple past forms of be are was and were.
(h) They were at home last night

2-2 FORMS OF THE SIMPLE PAST: REGULAR VERBS

POSITIVE SENTENCE
NEGATIVE SENTENCE
QUESTION FORM
SHORT ANSWER
I-You-He-She-It- We- They worked yesterday.
I-You-He-She-It-We-They did not (didn’t) work yesterday.
Did I –You – He – She –It- We- They work yesterday?
Yes, I-you-he-she-it-we-they did
No, I – you – he – she – it – we – they didn’t

2-3 FORMS OF THE SIMPLE PAST: BE

POSITIVE SENTENCE
NEGATIVE SENTENCE
QUESTION FORM
I-he-she-it was in class yesterday.
We – You- They were in class yesterday.
I – He – She – It was not (wasn’t) in class yesterday.
We – You – They were not (weren’t) in class yesterday.
Was I- he – she – it in class yesterday?
Were we – you – they in class yesterday?
 Amelia Rueda Pre-Intermediate Level

SHORT ANSWER Yes, I-he-she-it was. Yes, we-you-they were

No, I-he-she-it wasn’t No, we-you-they weren’t

2-4 SPELLING OF –ED FORMS

END OF VERB DOUBLE THE SIMPLE FORM -ED
CONSONANT?
-e NO (a) smile smiled Just add -d
hope hoped
Two NO (b) help helped If the verb ends in two consonants, just add -ed
Consonants learn learned
Two vowels + one consonant NO (c) rain rained If the verb ends in two vowels + a consonant, just add –ed
heat heated
One vowel + one consonant YES TWO-SYLLABLE VERBS If the verb has one syllable and ends in one vowel + one
(d) stop stopped consonant, doublé the consonant to make the –ed form.(*)
plan planned
NO TWO-SYLLABLE VERBS If the first syllable of a two-syllable verb is stressed, do not
(e) visit visited double the consonant.
offer offered
YES (f) prefer preferred If the second syllable of a two-syllable verb is stressed, double
admit admitted the consonant.
-y NO (g) play played If the verb ends in a vowel + -y, keep the –y. Do not change the –
enjoy enjoyed y to –i
If the verb ends in a consonant + -y, change the –y to –i to make
(h) worry worried the –ed form.
study studied
-ie (i) die died -ed form: Just add -d.
tie tied
(*) Exceptions: Do not doublé “w” or “x”: snow, snowed, fix, fixed
 Amelia Rueda Pre-Intermediate Level

2-5 IRREGULAR VERBS: A REFERENCE LIST

SIMPLE FORM PAST SIMPLE SIMPLE FORM PAST SIMPLE
awake awoke lie lay
be was, were light lit/lighted
beat beat lose lost
become became make made
begin began mean meant
bend bent meet met
bite bit pay paid
blow blew prove proved
break broke put put
bring brought quit quit
broadcast broadcast read read
build built ride rode
burn burned/burnt ring rang
buy bought rise rose
catch caught run ran
choose chose say said
come came see saw
cost cost seek sought
cut cut sell sold
dig dug send sent
dive dived/dove set set
do did shake shook
draw drew shave shaved
dream dreamed/dreamt shoot shot
drink drank shut shut
drive drove sing sang
eat ate sink sank
fall fell sit sat
feed fed sleep slept
feel felt slide slid
fight fought speak spoke
 Amelia Rueda Pre-Intermediate Level

find found spend spent

fit fit spread spread
fly flew stand stood
forget forgot steal stole
forgive forgave stick stuck
freeze froze strike struck
get got swear swore
give gave sweep swept
go went swim swam
grow grew take took
hang hung teach taught
have had tear tore
hear heard tell told
hide hid think thought
hit hit throw threw
hold held understand understood
hurt hurt upset upset
keep kept wake woke
know knew wear wore
lay laid weave wove
lead led weep wept
leave left win won
lend lent withdraw withdrew
let let write wrote