Formation of the Simple Past

1. For most verbs the simple past is formed by adding “ed” to the base form.
paint – painted work – worked walk – walked mix - mixed

2. With most verbs ending with “e”, you just add “-d”
dance – danced die – died smile – smiled agree - agreed

3. If the base verb has one syllable and ends with a single letter vowel followed by a
consonant, you double the final consonant before adding “-ed”.
stop - stopped shop – shopped drum – drummed
(BUT with double vowels: book – booked peel – peeled)

4. This does not apply if the final consonant is “w”, “x” or “y”.
row – rowed box – boxed play – played

5. If the verb ends in a consonant letter followed by “y” you substitute “ied” for “y”.
cry- cried study – studied spy – spied

6. The final consonant letter of some two syllable verbs is also doubled. (In American
English, there is no doubling of the final consonant letter in some of these words – for
example, the past simple of “travel” is “traveled” in American English).
refer – referred equip – equipped travel – travelled

7. With verbs ending in “c”, “-ked” is usually added.

panic – panicked mimic – mimicked

NOTE: There are different ways of pronouncing the –ed form:

 If the verb ends in a /d/ or /t/ sound, it is pronounced “ED” (e.g. started –
start-“ed”)
 If the verb ends in a /f/, /k/, /p/, /s/, /ss/ or /st/ sound, it is pronounced “T” (e.g.
watched – watch “t”)
 For all other verbs it is pronounced “D” (e.g. rained – rain-“d”)
Use the Simple Past in the following sentences. I have done Question 1 for you!

1. The birds ______appeared ______ (appear) in the garden this morning.

2. The people __________________________ (travel) to work by train.

3. She ____________________________ (mix) sugar, butter and eggs to make a cake.

4. My cousins _______________________________ (study) in London.

5. The soldiers _______________________________ (march) through the streets.

6. She went to the child when it ____________________________ (cry).

7. The estate agent ______________________________ (show) the house to the people.

8. I ____________________________________ (wait) for my bus to arrive.

9. My football team _________________________ (play) badly at the weekend.

10. She ______________________________________ (stay) at my house last week.

11. We ___________________________________ (decide) to go and live in France.

12. They _____________________________________ (cancel) the race because of rain.

13. The lady ___________________________ (panic) because someone had stolen her bag.

14. The government ______________________________ (agree) to their demands.

15. Mrs Smith ____________________________ (dye) her hair purple!

16. I knew that the children _________________________ (lie) about breaking the window.

17. Who _______________________________ (knock) at the door last night?

18. My grandmother ___________________________ (bake) a cake for my birthday.

19. Her face lit up when she ______________________________(smile).

20. The housewives __________________________________ (chat) in the market.

21. She _____________________________ (look) for her little dog.

22. My brother __________________________ (work) in the Town Hall until he was 40.