THE PAST SIMPLE

iSLCollective.com
USE OF THE PAST SIMPLE

1.TO EXPRESS A FINISHED ACTION IN THE

PAST
 I played tennis last Sunday.
 I worked in London from 1984 to 1989.
 John left two minutes ago.

iSLCollective.com
2.TO EXPRESS ACTIONS WHICH FOLLOW
EACH OTHER IN A STORY.

James came into the room. He took off his

coat and sat down on the bed. Suddenly, he
noticed somebody behind the curtain. He
stood up and walked slowly across the
room. ...

iSLCollective.com
 Past Simple is often used with past time
expressions:

 LAST YEAR
 IN 2011
 LAST MONTH
 IN SUMMER
 FIVE YEARS AGO
 IN DECEMBER 2011
 TWO HOURS AGO
 YESTERDAY EVENING
iSLCollective.com
THE PAST SIMPLE

We have to learn the formation of

 the VERB “TO BE”
 REGULAR VERBS
 IRREGULAR VERBS
in the Past Simple in order to be able to use
this grammatical tense correctly.

iSLCollective.com
VERB “TO BE”
POSITIVE FORM

I WAS We learn the

YOU WERE conjugation of the verb
HE/SHE/IT WAS in “to be”
Japan. in the past form.
WE WERE
YOU WERE
THEY WERE

iSLCollective.com
VERB “TO BE”
NEGATIVE FORM

I WAS NOT We add not

YOU WERE NOT next to each
HE/SHE/IT WAS NOT in Japan. past form of the
verb “to be”.
WE WERE NOT
YOU WERE NOT
THEY WERE NOT was not –
wasn´t

were not –
weren´t

iSLCollective.com
VERB “TO BE”
QUESTIONS

WAS I WAS / WERE +

WERE YOU SUBJECT +
WAS HE/SHE/IT in Japan? THE REST OF THE
SENTENCE
WERE WE
WERE YOU
WERE THEY

iSLCollective.com
VERB “TO BE”
SHORT ANSWERS

A: Were you
in London ? A: Was he at
A: Were you in
home?
your car?
B: Yes, I was. B: Yes, I was. B: No, he wasn’t.

No, I wasn’t. No, I wasn’t. Yes, he was.

iSLCollective.com
REGULAR VERBS
POSITIVE FORM

I The positive form for

YOU regular verbs ends in
HE/SHE/IT WORKED very –ed.
hard.
WE There are no changes
YOU for the different
THEY persons in
Singular and Plural.

iSLCollective.com
REGULAR VERBS
NEGATIVE FORM

I Put did not

YOU (=didn’t)
HE/SHE/IT DID NOT WORK very before the
hard. base form of
WE the verb.
YOU
THEY

iSLCollective.com
REGULAR VERBS
QUESTIONS

I DID +
YOU SUBJECT +
DID HE/ WORK very THE BASE FORM OF
SHE/ hard? THE VERB +
IT THE REST OF THE
SENTENCE
WE
YOU
THEY

iSLCollective.com
REGULAR VERBS
SHORT ANSWERS

A: Did you
travel to Did the car
A: A: Did you cook?
Japan? start?

B: Yes, I did. B: Yes, it did. B: No, I didn’t.

No, I didn’t. No, it didn’t. Yes, I did.

iSLCollective.com
THE SPELLING OF THE REGULAR VERBS

1.The normal rule is to add –ed to the base form of

the verb

 work = work-ed
 want = want-ed
 help = help-ed
 wash = wash-ed

iSLCollective.com
2.When verbs end in –e, just add -d

 bake = bake-d
 like = like-d
 use = use-d

iSLCollective.com
3. In verbs of one syllable,
with ONE WRITTEN VOWEL + ONE WRITTEN
CONSONANT, the consonant is doubled.

 stop = stopped
 plan = planned
 grab = grabbed

iSLCollective.com
 BUT 
COOK = COOKED, LOOK = LOOKED

There are 2 vowels before the consonant,

that’s why the consonant is not doubled.

iSLCollective.com
 The consonant is NOT doubled,
if it is W or Y.

 play = play-ed
 show = showed

iSLCollective.com
4. In most two-syllabled verbs the consonant is
doubled if the stress is on the 2nd syllable.
pre’fer = preferred

ad’mit = admitted

iSLCollective.com
 BUT 
’ enter = entered
’ visit = visited

The stress is on the 1st syllable. ’

iSLCollective.com
5.Verbs that end in
a CONSONANT + Y change to –IED
carry = carr-ied

iSLCollective.com
IRREGULAR VERBS
POSITIVE FORM

I We put irregular verbs

YOU into the 2nd form.
HE/SHE/IT WON the first (We have to learn it ! )
prize.
WE There are no changes
YOU for the different
THEY persons in
Singular and Plural.

iSLCollective.com
IRREGULAR VERBS
NEGATIVE FORM

I Put did not

YOU (=didn’t)
HE/SHE/IT DID NOT WIN the first before the
prize. base form of
WE the verb.
YOU
THEY

iSLCollective.com
IRREGULAR VERBS
QUESTIONS

I DID +
YOU SUBJECT +
DID HE/ WIN the first THE BASE FORM OF
SHE/ prize? THE VERB +
IT THE REST OF THE
SENTENCE
WE
YOU
THEY

iSLCollective.com
IRREGULAR VERBS
SHORT ANSWERS

A: Did you
speak to Did you drive
A: A: Did you see him?
Peter? your car?

B: Yes, I did. B: Yes, it did. B: No, I didn’t.

No, I didn’t. No, it didn’t. Yes, I did.

iSLCollective.com
INFINITIVE PAST SIMPLE
written form pronunciation written form pronunciation

BE /bi/ WAS; WERE /waz; wr/

BECOME /bikam/ BECAME /bikeim/
BEGIN /begin/ BEGAN /bigen/
BITE /bajt/ BIT /bit/
BREAK /brejk/ BROKE /brouk/
BRING /bring/ BROUGHT /brot/
BUILD /bild/ BUILT /bilt/
BURN /brn/ BURNT /brnt/
BUY /baj/ BOUGHT /bot/
CAN /ken/ COULD /kud/
CATCH /keč/ CAUGHT /kot/
COME /kam/ CAME /keim/
COST /kost/ COST /kost/
CUT /kat/ CUT /kat/
DO /du/ DID /did/

iSLCollective.com
DRAW /dro/ DREW /dru/
DRINK /drink/ DRANK /drenk/
DRIVE /draiv/ DROVE /drouv/
EAT /it/ ATE /eit/
FALL /fol/ FELL /fel/
FEEL /fi:l/ FELT /felt/
FIGHT /fajt/ FOUGHT /fot/
FIND /faind/ FOUND /faund/
FLY /flaj/ FLEW /flu/
GET /get/ GOT /gat/
GIVE /giv/ GAVE /geiv/
GO /gou/ WENT /went/
GROW /grou/ GREW /gru/
HAVE /hev/ HAD /hed/
HEAR /hir/ HEARD /hrd/

iSLCollective.com
HIDE /haid/ HID /hid/
HIT /hit/ HIT /hit/
HOLD /hould/ HELD /held/
HURT /hrt/ HURT /hrt/
KEEP /ki:p/ KEPT /kept/
KNOW /nou/ KNEW /nju/
LEARN /lrn/ LEARNT/ LEARNED /lrnt; lrnd/
LEAVE /li:v/ LEFT /left/
LOSE /luz/ LOST /lost/
MAKE /meik/ MADE /meid/
MEAN /mi:n/ MEANT /ment/
PAY /pei/ PAID /peid/
PUT /put/ PUT /put/
READ /ri:d/ READ /red/
RIDE /raid/ RODE /roud/

iSLCollective.com
RING /ring/ RANG /reng/
RUN /ran/ RAN /ren/
SAY /sei/ SAID /sed/
SEE /si:/ SAW /so/
SELL /sel/ SOLD /sould/
SEND /send/ SENT /sent/
SET /set/ SET /set/
SING /sing/ SANG /seng/
SINK /sink/ SANK /senk/
SIT /sit/ SAT /set/
SMELL /smel/ SMELT /smelt/
SPEAK /spi:k/ SPOKE /spouk/
SPELL /spel/ SPELT /spelt/
SPEND /spend/ SPENT /spent/
STAND /stend/ STOOD /stud/

iSLCollective.com
STEAL /sti:l/ STOLE /stoul/
STICK /stik/ STUCK /stak/
SWEEP /swi:p/ SWEPT /swept/
SWIM /swim/ SWAM /swem/
TAKE /teik/ TOOK /tuk/
TEACH /ti:č/ TAUGHT /tot/
TEAR /ter/ TORE /tor/
TELL /tel/ TOLD /tould/
THINK /think/ THOUGHT /thot/
THROW /throu/ THREW /thru/
UNDERSTAND /andrstend/ UNDERSTOOD /anderstud/
WAKE UP /weik ap/ WOKE UP /wouk ap/
WEAR /wer/ WORE /wor/
WIN /win/ WON /wan/
WRITE /wrait/ WROTE /wrout/

iSLCollective.com
MEET /mi:t/ MET /met/

SLEEP /sli:p/ SLEPT /slept/

iSLCollective.com