SIMPLE PAST

NATHALIE DEL CARMEN RIVERA AMBROS

 simple past
The "simple past" is used to talk about an action that ended at a time before the
current one. the duration is not relevant. the time the action is in can be the recent
past or the distant past.
Examples
John cabot sailed to america in 1498.
My father died last year.
I have lived in fiji in 1976.
We crossed the channel yesterday.
 The "simple past" is always used to refer to when something
happened, so it is associated with certain temporary expressions that
indicate:

frequency: often, sometimes, a certain time: last week, when i was

always: a child, yesterday, six weeks ago:
i sometimes walked home at • we saw a good film last week.
lunchtime. • yesterday, i arrived in geneva.
• she finished her work atseven
i often brought my lunch to o'clock
school. • i went to the theater last night
STRUCTURE
• USE OF SIMPLE PAST
• ACTION IN THE PAST TAKING PLACE ONCE, NEVER OR SEVERAL TIMES
• EXAMPLE: HE VISITED HIS PARENTS EVERY WEEKEND.
• ACTIONS IN THE PAST TAKING PLACE ONE AFTER THE OTHER
• EXAMPLE: HE CAME IN, TOOK OFF HIS COAT AND SAT DOWN.
• ACTION IN THE PAST TAKING PLACE IN THE MIDDLE OF ANOTHER ACTION
• EXAMPLE: WHEN I WAS HAVING BREAKFAST, THE PHONE SUDDENLY RANG.
• IF SENTENCES TYPE II (IF I TALKED, …)
• EXAMPLE: IF I HAD A LOT OF MONEY, I WOULD SHARE IT WITH YOU.
 CONJUGATION
• THE CONJUGATION OF A VERB IN THE PAST SIMPLE IS THE SAME FOR ALL
PEOPLE. REGULAR VERBS FORM THE PAST TENSE BY ADDING -ED TO THE
INFINITIVE. HOWEVER, SOME VERBS ARE IRREGULAR.
• NEGATIVE AND INTERROGATIVE SENTENCES ARE FORMED WITH THE AUXILIARY
VERB DO, WHICH IN THE PAST TAKES THE FORM. IN THESE CASES, THE MAIN
VERB IS KEPT IN INFINITIVE, BEING THE AUXILIARY VERB THE ONLY ONE THAT IS
CONJUGATED IN THE PAST TENSE.
• EXAMPLE WITH THE VERBS PLAY AND SPEAK
THE VERB BE