Topic 3: Simple past

The simple past tense, sometimes called the preterite, is used to talk about a completed action in a time before now. The simple past is the basic form of past tense in English. The time of the action can be in the recent past or the distant past and action duration is not important.

You always use the simple past when you say when something happened, so it is associated with certain past time expressions

• frequency: often, sometimes, always
  I sometimes walked home at lunchtime.
  I often brought my lunch to school.
• a definite point in time: last week, when I was a child, yesterday, six weeks ago
  We saw a good film last week.
  Yesterday, I arrived in Geneva.
  She finished her work atseven o'clock
  I went to the theatre last night
• an indefinite point in time: the other day, ages ago, a long time ago
  People lived in caves a long time ago.
  She played the piano when she was a child.

Note: the word ago is a useful way of expressing the distance into the past. It is placed after the period of time: a week ago, three years ago, a minute ago.

FORMING THE SIMPLE PAST TENSE

PATTERNS OF SIMPLE PAST TENSE FOR REGULAR VERBS

Affirmative
Subject	+ verb + ed
I	skipped.
Negative
Subject	+ did not	+ infinitive without to
They	didn't	go.
Interrogative
Did	+ subject	+ infinitive without to
Did	she	arrive?
Interrogative negative
Did not	+ subject	+ infinitive without to
Didn't	you	play?

Excercises

Last night we ____ (walk) to the cinema. 

1.Sam ____ (stop) the car to take a picture. 

2.I ____ (study) for the exam for three hours. 

3.They ____ (be) happy to be home. 

4.Sally _____ (be) disappointed she _____ (miss) the party. 

5.When I was young, we always ____ (go) to Florida for the summer. 

6.Dan ____ (not/work) last week. 

7._____ you _____ (wash) the dishes? 

8.I ____ (dream) I could fly last night. 

9.We ____ (meet) them at the restaurant. 

10._____ you _____ (find) your book? 

Answers

1.     Sam stopped the car to take a picture. 

2.     I studied for the exam for three hours. 

3.     They were happy to be home. 

4.     Sally was disappointed she missed the party. 

5.     When I was young, we always went to Florida for the summer. 

6.     Dan didn't work / did not work last week. 

7.     Did you wash the dishes? 

8.     I dreamt / dreamed I could fly last night. 

9.     We met them at the restaurant.

Game

Simple past

Be

 

Give

 

Get

 

 

Do

 

Eat

 

Go

 

Answers

1.    Were-were

2.    Gave

3.    Got

4.    Did

5.    Ate

6.    Went