THE PAST SIMPLE TENSE


is mostly formed by adding –ED  (play/played, want/wanted, call/called ...),

or –D (live/lived; smile/ smiled; like/liked; ...)


but there are a lot of irregular verbs (speak/spoke, write/wrote, eat/ate, buy/bought, ...) that
must be learned by heart. See a list of 50 irregular verbs



The past simple tense in English is used to talk about completed events in the past:

She worked at McDonald’s last summer.

We bought a new flat last week.

They went to the Alps in December.


We use DIDN’T (did not) to make negatives with the past simple:

She didn’t watch TV yesterday.

She didn’t buy anything for dinner.

She didn’t do her homework on Sunday.


                                             Positive

                                             Negative

                                             Question

                                              verb+ed

                                           didn't + verb

                                         Did + (he) + verb

                                        He washed his car.

                                      He didn't wash his car.

                                       Did he wash his car?


We use DID to make questions with the past simple:

Did Jágr play in yesterday’s match?

Did she arrive on time last Sunday?

Did you eat spinach when you were young?


Remember: We often start the questions in the past with WHEN, WHERE, WHAT, WHY

When did they start the match?

Where did they meet?

What did she buy on holiday?

Why did you call them last night?


1. Complete the verbs in the correct past simple form.

a)    They (want) ............. to catch the last train, but they (fail) ...................... .

b)    A man (call) ............... an ambulance and they (arrive) ....................... in 15
minutes.

c)    Shakespeare (write) ..................... 39 plays.

d)    We (have) .......................... a steak for dinner.

e)    Last night he (go) ........................... to bed at midnight.

f)      She (buy) ....................  a new handbag yesterday.

g)    They (do) ..................... homework on Saturday.

h)    He (know) ………............ that writing a love letter to her last night (be) ……………........ a
silly thing.

i)      They (be) ……............. in a difficult situation, but they (manage) ………….......... to
work it out.



2.  Write-up Sticky Moments - from notes to full sentences - in two paragraphs, the first
explaining some of the questions you need to ask for more information, the second your order of
priority with a brief justification.