essay in simple past tense

Welcome to the new OASIS website! We have academic skills, library skills, math and statistics support, and writing resources all together in one new home.

• Walden University
• Faculty Portal

Grammar: Verb Tenses

Most common verb tenses in academic writing.

According to corpus research, in academic writing, the three tenses used the most often are the simple present , the simple past , and the present perfect (Biber et al., 1999; Caplan, 2012). The next most common tense for capstone writers is the future ; the doctoral study/dissertation proposal at Walden is written in this tense for a study that will be conducted in the future.

Biber, D., Johansson, S., Leech, G., Conrad, S., & Finegan, E. (1999). Longman grammar of written and spoken English . Pearson. https://doi.org/10.1162/089120101300346831

Caplan, N. A. (2012). Grammar choices for graduate and professional writers . University of Michigan Press.

Simple present: Use the simple present to describe a general truth or a habitual action. This tense indicates that the statement is generally true in the past, present, and future.

• Example: The hospital admits patients whether or not they have proof of insurance.

Simple past : Use the simple past tense to describe a completed action that took place at a specific point in the past (e.g., last year, 1 hour ago, last Sunday). In the example below, the specific point of time in the past is 1998.

• Example: Zimbardo (1998) researched many aspects of social psychology.

Present perfect: Use the present perfect to indicate an action that occurred at a nonspecific time in the past. This action has relevance in the present. The present perfect is also sometimes used to introduce background information in a paragraph. After the first sentence, the tense shifts to the simple past.

• Example: Numerous researchers have used this method.
• Example: Many researchers have studied how small business owners can be successful beyond the initial few years in business. They found common themes among the small business owners.

Future: Use the future to describe an action that will take place at a particular point in the future (at Walden, this is used especially when writing a proposal for a doctoral capstone study).

• Example: I will conduct semistructured interviews.

Keep in mind that verb tenses should be adjusted after the proposal after the research has been completed. See this blog post about Revising the Proposal for the Final Capstone Document for more information.

APA Style Guidelines on Verb Tense

APA calls for consistency and accuracy in verb tense usage (see APA 7, Section 4.12 and Table 4.1). In other words, avoid unnecessary shifts in verb tense within a paragraph or in adjacent paragraphs to help ensure smooth expression.

• Use the past tense (e.g., researchers presented ) or the present perfect (e.g., researchers have presented ) for the literature review and the description of the procedure if discussing past events.
• Use the past tense to describe the results (e.g., test scores improved significantly).
• Use the present tense to discuss implications of the results and present conclusions (e.g., the results of the study show …).

When explaining what an author or researcher wrote or did, use the past tense.

• Patterson (2012) presented, found, stated, discovered…

However, there can be a shift to the present tense if the research findings still hold true:

• King (2010) found  that revising a document three times improves the final grade.
• Smith (2016) discovered that the treatment is effective.

Verb Tense Guidelines When Referring to the Document Itself

To preview what is coming in the document or to explain what is happening at that moment in the document, use the present or future tense:

• In this study, I will describe …
• In this study, I describe …
• In the next chapter, I will discuss …
• In the next chapter, I discuss …

To refer back to information already covered, such as summaries of discussions that have already taken place or conclusions to chapters/sections, use the past tense:

• Chapter 1 contained my original discussion of the research questions.
• In summary, in this section, I presented information on…

Simple Past Versus the Present Perfect

Rules for the use of the present perfect differ slightly in British and American English. Researchers have also found that among American English writers, sometimes individual preferences dictate whether the simple past or the present perfect is used. In other words, one American English writer may choose the simple past in a place where another American English writer may choose the present perfect.

Keep in mind, however, that the simple past is used for a completed action.  It often is used with signal words or phrases such as "yesterday," "last week," "1 year ago," or "in 2015" to indicate the specific time in the past when the action took place.

• I went to China in 2010 .
• He completed the employee performance reviews last month .

The present perfect focuses more on an action that occurred without focusing on the specific time it happened. Note that the specific time is not given, just that the action has occurred.

• I have travelled to China.

The present perfect focuses more on the result of the action.

• He has completed the employee performance reviews.

The present perfect is often used with signal words such as "since," "already," "just," "until now," "(not) yet," "so far," "ever," "lately," or "recently."

• I have already travelled to China.
• He has recently completed the employee performance reviews.
• Researchers have used this method since it was developed.

Summary of English Verb Tenses

The 12 main tenses:

• Simple present : She writes every day.
• Present progressive: She is writing right now.
• Simple past : She wrote last night.
• Past progressive: She was writing when he called.
• Simple future : She will write tomorrow.
• Future progressive: She will be writing when you arrive.
• Present perfect : She has written Chapter 1.
• Present perfect progressive: She has been writing for 2 hours.
• Past perfect: She had written Chapter 3 before she started Chapter 4.
• Past perfect progressive: She had been writing for 2 hours before her friends arrived.
• Future perfect: She will have written Chapter 4 before she writes Chapter 5.
• Future perfect progressive: She will have been writing for 2 hours by the time her friends come over.

Conditionals:

Zero conditional (general truths/general habits).

• Example: If I have time, I write every day.

First conditional (possible or likely things in the future).

• Example: If I have time, I will write every day.

Second conditional (impossible things in the present/unlikely in the future).

• Example : If I had time, I would write every day.

Third conditional (things that did not happen in the past and their imaginary results)

• Example : If I had had time, I would have written every day.

Subjunctive : This form is sometimes used in that -clauses that are the object of certain verbs or follow certain adjectives. The form of the subjective is the simple form of the verb. It is the same for all persons and number.

• Example : I recommend that he study every day.
• Example: It is important that everyone set a writing schedule.

Verbs Video Playlist

Note that these videos were created while APA 6 was the style guide edition in use. There may be some examples of writing that have not been updated to APA 7 guidelines.

• Grammar for Academic Writers: Common Verb Tenses in Academic Writing (video transcript)
• Grammar for Academic Writers: Verb Tense Consistency (video transcript)
• Grammar for Academic Writers: Advanced Subject–Verb Agreement (video transcript)
• Mastering the Mechanics: Helping Verbs (video transcript)
• Mastering the Mechanics: Past Tense (video transcript)
• Mastering the Mechanics: Present Tense (video transcript)
• Mastering the Mechanics: Future Tense (video transcript)

Related Resources

Knowledge Check: Verb Tenses

Didn't find what you need? Email us at [email protected] .

• Previous Page: Comparisons
• Next Page: Verb Forms: "-ing," Infinitives, and Past Participles
• Office of Student Disability Services

Walden Resources

Departments.

• Academic Residencies
• Academic Skills
• Career Planning and Development
• Customer Care Team
• Field Experience
• Military Services
• Student Success Advising
• Writing Skills

Centers and Offices

• Center for Social Change
• Office of Academic Support and Instructional Services
• Office of Degree Acceleration
• Office of Research and Doctoral Services
• Office of Student Affairs

Student Resources

• Doctoral Writing Assessment
• Form & Style Review
• Quick Answers
• ScholarWorks
• SKIL Courses and Workshops
• Walden Bookstore
• Walden Catalog & Student Handbook
• Student Safety/Title IX
• Legal & Consumer Information
• Website Terms and Conditions
• Cookie Policy
• Accessibility
• Accreditation
• State Authorization
• Net Price Calculator
• Cost of Attendance
• Contact Walden

Walden University is a member of Adtalem Global Education, Inc. www.adtalem.com Walden University is certified to operate by SCHEV © 2024 Walden University LLC. All rights reserved.

Have a thesis expert improve your writing

Check your thesis for plagiarism in 10 minutes, generate your apa citations for free.

• Knowledge Base
• Simple Past Tense | Examples & Exercises

Past Simple | Examples & Exercises

Published on 28 August 2023 by Eoghan Ryan . Revised on 30 October 2023.

The past simple tense is a verb form used to refer to an action or series of actions that were completed in the past.

The past simple tense of regular verbs is formed by adding “-ed” to the infinitive form of the verb (e.g., “cook” becomes “cooked”). Most verbs in the simple past take the same form regardless of the subject (e.g., “He worked/we worked”).

Instantly correct all language mistakes in your text

Be assured that you'll submit flawless writing. Upload your document to correct all your mistakes.

Table of contents

How to use the past simple, present perfect vs past simple, simple past vs past perfect, how to form negatives, how to form questions, how to form the passive voice, exercises: past simple tense, other interesting language articles, frequently asked questions about the simple past tense.

The past simple tense (also called the simple past or preterite ) is used to describe an action or series of actions that occurred in the past.

The past simple of regular verbs is typically formed by adding “-ed” to the end of the infinitive (e.g., “talk” becomes “talked”).

Irregular verbs don’t follow a specific pattern: some take the same form as the infinitive (e.g., “put”), while others change completely (e.g., “go” becomes “went”).

Most verbs in the simple past tense don’t follow subject-verb agreement (i.e., they don’t change form depending on the subject).

Ariana rented a car and drove to the coast.

We visited a museum, walked the Champs-Élysées, and dined at a fancy restaurant.

Forming the simple past

The simple past of regular verbs is usually formed by adding “-ed” to the end of the verb (e.g., “guess” becomes “guessed”). However, this can vary depending on the verb’s ending.

Irregular verb: “be”

The stative verb “be” in the simple past tense is used to describe unchanging past conditions (e.g., “My father was a good man”) and temporary past situations (e.g., “The children were tired”). Unlike other verbs in the simple past, “be” changes form depending on the subject, as shown in the table below.

The only proofreading tool specialized in correcting academic writing

The academic proofreading tool has been trained on 1000s of academic texts and by native English editors. Making it the most accurate and reliable proofreading tool for students.

Correct my document today

Both the present perfect and past simple tenses are used to refer to past action. However, they serve different purposes:

• The present perfect is used to refer to an action that began in the past and may continue or to an action that took place in the past and has present consequences.
• The past simple is typically used to describe an action that was completed in the past and is not ongoing.

I have run a marathon before. [I may run a marathon again]

I was a vegetarian when I was younger.

While the past simple is used to describe an action or series of actions that occurred in the past, the past perfect is used to indicate that an action was completed before another past action began.

In the past simple tense, negative statements are formed by adding “did not” (or the contraction “didn’t”) between the subject and the infinitive form of the verb.

For the verb “be,” negative statements are formed by adding “was not/were not” (or the contractions “wasn’t/weren’t”) after the subject .

To ask a yes–no question using the simple past, add “did” before the subject and the infinitive form of the verb.

To ask a question starting with a wh-word (an interrogative pronoun like “who” or an interrogative adverb like “where”), follow the same word order as above, but add the pronoun or adverb at the start of the sentence.

Why did Eva leave so early?

Passive sentences are ones in which the subject is not the person or thing performing the action. Instead, the subject is the person or thing being acted upon.

In the past simple, passive constructions are formed using a subject , “was”/“were”, and the past participle of the verb.

Maria was ignored by the salesman.

Practise using the past simple correctly with the exercises below. In the blank space in each sentence, fill in the correct past simple form based on the subject and verb specified (e.g., “[he / talk]” becomes “he talked”). Some answers may also be negative statements or questions.

• Practice questions
• Answers and explanations
• __________ [you / go] to the shop this morning.
• __________ [they / play] a board game.
• __________ [my son / not / study] for the exam.
• __________ [the band / rehearse] every day this week.
• __________ [I / plan] to be home by six!
• When __________ [you / travel] to France?
• The past simple form of the irregular verb “go” is “went”.
• The past simple form of the regular verb “play” is “played”.
• In the past simple tense, negative statements are formed by adding “did not” (or the contraction “didn’t”) between the subject (“my son”) and the infinitive form of the verb (“study”).
• The past simple form of the regular verb “rehearse” is “rehearsed”.
• For short verbs, where the last three letters follow a consonant-vowel-consonant pattern (e.g., “plan”), you double the final consonant and add “-ed”.
• To ask a question starting with a wh-word, add the wh-word at the start of the sentence, followed by “did”, the subject (“you”), and the infinitive form of the verb (“travel”).

If you want to know more about commonly confused words, definitions, common mistakes, and differences between US and UK spellings, make sure to check out some of our other language articles with explanations, examples, and quizzes.

Nouns & pronouns

• Common nouns
• Proper nouns
• Collective nouns
• Personal pronouns
• Uncountable and countable nouns
• Verb tenses
• Phrasal verbs
• Sentence structure
• Active vs passive voice
• Subject-verb agreement
• Interjections
• Determiners
• Prepositions

The simple past tense of the verb “read” is “read” (e.g., “I read a book last week”).

While “read” is spelled the same in both its past and present forms, its pronunciation differs depending on the tense :

• The simple present form is pronounced “reed”.
• The simple past form is pronounced “red”.

The simple past tense of the verb “teach” is “taught” (e.g., “You taught me a lesson”).

While the simple past of a regular verb is typically formed by adding “-ed” to the end of the infinitive (e.g., “talk” becomes “talked”), irregular verbs like “teach” don’t follow a specific pattern.

The simple past tense of the verb “go” is “went” (e.g., “Ava went to Spain”).

While the simple past of a regular verb is typically formed by adding “-ed” to the end of the infinitive (e.g., “jump” becomes “jumped”), irregular verbs like “go” don’t follow a specific pattern.

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the ‘Cite this Scribbr article’ button to automatically add the citation to our free Reference Generator.

Ryan, E. (2023, October 30). Past Simple | Examples & Exercises. Scribbr. Retrieved 3 September 2024, from https://www.scribbr.co.uk/verb/past-simple/

Is this article helpful?

Eoghan Ryan

Other students also liked, simple present tense | examples, use & worksheet, present perfect continuous | examples & exercises, present continuous tense | examples & exercises.

Have a language expert improve your writing

Run a free plagiarism check in 10 minutes, generate accurate citations for free.

• Knowledge Base
• The Past Tense l Explanation, Examples & Worksheet

The Past Tense l Explanation, Examples & Worksheet

Published on September 15, 2023 by Eoghan Ryan . Revised on November 1, 2023.

The past tense is a verb tense used to talk about past actions, states of being, or events.

There are four past tense forms: the past simple (e.g., “you cooked”), the past progressive (e.g., “he was singing”), the past perfect (e.g., “I had arrived”), and the past perfect progressive (e.g., “They had been driving”).

Table of contents

Simple past, past progressive, past perfect, past perfect progressive, worksheet: past tense, frequently asked questions about the past tense.

The simple past tense is used to talk about actions or events that were completed in the past.

The simple past of regular verbs is formed by adding “-ed” to the end of the infinitive form (e.g., “cook” becomes “cooked”). The past tense of irregular verbs don’t follow a particular pattern and can be formed in various ways (e.g., “sing” becomes “sang”).

Most verbs in the simple past don’t change form depending on the subject. One exception is the irregular verb “be,” which is conjugated as either “was” or “were,” depending on the subject.

Aria was late for work yesterday.

We watched a movie last Friday night.

Check for common mistakes

Use the best grammar checker available to check for common mistakes in your text.

Fix mistakes for free

The past progressive is used to refer to an action or event that was taking place at a time in the past. It can be used to indicate that an ongoing past action was interrupted by another action or that two past actions were occurring at the same time.

The past progressive is formed using the past tense of “be” (i.e., “was/were”) along with the present participle (“-ing” form) of the main verb.

Amir was studying while his roommate was cooking dinner.

We were hiking in the mountains when we saw a bear.

The past perfect is used to indicate that a past action or event took place prior to another past action or event. It can also be used in conditional sentences to talk about a hypothetical past event.

The past perfect is formed using the auxiliary verb “had” and the past participle of the main verb.

I had never tasted Sushi until last night.

By the time we arrived at the theater , the movie had already started .

The past perfect progressive is used to indicate that an action began in the past and continued up until another time in the past.

The past perfect progressive is formed by adding the auxiliary verbs “had” and “been” before the present participle of the main verb.

Amy had been cooking for hours when the guests canceled .

I had been searching for my missing keys when I realized they were in my pocket.

Practice using the past tense correctly with the exercises below. In the blank space in each sentence, fill in the correct past tense form based on the verb specified.

• Practice questions
• Answers and explanations
• I was __________ [cook] dinner when you called.
• Anna __________ [play] piano when she was a child.
• Dave had been __________ [work] as a teacher when he won the lottery.
• Eva had already __________ [leave] the office by the time I arrived.
• This sentence uses the past progressive. The past progressive is formed using “was/were” along with the present participle (“-ing” form) of the main verb.
• This sentence uses the simple past. The simple past of regular verbs is formed by adding “-ed” to the end of the infinitive of the verb (e.g., “play” becomes “played”).
• This sentence is in the past perfect progressive. The past perfect progressive is formed using “had” and “been” along with the present participle of the main verb .
• This sentence is in the past perfect. The past perfect is formed using “had” and the past participle of the main verb.

The past tense form of “lead” is “led.” It’s used to describe a past action (e.g., “The coach led his team to the championship”).

The past participle of “lead” is also “led” (e.g., “He had led the team as far as he could”).

The past tense form of “lay” is “laid.” It’s used to describe a past action (e.g., “I laid the book down on the table”).

The past participle of “lay” is also “laid” (e.g., “I had just laid the book down when the phone rang”).

The past tense form of “choose” is “chose.” It’s used to describe a past action (e.g., “Ava chose to study science”).

The past participle of “choose” is “chosen” (e.g., “We had just chosen a dessert when the waiter told us the kitchen was closed for the evening”).

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.

Ryan, E. (2023, November 01). The Past Tense l Explanation, Examples & Worksheet. Scribbr. Retrieved September 3, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/verbs/past-tense/

Is this article helpful?

Eoghan Ryan

Other students also liked, simple past tense | examples & exercises, past perfect tense | examples & exercises, past progressive tense | uses, examples & worksheet, "i thought ai proofreading was useless but..".

I've been using Scribbr for years now and I know it's a service that won't disappoint. It does a good job spotting mistakes”

Past Simple Tense: How to Use It, With Examples

Published by

Olivia Drake

On this page:

Simple past tense definition

The simple past tense is a verb tense that is used to describe completed actions or events that occurred in the past. The simple past tense is commonly used in storytelling and narration, as well as in conversations about past experiences. In this article, we will explain how to use the simple past and provide examples to help you understand it better.

When to use the simple past tense?

1. Actions That Occurred in the Past The simple past tense is commonly used to describe actions that happened in the past. For example:

• I walked to the store.
• They studied English last night.
• She ate pizza for dinner.

2. Completed Actions Completed ActionsThe simple past tense is used to describe actions that were completed in the past. For example:

• I finished my homework before dinner.
• They left for the airport at 5am.
• She visited her grandparents last weekend.

3. Sequences of Events in the Past The simple past tense can also be used to describe a sequence of events that occurred in the past. For example:

• I woke up, brushed my teeth, and ate breakfast.
• They arrived at the party, greeted their friends, and danced all night.
• She got dressed, packed her bags, and left for the airport.

4. Past Habits or States The simple past tense can be used to describe habits or states in the past. For example:

• I always drank coffee in the morning.
• They lived in New York City for ten years.
• She had curly hair when she was a child.

5. Specific point in the past To talk about a specific point in the past. For example:

• He finished his project last night at 10 pm.

How to form the simple past tense?

The simple past tense is formed using the past form of the main verb. The structure of a simple past form is as follows:

Subject + past form of the verb

The formation of the simple past tense depends on whether the verb is regular or irregular:

1. For regular verbs, simply add “-ed” to the base form of the verb to form the past simple tense. For example:

• walk (base form) -> walked (past simple)
• play (base form) -> played (past simple)
• watch (base form) -> watched (past simple)

2. For irregular verbs, the simple past form is different from the base form of the verb and must be learned individually. Some common irregular verbs and their past simple forms include:

• go (base form) -> went (past simple)
• eat (base form) -> ate (past simple)
• see (base form) -> saw (past simple)
• do (base form) -> did (past simple)

Note that there are some verbs that are both regular and irregular, depending on their meaning. For example:

• “learned” (regular) and “learnt” (irregular) are both used in different regions and contexts.

Also, it’s important to remember that the verb “be” has two different past simple forms: “was” (for the singular pronouns: I, he, she, it) and “were” (for the plural pronouns: we, you, they).

Here are some examples of the past simple tense in use:

• Regular verb: “She played tennis yesterday.”
• Irregular verb: “He went to the store last night.”
• Irregular verb: “I saw a movie last weekend.”
• Regular verb: “We walked to the park.”
• Irregular verb: “They did their homework before dinner.”

How to make a negative form?

To make a negative sentence in the past simple tense, you need to use the auxiliary verb “did” and the negative particle “not” (or “n’t”). The formula forming the simple past is:

Subject + did not (didn’t) + base form of the verb + object

For example:

• I did not (didn’t) go to the party last night.
• He did not (didn’t) finish his homework on time.
• They did not (didn’t) visit their grandparents over the weekend.

Note that the contracted form “didn’t” is more commonly used in spoken English.

Also, for regular verbs, the negative form is formed by adding “-not” (or “-n’t”) to the auxiliary verb “did” and using the base form of the verb. For example:

• I did not (didn’t) walk to the store.
• She did not (didn’t) play soccer last weekend.
• They did not (didn’t) watch a movie yesterday.

How to make a question form?

You can read more here about the  question form

Can I use the simple past tense to talk about ongoing actions in the past?

No, the past simple tense is not used to talk about ongoing actions in the past. It is used to describe a completed action or event that happened at a specific time in the past. If you want to talk about an action that was in progress in the past, you should use the past continuous tense.

For example, if you want to describe an action that was ongoing in the past, you could say “I was reading a book,” using the past continuous tense. If you were to use the past simple tense, it would imply that you had already finished reading the book, and would say “I read a book” use the simple past instead.

Can I use the simple past tense to talk about future events from a past perspective?

No, the simple past tense is not typically used to talk about future events, even from a past perspective. It is primarily used to describe completed actions or events that occurred at a specific point in the past.

If you want to talk about a future event from a past perspective, you would typically use the past perfect tense. For instance, “By the time I arrived at the party, the cake had already been cut,” suggests that the cake was cut before the speaker arrived at the party.

Alternatively, you could use the present perfect tense to describe a future event that has already been planned or arranged. For instance, “I have reserved a table at the restaurant for tomorrow night,” suggests that the reservation has already been made for a future event.

What are some common irregular verbs in the simple past tense?

In English, there are many irregular verbs, which means their past tense and past participle forms do not follow the rules of the regular -ed ending pattern. Here are some common irregular verbs in the simple past tense:

• have -> had
• say -> said
• make -> made
• come -> came
• take -> took

It is important to remember that irregular verbs do not follow a specific rule, so they need to be memorized.

Are there any exceptions or special cases when using the simple past tense?

Yes, there are a few exceptions and special cases when using the simple past tense in English:

• Modal verbs (can, could, may, might, must, shall, should, will, would) do not have a past tense form. Instead, their past meaning is expressed through the use of the perfect infinitive (e.g. could have, should have, would have).
• The verb “to be” has two past tense forms: “was” for the singular subjects (I, he, she, it) and “were” for the plural subjects (we, you, they).
• Some verbs have the same past simple form as their base form. For instance, “cut” is the past simple form of “cut,” and “put” is the past simple form of “put.”
• The simple past tense is sometimes used in  conditional sentences  to express a hypothetical situation that is unlikely or impossible. For example, “If I had known you were coming, I would have baked a cake.”
• In  reported speech , the simple past tense is often used to report a past action or event. For example, “She said she saw the movie yesterday.” Here, the original statement might have been “I saw the movie yesterday,” but in the reported speech, the simple past tense “saw” is changed to “said she saw.”

If you've read this far, you likely found value in our content. We measure the quality of our articles in various ways, and one significant metric is the number of shares. If you appreciated this piece, please spread the word.

Leave a reply cancel reply, i’m olivia.

Welcome to my virtual classroom! Join me on a journey of language and learning, where we explore the wonders of English together. Let’s discover the joy of words and education!

Let’s connect

• [email protected]

Join the fun!

Stay updated with our latest tutorials and ideas by joining our newsletter.

Type your email…

Recent posts

Modal verbs in conditional sentences with examples, questions in future perfect continuous tense with examples, questions in future perfect tense with examples, questions in future continuous tense with examples, questions in future indefinite (simple) tense with examples, questions in past perfect continuous tense with examples, discover more from fluent english grammar.

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading

23 Contoh Soal Simple Past Tense Essay dan Jawabannya

Saudara bisa berpindah ke contoh soal bahasa inggris yang lain, semisal setelah mengerjakan latihan soal simple past tense essay, kemudian ingin berlatih soal WH Question atau Pronoun, dengan mengklik menu dropdown " Daftar Latihan Soal Bahasa Inggris " di bawah, semoga membantu anda.

Simple Past Tense adalah kalimat yang digunakan untuk menyatakan aktivitas yang telah berlalu. Seperti kalimat saya telah pergi ke kota kemarin ( I went to city yesterday ). Kami telah membuat topi bulan lalu (We made a hat last month ) 

Cara mudah mengerjakan soal Simple Past Tense dalam bentuk essay adalah dengan memahami arti dari kalimat soal tersebut, dengan memahami arti dari kalimat soal maka anda faham apa yang diinginkan oleh soal, adapun supaya kita memahami arti dari kalimat soal, maka perbendaharaan kosa kata tentang bahasa inggris harus mumpuni.

Cara kedua supaya memudahkan di dalam mengerjakan soal Simple Past Tense dalam bentuk essay, yakni dengan sering anda mengerjakan latihan dan belajar terus menerus tentang penggunaan Simple Past Tense di dalam sebuah kalimat. Dengan sering berlatih maka kemampuan anda di dalam mengerjakan soal Simple Past Tense akan lebih mahir. 

Berikut adalah 23 contoh Simple Past Tense dalam bentuk essay, adapun kunci jawaban soal berada di akhir soal. 

Contoh Soal Simple Past Tense Essay dan Jawabannya

Use the words in the brackets to complete the questions (Gunakan kata-kata yang terdapat di dalam kurung untuk melengkapi kalimat di bawah 

• Did you … to bioscop last night? (go)
• When did they  .. this beer yesterday? (drink)
• I … the butterfly in front of my home yesterday. (see)
• I … In this village since last year. (live)
• What …. She give to you yesterday? (Do)
• He ,,,, stones to the army last week. (throw) 
• What did she … in their store?  ( buy)
• How  … You …  in the morning? (do, eat) 
• The teacher … something to the student yesterday? (say) 
• How did you learn to speak English? “My father …. Me (teach) 
• Roziqin and I played badminton last month, He is much better than me, So Roziqin … easily. (win)
• Abdillah … more than 200 books last year. (write)
• Where did she … this paper? (take)
• Zaid  …. the door yesterday. (close)
• My teacher  …. To me Be excellent each other last month (say)
• The door was open, and the cat ,,, this house . (enter)
• Mr. Budi  … a bread last night. (make)
• I was sick, so I … to bed early (go)
• Tamara was not hungry, so she …. anything (eat)
• They went to ardi’s house, but he …. At home (be)
• I knew my sister was very busy, So I …. her. (disturb)
• We couldn’t manage our car, so we …. it (sell)
• We were very happy with this house, se we …. It. (sell) 

Kunci Jawaban

8. did, eat

16. Entered

19. Didn’t eat

20. Was not

21. Didn’t disturb

23. didn’t sell

Posting Komentar untuk "23 Contoh Soal Simple Past Tense Essay dan Jawabannya"

Menu halaman statis.

• Privacy Policy
• Terms and Conditions

• Link to facebook
• Link to linkedin
• Link to twitter
• Link to youtube
• Writing Tips

Grammar Tips: Using the Past Tense

• 3-minute read
• 13th March 2018

The past includes everything that has ever happened . And with every second that passes, the past gets bigger and bigger! As such, there’s plenty of stuff in the past we might want to write about .

Lucky for us, then, we have the past tense to talk about things in the past. But to make sure your work is error free , you need to know how to use the different forms of this tense. We explain all here (with a little help from Isaac Newton).

Simple Past Tense

The most basic form is the simple past tense. We use this to discuss something that both began and ended in the past:

Isaac Newton invented the cat flap.

Here, for example, we use the simple past tense verb “invented” to show that the act of invention occurred entirely in the past.

Most simple past tense verbs are, like “invented,” formed by adding “-ed” to the end of a base verb (e.g., invent → invented ). However, you need to watch out for irregular verbs that don’t fit this pattern, such as “swim” (simple past tense = swam ).

Past Continuous Tense

As the name suggests, the past continuous tense is used to refer to an ongoing action in the past:

Newton was sitting under a tree.

The key phrase here is “was sitting,” which combines the simple past tense “was” with the present participle “sitting.” This gives us a sense of a continuous action (“sitting”) occurring in the past.

Find this useful?

Subscribe to our newsletter and get writing tips from our editors straight to your inbox.

The past continuous tense can also be used to frame another action:

Newton was sitting under a tree when an apple fell to the ground.

The past continuous “was sitting” here describes an action that is then interrupted by something else. We can therefore see the difference between the ongoing “was sitting” and the sudden fall of the apple, which is described using the past simple verb “fell.”

Past Perfect Tense

We use the past perfect tense to describe something that happened before, up until, or since something else. It is formed by combining the word “had” with a past participle :

Newton had studied many subjects by the time he graduated.

The key here is a sense of completion: the past perfect phrase “had studied” implies that the action had finished by the point the second part of the sentence occurred.

Past Perfect Continuous Tense

The past perfect continuous tense combines the past perfect and past continuous tenses. It is therefore most commonly used to describe an ongoing action that occurred before something else. We form the past perfect continuous tense by combining “had been” and a present participle:

Newton had been acting as Master of the Royal Mint for five years when he was knighted.

Here, we get the sense of a continuous action from the present participle “acting.” But the “had been” gives it a sense of completion similar to the perfect tense. The result is that “had been acting” frames the later action of being “knighted.”

Share this article:

Post A New Comment

Got content that needs a quick turnaround? Let us polish your work. Explore our editorial business services.

5-minute read

Free Email Newsletter Template (2024)

Promoting a brand means sharing valuable insights to connect more deeply with your audience, and...

6-minute read

How to Write a Nonprofit Grant Proposal

If you’re seeking funding to support your charitable endeavors as a nonprofit organization, you’ll need...

9-minute read

How to Use Infographics to Boost Your Presentation

Is your content getting noticed? Capturing and maintaining an audience’s attention is a challenge when...

8-minute read

Why Interactive PDFs Are Better for Engagement

Are you looking to enhance engagement and captivate your audience through your professional documents? Interactive...

7-minute read

Seven Key Strategies for Voice Search Optimization

Voice search optimization is rapidly shaping the digital landscape, requiring content professionals to adapt their...

4-minute read

Five Creative Ways to Showcase Your Digital Portfolio

Are you a creative freelancer looking to make a lasting impression on potential clients or...

Make sure your writing is the best it can be with our expert English proofreading and editing.

The Past Simple Tense

Perfect english grammar.

(also called the simple past tense)

Click here to learn about how to USE the past simple.

It's similar to the present simple because it has different rules for the verb 'be', which becomes 'was' or 'were':

The Past Simple with 'be'

Here's how to make the positive:

To make the negative with 'be', just add 'not':

Here's an exercise to practise the positive and negative forms with 'be'

To make a question, just like the present simple, we change the position of 'was / were' and the subject.

Here are the past simple 'yes / no' questions with 'be':

And the 'wh' questions with 'be' (the question word just goes at the beginning, everything else is the same):

And here's an exercise for 'wh' and 'yes / no' questions

Hello! I'm Seonaid! I'm here to help you understand grammar and speak correct, fluent English.

Read more about our learning method

The Past Simple (Simple Past) with Other Verbs

The positive:

We usually make the positive by adding '-ed' to the infinitive. For example, 'play' becomes 'played'. However, there are some irregular verbs , for example 'go' becomes 'went' and 'run' becomes 'ran'.

(Here's some help if you are not sure how to pronounce '-ed' at the end of a verb).

Click here for a list of 50 common irregular verbs (PDF file)

Click here for an exercise about irregular verbs in this verb tense

Click here for another irregular verb exercise

In the negative there aren't any irregular verbs. All verbs use 'did not (didn't) + infinitive':

Here's an exercise about the negative form

Questions are also very easy. Just put 'did' before the subject, and the infinitive after it.

Here are the 'yes / no' questions:

And here's an exercise about 'yes / no' questions

To make a 'wh' question, of course, put the question word at the beginning of the sentence:

And here's an exercise about 'wh' questions

Here are some exercises about making all the forms: Mixed Exercise 1 Mixed Exercise 2 Mixed Exercise 3 Mixed Exercise 4

Click here to learn about when we use this tense

, , , , , , , ,
, , ,
EJ 2013 Past simple or simple past is one of the essentials in English language. You can tell a story or write a story using the past simple tense. I drove my dad's car yesterday. I washed my face last night So basically the simple past uses the past tense of the verb plus one of these: Last holiday Last ....etc Of course you need to know the past simple of the irregular verbs Irregular verbs read more The regular verbs end with ed like Work worked Walk walked Wash washed and so on... etc After you got familiar with your regular and irregular verbs then you can start writing For example: Write about your last holiday What did you do? Where did you go? My last holiday was fantastic. I went to the mountains in a place called Salalah in Oman. The mountains were so green and the people were so friendly. I visited many places like, forts, beaches, the hotels at night and went shopping in the grand mall. I stayed there for 10 days. The weather was really nice and it was great for camping. So we went camping on the mountains and made a small fire for BBQ. This is a sample paragraph for the past simple tense Now it is your turn to try writing _________________________________________________________________________ Free writing samples Go to short writing2 Go to short writing1 Go to short writing3 Go to short writing4 Simple Past Tense What is the simple past tense. John baked a cake. They painted the fence. Table of Contents Forming the Simple Past Tense Spelling rules, forming the simple past tense of irregular verbs, real-life examples of the simple past tense, using the simple past tense, interactive verb conjugation tables, video lesson. jump > jumped paint > painted chat > chatted stop > stopped sew > sewed play > played fix > fixed incur > incurred prefer > preferred open > opened enter > entered swallow > swallowed thrive > thrived guzzle > guzzled cry > cried fry > fried break > broke catch > caught find > found I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free. (Italian sculptor Michelangelo) I asked God for a bike, but I know God doesn't work that way so I stole a bike and asked for forgiveness. The Martians landed near the aqueduct. The burglar used the fire escape. The Negative Version The Martians did not land near the aqueduct. The burglar did not use the fire escape. The Question Version Did the Martians land near the aqueduct? Did the burglar use the fire escape? Why did the Martians land near the aqueduct? When did the burglar use the fire escape? Did the Martians land near the aqueduct or the town? Did the burglar use the fire escape or the stairs? The Simple Past Tense with Time Expressions Examples of "when an activity took place": On Tuesday last week , the Martians landed near the aqueduct. The Martians landed near the aqueduct on Tuesday last week . Just before he was caught , the burglar considered using the fire escape. Examples of "how long an activity took": For the whole of June , the council inspected the drains. Her daughter hid under the bed for three hours . Infographic for the Simple Past Tense Top 10 Regular Verbs Top 10 Irregular Verbs All 4 Past Tenses Person Simple Past Past Progressive Tense Past Perfect Tense Past Perfect Progressive Tense is for a completed activity that happened in the past. is for an ongoing activity in the past. Often, it is used to set the scene for another action. is for emphasizing that an action was completed before another took place. is for showing that an ongoing action in the past has ended. All 4 Present Tenses Person Simple Present Present Progressive Tense Present Perfect Tense Present Perfect Progressive Tense is mostly for a fact or a habit. is for an ongoing action in the present. is for an action that began in the past. (Often, the action continues into the present.) is for a continuous activity that began in the past and continues into the present (or finished very recently). All 4 Future Tenses Person Simple Future Future Progressive Tense Future Perfect Tense Future Perfect Progressive Tense is for an action that will occur in the future. is for an ongoing action that will occur in the future. is for an action that will have been completed at some point in the future. is for an ongoing action that will be completed at some specified time in the future. Are you a visual learner? Do you prefer video to text? Here is a list of all our grammar videos . The Other Past Tenses The 4 Example simple past tense I went I was going I had gone I had been going This page was written by Craig Shrives . You might also like... Help us improve.... Was something wrong with this page? Use #gm to find us quicker . Create a QR code for this, or any, page. mailing list grammar forum Past Simple Tense: How To Use It Correctly (With Examples) The past simple is one of the most commonly used tenses in English. We mostly use this tense to describe finished actions that happened in the past. However, there are other uses besides this. Let’s explore the correct uses of the past simple tense and look at some common mistakes to avoid. Check out the interactive exercises at the end to test your knowledge! The past simple is the base form of the past tense in English. We use it to refer to an action or event that was completed before now – e.g. I play ed tennis yesterday. The formula is: subject + verb with ‘ – ed ’ . Some signal words for this tense are: before , ago, yesterday , last year . When do we use of the Past Simple? 1. completed actions in the past. We can use the past simple tense to describe actions that took place in the past. They started and finished in the past , without necessarily a specific time in mind. However, time expressions can still be used when giving more detail about the past time when the action took place. Last week, I played rugby with some friends. I hurt my leg while tackling another player. It took me a couple of days to recover! 2. A series of completed actions in the past The past simple tense can be used in a similar way to talk about a series of actions that took place in the past. These will be formatted as a list of things that happened one after the other. This is very common in storytelling and spoken narratives. 3. Past habits Another common use of the past simple is to describe habits that took place in the past. This is also used in storytelling and to talk casually about things you usually did before. These past habits may be old or they have only stopped recently, but they are not ongoing now. When we were young, my brother and I always fought . We argued for hours about all kinds of things! After leaving home, we stopped fighting and became much closer. 4. Expressing past durations The past simple tense can be used with time expressions to talk about how long something lasted. Some examples of time expressions that can be used are: for a while, for a week, for a short time. It took me ages to drive to the stadium. The rugby match lasted 80 minutes . The first half went on for 40 minutes , plus injury time. 5. Facts and generalisations from the past An interesting use of the past simple is to describe facts from the past. In addition, you can make generalisations about things that happened in the past. Our planet’s continents and oceans were formed over a very long time. Dinosaurs roamed the Earth during the Jurassic Period. They became extinct around 65 million years ago. How do we form the Past Simple tense? There can be affirmative (positive), negative, and questioning functions for all the uses of the past simple. To form the affirmative of past simple tense for regular verbs, use the root form of the verb, then add ‘-ed’ to the end. Formula = Subject + verb with ‘- ed ’ Rachel play ed the guitar. Jack walk ed to school this morning. Note that English also has many irregular verbs that do not follow this rule! You should learn these separately as they do not take the ‘-ed’ ending. Some common examples include: go/went, be/was/were, sit/sat, tell/told, say/said, write/wrote, speak/spoke, make/made. John sat on the chair. Sarah wrote an email to her friend. How to conjugate verbs in the past simple tense in the affirmative: 1 person singular I loved I was I spoke I made 2 person singular You loved You were You spoke You made 3 person singular He/she/it loved He/she/it was He/she/it spoke He/she/it made 1 person plural We loved We were We spoke We made 2 person plural You loved You were You spoke You made 3 person plural They loved They were They spoke They made To form the negative, we use the past form of the auxiliary verb ‘to do’ (‘did’) and place it after the subject. Then we place ‘not’ after the auxiliary to make it negative. Finally, we use the root form of the verb (without the ‘-ed’ ending!). Formula = Subject + did + not + root verb (bare infinitive, without ‘to’) I did not want to leave the party. I did not order a taxi home. How to conjugate verbs in the past simple tense in the negative: 1 person singular I did not love I was not I did not speak I did not make 2 person singular You did not love You were not You did not speak You did not make 3 person singular He/she/it did not love He/she/it was not He/she/it did not speak He/she/it did not make 1 person plural We did not love We were not We did not speak We did not make 2 person plural You did not love You were not You did not speak You did not make 3 person plural They did not love They were not They did not speak They did not make To form the interrogative (a question), put ‘did’ before the subject. After the subject comes the root form of the verb. Don’t forget to include a question mark (?) at the end! Formula = Did + subject + root verb Did Jack attend the meeting this morning? Did I say that to you? To form an interrogative that is negative, place ‘not’ after the subject. With contracted forms, place ‘not’ after ‘did’. Note that native speakers prefer to use contractions in spoken English and less formal writing so these usually sound more natural. Didn’t you buy any food for dinner? Did you not see the fireworks? (more formal) As above with the negative, we do not need the auxiliary verb ‘did’ when using ‘to be’. To form the interrogative with ‘to be’ in the past simple, simply flip the subject with the verb. E.g. You were happy before. —> Were you happy before? How to conjugate verbs in the past simple tense in the interrogative: 1 person singular Did I love Was I Did I speak Did I make 2 person singular Did you love Were you Did you speak Did you make 3 person singular Did he/she/it love Was he/she/it Did he/she/it speak Did he/she/it make 1 person plural Did we love Were we Did we speak Did we make 2 person plural Did you love Were you Did you speak Did you make 3 person plural Did they love Were they Did they speak Did they make Common mistakes with Past Simple (and how to avoid them!) 1. using the past simple instead of the present perfect. For events that started in the past and are still ongoing now, learners sometimes try to use the past simple. However, the correct tense to use in this situation is the present perfect . I didn’t finish my homework yet . ( incorrect ) I haven’t finish ed my homework yet. ( correct , present perfect) 2. Forgetting the auxiliary verb when forming a negative or interrogative The auxiliary verb ‘to do’ is needed when forming a negative or interrogative in the past simple tense (with the exception of ‘to be’). It is a common mistake to leave it out. John ___ not go to work this morning. ( incorrect ) John did n’t go to work this morning. ( correct ) 3. Using the ‘-ed’ ending for irregular verbs So many verbs in the past simple tense use the regular ‘-ed’ ending so it is natural to think all English verbs behave in this way. But they don’t! Make sure to learn the correct forms for irregular verbs to avoid making mistakes. I writ ed my essay last week. ( incorrect ) I wrote my essay last week. ( correct ) 4. Using the past form rather than the root form after an auxiliary When the auxiliary verb is used to form interrogatives and negatives in the past simple tense, the root form of the verb follows. It is a mistake to use the past form of the verb. Did they left on time? ( incorrect ) Did they leave on time? ( correct ) Past Simple Tense: Quiz exercises Test your understanding of the past simple with these interactive exercises. Select the correct answer for each of the questions and get your score at the end of the quiz. You can also share your result via social media and challenge your friends to try it too! He _____ to work to get his 10,000 steps in. A. Has walked B . Walked C. Had walked D. Runned Does this sentence contain the past simple tense? ‘Over my 30 years in the finance sector, I’ve seen it all.’ A. Yes B. No From the moment she _____ at me, I knew she ___the one for me. A. Saw, Was B.   Looked, Is C.   Looks, was D. Looked, was I was surprised when Man Utd came from behind to _____ the match. A. Won B. Win C. Winned D. Have won Is this question grammatically correct? ‘You studied for the test well?’ A. Yes B. No   In the summer, we   ____   ____ for walks on the beach. A. Always, Went B. Always, Gone C. Did, Went D. Did, Gone I just _____ a new smartphone. A. Have got B. Had been bought C. Bought D. Had bought The sun ____ down on the mountains as they traversed the steep ravine. A. Did shined B. Shone C. Has shined D. Not shone I _____ that I ______ the answer to the maths question, but I didn’t. A. Know, Knew B. Thought, Knew C. Knew, know D. Thought, Know Since Julia ______ close by, we decided to visit her. A. Has lived B. Living C. Lived D. Had lived Cameron Rose is a British English teacher and writer. He holds a BA hons degree in Linguistics from University College London, and is fully TEFL certified. After falling in love with languages at a young age, he started his English teaching career in China. He later returned to the UK and became an online English tutor with OTUK. He has a keen interest in grammar and loves to dig into the structures of English. In his spare time, Cameron enjoys meditating and creating Chinese rap music. You may also like Difference Between: Effect vs. Affect Effect is a noun that means ‘result, consequence of change’ – e.g. cause and effect. Affect is a verb that means ‘influence, make a difference to’ – e.g. The accident affected her health . We confuse the spellings of these words because their pronunciation and meanings are very close. Simple rule: E ffect ( E nd result) vs. A ffect ( A ction). Present Perfect Continuous Tense: How To Use It Correctly (With Examples) The present perfect continuous is one of the most interesting tenses in English, but it can be rather confusing! It is used to describe something that started in the past, and is still continuing in the present moment. In this guide, you will learn about the correct way to use this tense, as well as some common mistakes to avoid with it. Check out the quiz at the end to test your knowledge. How to improve listening skills in English Many students have already recognised the advantages of learning English via Skype and are benefiting from the opportunity to improve their English speaking skills with a native teacher. Our experience, dedicated to yours. Skype english courses, latest blog posts. Difference Between: It’s vs. Its English for tourism: essential holiday vocabulary How To Prepare For IELTS Online: 25 Best Resources Get started today by requesting your free 15-minute consultation with OTUK! Join our team OTUK. All rights reserved. Terms & Conditions     Cookies Policy OTUK Training Ltd. Company registered in England No. 09629443 Email: info@onlineteachersuk.com Developed by Andrey Kramerov Parts of speech Picture Vocabulary Confused Words Phrasal Verbs Applications Essay Writing Kindergarten Worksheets Simple Past Tense With Examples, Rules, Usage Simple Past Tense (Past Indefinite Tense) is used when an action or event has already happened before a specific point in time and it has no connection to the present. This tense is used to express past and distinct events. Or “Simple Past Tense refers to the time when an action or event happened before a specific point in time”. In the Simple Past Tense, to identify an action, “ed” is used for regular verbs. For irregular verbs, there is a specific pattern that changes the verb into its past form. To learn to make proper and grammatically correct sentences in simple past tense, you need to understand how regular and irregular verbs are formed. Formation of Regular Verbs The formation of regular verbs in the Simple Past Tense involves adding “ -ed “ to the base form of the verb. This is the general rule for most regular verbs in English. Walk Walk Talk Talk Play Play Clean Clean Jump Jump Dance Danc Watch Watch Cook Cook Help Help Study Studi Formation of Irregular Verbs Irregular verbs do not follow the standard “-ed” pattern for forming the past tense. Instead, they have unique forms for their past tense. Each of them has its own unique past tense form. As you can see, these verbs have irregular forms that need to be memorized. Go Went Eat Ate Come Came Take Took See Saw Have Had Do Did Make Made Drive Drove Give Gave Sing Sang Write Wrote Swim Swam Buy Bought Run Ran Table of Contents Usages of the Simple Past Tense To Describe Completed Actions “To Describe Completed Actions” refers to using a specific tense in language, in this case, the Simple Past Tense (also known as the simple past tense), to talk about events or actions that have already happened and are now finished. I visited the museum yesterday. She finished her homework before dinner. She painted a beautiful landscape. They visited the historic castle. He did not finish reading the novel. We did not clean the entire house. I did not bake a delicious cake for the party. The team did not win the championship last year. Did he fix the broken window? Did she complete her assignment on time? Did they watch a thrilling movie? Did you attend the conference last month? To Talk About Past Habits or Routines “To Talk About Past Habits or Routines” refers to using the Simple Past Tense to describe actions or behaviors that were regularly performed in the past. These actions were habits or routines that happened repeatedly. Every morning, she took a long walk in the park. (Habit) They played tennis every Sunday afternoon.  (Habit) He visited his grandparents every summer vacation.  (Habit) She read a book before bedtime every night.  (Habit) We did not have family dinners together every Friday. (Routines) He did not attend Spanish classes every weekday after work. (Routines) They did not watch their favorite TV show every evening. (Routines) Did I swim at the beach every summer? (Habit) Did she volunteer at the local shelter every weekend? (Routines) Did we practice the piano every afternoon? (Routines) For Statements of Fact in the Past “For Statements of Fact in the Past” refers to using the Simple Past Tense to state historical or factual information about events, discoveries, or general truths that occurred in the past. The Titanic sank in 1912. Shakespeare wrote many famous plays. Thomas Edison invented the light bulb. World War II did not end in 1945. The first manned moon landing did not occur in 1969. Albert Einstein did not formulate the theory of relativity. Was the Great Wall of China built over several centuries? Was the Declaration of Independence signed in 1776? Did Leonardo da Vinci paint the Mona Lisa? Was the first computer invented in the 1940s? To Narrate a Story or Describe Past Events in Literature “To Narrate a Story or Describe Past Events in Literature” refers to the use of the Simple Past Tense to recount events or tell a story in a narrative form. This tense is commonly used in literature to create a sense of immediacy and vividness in storytelling. Once upon a time, there lived a wise old wizard in a distant forest. The brave knight rescued the princess from the tower. Little Red Riding Hood met a cunning wolf in the woods. The spaceship did not land on an unknown planet full of strange creatures. Tom and Jerry did not chase each other around the house all day. The magical lamp did not grant three wishes to the kind-hearted boy. Cinderella did not lose her glass slipper at the royal ball. Did the friendly dragon help the villagers rebuild their homes? Was the mysterious treasure buried deep underground for centuries? Did the mischievous elves play pranks on the woodland creatures? For Reported Speech when Reporting Past Statements “For Reported Speech (Indirect Speech) when Reporting Past Statements” refers to the use of the Simple Past Tense to convey something that was said or stated by someone else in the past. It involves reporting or paraphrasing what was previously said. She said that she liked the movie. He told me that he had a great time at the party. They mentioned that they were going on vacation. The teacher did not explain that the test was postponed. Sarah did not inform us that she had finished her project. He did not mention that he would come to the meeting. Did my mom say that dinner was ready? Did they tell us that they had seen a shooting star? Did she inform me that the store was closed? Did he explain that the concert had been canceled? To Express Future in the Past (2nd Conditional) She said that if it rained tomorrow, she would stay indoors. He hoped that if he had more time, he would travel around the world. They thought that if they won the lottery, they would buy a new house. The teacher did not tell us that if we studied harder, we would get better grades. She did not believe that if she practiced more, she would become a better pianist. He did not wish that if he had known, he would have helped. Did they wonder if they found a genie, they would ask for three wishes? Did she imagine that if she had a time machine, she would visit the past? Did he speculate that if he learned a new language, he would travel more? Did they think that if they had wings, they would fly ? If I had more time, would I have visited the museum? Do I wish I knew how to swim when we were at the beach? Forming the Simple Past Tense Affirmative sentences. To form the Simple Past Tense (past indefinite tense) in an affirmative sentence, you typically add “-ed” to regular verbs. For irregular verbs, you use the specific past tense form. Subject + verb (2nd form) + object I walked to the park yesterday. She read a book last night. He played with his friends after school. We visited Grandma on Sunday. They watched a movie on Friday evening. The cat slept all day. My parents cooked dinner for us. She danced at the party. He helped his mom in the kitchen. We cleaned our rooms on Saturday. The sun shone brightly. I finished my homework early. She baked cookies for the school bake sale. He rode his bike in the park. They planted flowers in the garden. The teacher praised our hard work. I found my lost keys. She received a gift from her friend. He painted a beautiful picture. We played board games in the evening. The sentences given above are broken down according to their grammatical structure. I walked to the park yesterday. She read a book last night. He played with his friends after school . We visited Grandma on Sunday. They watched a movie on Friday evening. The cat slept all-day . My parents cooked dinner for us . She danced at the party . He helped his mom in the kitchen . We cleaned our rooms on Saturday. The sun shone brightly . I finished my homework early. She baked cookies for the school bake sale . He rode his bike in the park . They planted flowers in the garden . The teacher praised our hard work . I found my lost keys . She received a gift from her friend . He painted a beautiful picture . We played board games in the evening. Negative Sentences Negative sentences in the simple past tense express actions or states that did not happen in the past. Subject + did not + verb(1st form) + object. He did not take a bath. It did not rain yesterday. They did not help us. You did not keep your promise. He did not act upon my advice. I did not walk to school yesterday. She did not eat a sandwich for lunch. He did not play with his dog in the park. We did not visit the zoo last summer. They did not watch a cartoon on TV. She did not read the newspaper yesterday. They did not play soccer after school. I did not meet my friend at the cafe. He did not buy a new car last month. We did not watch the movie at the cinema. The cat did not catch the mouse in the kitchen. My parents did not prepare dinner for us. You did not complete the assignment on time. She did not dance at the party last night. He did not fix the broken window in the morning. He did not take a bath . It did not rain yesterday . They did not help us . You did not keep your promise . He did not act upon my advice . I did not walk to school yesterday. She did not eat a sandwich for lunch. He did not play with his dog in the park. We did not visit the zoo last summer. They did not watch a cartoon on TV. She did not read the newspaper yesterday. They did not play soccer after school. I did not meet my friend at the cafe. He did not buy a new car last month. We did not watch the movie at the cinema. The cat did not catch the mouse in the kitchen. My parents did not prepare dinner for us. You did not complete the assignment on time. She did not dance at the party last night. He did not fix the broken window in the morning. Interrogative Sentences Use “Did”: Begin the sentence with “Did.” This is the past tense auxiliary verb that helps in forming questions. Base Form of the Verb: Use the base form (1st form) of the verb without “to.” This forms the question. Did + Subject + verb(1st form) + object + ? Did I go to the park yesterday? Did she eat cake for dessert? Did he watch TV in the morning? Did we visit the zoo last week? Did they play outside after school? Did the cat like the new toy? Did my mom bake cookies on Sunday? Did she draw a picture? Did he read a book before bed? Did we see a movie on Friday? Did you visit the park yesterday? Did she eat pizza for lunch? Did he watch a movie last night? Did they play soccer after school? Did the cat sleep on the couch? Did your mom cook dinner on Friday? Did he draw a picture for his friend? Did she read a story before bed? Did we go to the beach last summer? Did the dog chase its tail? Did Subject Verb (1st Form) Object ? Did I go to the park yesterday  ? Did she eat cake for dessert  ? Did he watch TV in the morning  ? Did we visit the zoo last week  ? Did they play outside after school  ? Did the cat like the new toy  ? Did my mom bake cookies on Sunday  ? Did she draw a picture  ? Did he read a book before bed  ? Did we see a movie on Friday  ? Did you visit the park yesterday  ? Did she eat pizza for lunch  ? Did he watch a movie last night  ? Did they play soccer after school  ? Did the cat sleep on the couch  ? Did your mom cook dinner on Friday  ? Did he draw a picture for his friend  ? Did she read a story before bed  ? Did we go to the beach last summer  ? Did the dog chase its tail ? The Spelling Rules walk _ play _ love _ call _ dance _ arrive _ breathe _ bake _ stop _ plan _ jog _ hop _ carry _ reply _ worry _ try _ play _ say _ enjoy _ stay _ go _ have _ be _ do _ pic _  panic _ mimic _ traffic _ tag _  hug _  dig _  drag _  Simple Past Tense Example Sentences Positive Sentences: We went to the zoo yesterday. I boarded the train. You bought a new pen. She boiled the eggs. They waited for us. The students told the lesson. The peon locked the door. They played hide and seek in the yard. I helped my little brother with his homework. She received a nice gift from her friend. He visited his grandparents last weekend. We watched a movie on Friday night. She read a story before bedtime. They cleaned their rooms yesterday. He played with his dog in the park. We had a family dinner together on Friday. She attended the art class after school. They practiced singing in the evening. Negative Sentences: I did not visit the museum last weekend. They did not plant flowers in the garden. He did not attend the meeting. She did not cook dinner yesterday. We did not watch TV in the morning. They did not play football after school. The cat did not catch the mouse. My parents did not go for a walk. She did not read a book before bedtime. He did not clean his room on Saturday. They did not have ice cream for dessert. I did not forget your birthday. We did not go to the beach last summer. The dog did not bark all night. She did not receive a letter from her friend. He did not play the guitar at the party. They did not visit their grandparents last holiday. The bird did not sing in the morning. I did not invite my friends to the party. We did not swim in the river last weekend. She did not take a nap in the afternoon. He did not draw a picture for his sister. Interrogative Sentences: Did Ali win a prize? Did he go there? Did he post the letter? Whom did you consult? How did the break into the house? Did the hare run fast? Did he keep his promise? Did your friend live here? Where did you go? Did he clean his room on Saturday? Did they have ice cream for dessert? Did you forget my birthday? Did the dog bark all night? Did she receive a letter from her friend? Did he play the guitar at the party? Did they visit their grandparents last holiday? Did the bird sing in the morning? Did you invite your friends to the party? Did we swim in the river last weekend? Did she take a nap in the afternoon? Did he draw a picture for his sister? a) She is reading a book. b) They played soccer yesterday. c) He will eat lunch later. a) They have visited the museum. b) She danced at the party. c) We will go to the park. a) I am writing a letter. b) He visited his grandparents last summer. c) She will bake a cake. a) They are playing in the garden. b) We studied for the exam. c) She will sing a song. a) He has a new car. b) They watched a movie last night. c) She is cooking dinner. a) We will visit the zoo tomorrow. b) He played with his dog in the park. c) She is reading a novel. a) They are going to the party tonight. b) I visited my friend yesterday. c) He will study for the test. a) She will bake cookies for the party. b) They played hide and seek in the yard. c) We are singing a song. a) I am going to the market. b) He visited the museum last weekend. c) They will have a picnic. c) sleeping a) She has a beautiful garden. b) We went for a walk in the park. c) He is playing chess. The Simple Past Tense, also known as the Simple Past Tense, is a grammatical tense used to describe actions or events that occurred in the past and are now completed. For regular verbs, the past tense is formed by adding “-ed” to the base form of the verb (e.g., walk -> walked, play -> played). a) She visited the museum yesterday. b) They played soccer in the park. c) He finished his homework before dinner. Irregular verbs have unique past tense forms that do not follow a regular pattern. For example, the past tense of “go” is “went” and the past tense of “eat” is “ate”. No, the Simple Past Tense is used to describe completed actions in the past, not actions that were ongoing or continuous. Yesterday, last week, two days ago, in 1995, when I was a child, etc. Yes, the negative form is formed by adding “did not” (or the contraction “didn’t”) before the base form of the verb. No, the Simple Past Tense is specifically for describing completed actions in the past. To talk about future events, a different tense like the Future Indefinite Tense should You May Also Like Simple Present Tense With Examples Simple Past Tense Worksheets Past Tenses Rules, Sentences Participle Clauses in English Irregular Verbs in English with Examples Verbs Starting with D 500 Regular Verbs List PDF Participle Adjectives in English Worksheet Tenses RELATED ARTICLES MORE FROM AUTHOR Tenses chart with examples, rules, usage, future tenses with examples, rules, usage, past tenses with examples, rules, usage. Picture Vocabulary 141 Grammar 100 Worksheets 72 Vocabulary 46 Synonyms 36 Sentences 25 Mastering the 12 English Tenses: Your Quick Guide (PDF) Understanding 12 English tenses can feel overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. They are very enjoyable and easy to learn if you follow the right instructions! 🙂 Think of tenses as the tools we use to place our thoughts in time—past, present, or future. In this guide, we’ll simplify the 12 tenses, so you can confidently navigate English grammar. The 12 English Tenses Simple Present Present continuous, simple past, past continuous, simple future, future continuous, present perfect, present perfect continuous, past perfect, past perfect continuous, future perfect, future perfect continuous, table of 12 english tenses. Simple Tenses Affirmative: She walks to school. Negative: She does not walk to school. Question: Does she walk to school? Use: Regular actions, facts, schedules. Signal Words: Always, usually, never, often. Affirmative: She walked to school. Negative: She did not walk to school. Question: Did she walk to school? Use: Actions completed in the past. Signal Words: Yesterday, last week, in 2010. Affirmative: She will walk to school. Negative: She will not walk to school. Question: Will she walk to school? Use: Actions that will happen in the future. Signal Words: Tomorrow, next year, soon. Continuous Tenses Affirmative: She is walking to school. Negative: She is not walking to school. Question: Is she walking to school? Use: Actions happening now, or temporary situations. Signal Words: Now, currently, at the moment. Affirmative: She was walking to school. Negative: She was not walking to school. Question: Was she walking to school? Use: Actions that were in progress at a specific time in the past. Signal Words: While, when, as long as. Affirmative: She will be walking to school. Negative: She will not be walking to school. Question: Will she be walking to school? Use: Actions that will be ongoing at a specific time in the future. Signal Words: At this time tomorrow, next week, in the future. Perfect Tenses Affirmative: She has walked to school. Negative: She has not walked to school. Question: Has she walked to school? Use: Actions completed at some point before now, with relevance to the present. Signal Words: Already, just, yet, so far. Affirmative: She had walked to school. Negative: She had not walked to school. Question: Had she walked to school? Use: Actions completed before another action in the past. Signal Words: Before, after, until that moment. Affirmative: She will have walked to school. Negative: She will not have walked to school. Question: Will she have walked to school? Use: Actions that will be completed by a certain future time. Signal Words: By tomorrow, in a week, by then. Perfect Continuous Tenses Affirmative: She has been walking to school. Negative: She has not been walking to school. Question: Has she been walking to school? Use: Emphasizes the duration of an action that started in the past and continues into the present. Signal Words: For hours, since last week, all day. Affirmative: She had been walking to school. Negative: She had not been walking to school. Question: Had she been walking to school? Use: Actions that were ongoing in the past up until another past action. Signal Words: For hours, since last year, all day long. Affirmative: She will have been walking to school. Negative: She will not have been walking to school. Question: Will she have been walking to school? Use: Actions that will continue up to a specific point in the future. Signal Words: For hours, since morning, by the time. English Tenses Formula 12 english tenses formula pdf – download ⇓, faqs about english tenses. The 12 English tenses are Simple Present, Present Continuous, Simple Past, Past Continuous, Simple Future, Future Continuous, Present Perfect, Present Perfect Continuous, Past Perfect, Past Perfect Continuous, Future Perfect, and Future Perfect Continuous. English tenses are important because they help us express actions and events in time, making communication clearer and more precise. You can learn the 12 English tenses effectively by grouping them into past, present, and future categories, practicing each tense with examples, and using them in daily conversations. Simple tenses describe general actions or facts, while continuous tenses focus on actions that are ongoing or in progress. The most commonly used tenses in English are the Simple Present, Simple Past, and Present Continuous. The best way to remember English tenses is to practice regularly, use them in sentences, and understand the key differences between each tense. You May Also Like 25+ Simple English Stories (PDF) Resignation Letter & Email Examples in English The Grammar Games: Fun Ways to Improve Your English Writing Skills EnglishPost.org 150 Simple Past Examples Today we are going to learn more about the simple past and how to make sentences with them. The simple past is a verb tense used to describe a completed action that happened at a specific time in the past. For example: #1 I walked to the store yesterday #2 I ate dinner at 7 PM Continue reading so you can learn how to make affirmative, negative, and interrogative sentences correctly Table of Contents Video: Simple Past Explanation Simple past: uses, simple past and expressions of time, simple past affirmative sentences, simple past negative sentences, simple past questions, wh-questions in the simple past, simple past conversation questions, simple past: irregular verbs. Let’s have a look at this video that explains what the past simple is: The Simple Past is used to talk about actions completed in the past. She came back last Thursday. I saw her in the building. I made a cake for my mom, it was delicious I ran to the train station every day I sent some flowers to my girlfriend, today is her birthday They didn’t agree with me. They did their homework, but it was kind of difficult They played video games the whole night Yesterday I did exercise. I didn’t go to the gym last Sunday. It can also be used to talk about a period of time She lived in California for seven years. They were in London from Monday to Friday Last week, I  stayed  with my sister for a few days Joe  lived  in Boston for ten years. From 1981 to 1984, he  worked  for a large multinational company. You will often find the past simple used with time expressions such as these: I met him yesterday I saw him two weeks ago She came to visit me last year The last time I went to a concert was  in 2009 I played soccer from May to June I have known him for a long time  I worked there for 4 weeks in the 1990s , I stole many cars She was the best singer of the last century In the past , I made so many  mistakes These are some examples of affirmative sentences in the simple past: Go Went I went to the store Play Played You played video games last night Run ran She ran 5 KM yesterday Say Said He said that she was beautiful Make Made They made a cake for us Fix Fixed We fixed her bike To make the negative form, we add the negative form (didn’t) between the pronoun or subject and the verb. The verb in negative statements will be an infinitive. I went to the store I to the store She wanted money She money He played soccer He soccer It worked well It well We watched a movie We a movie you cooked dinner You dinner they ran yesterday They yesterday To make a question in the simple past, you have to add the word “did” at the beginning of every question and keep the verb in its infinitive form. I went to the store I to the store? She wanted money you money? He played soccer he soccer? It worked well it well? We watched a movie we a movie? you cooked dinner you dinner? they ran yesterday they yesterday These are some examples of questions and answers with the simple past Where did you go last night? I went to the club with some friends What did you do last night I watched a couple of movies What movie did they watch? They watched a horror movie Who did she meet? She met a company executive These are some common questions you can make when talking about the past Where did you go on your last vacation? What did you do for your last birthday? What did you do last week? How did you spend your weekend? What did you do yesterday morning? Did you watch any movies last night? What movies did you watch? Who was your first crush? What did you do for the last 24 hours? What was the last movie that you watched? When was the last time you went shopping? When was the last time you went on a date? When was the last time you had a party? Did you do any exercises last week? What exercises did you do? How did you spend your days when you were a kid? How did you have fun when you were in high school? These are the most common examples of irregular verbs in English be was/were beat beat become became begin began blow blew break broke bring brought build built buy bought catch caught choose chose come came cost cost cut cut deal dealt do did draw drew drink drank drive drove eat ate fall fell feed fed feel felt fight fought find found fly flew forget forgot freeze froze get got give gave go went grow grew hang hung have had hear heard hide hid hit hit hold held hurt hurt keep kept know knew lay laid lead led leave left lend lent let let lie** lay light* lit lose lost make made mean meant meet met pay paid put put read read ride rode ring rang rise rose run ran say said see saw sell sold send sent set set shake shook steal stole shine shone shoot shot show* showed shut shut sing sang sink sank sit sat sleep slept slide slid speak spoke spend spent spring sprang stand stood stick stuck swear swore sweep swept swim swam swing swung take took teach taught tell told think thought throw threw understand understood wake* woke wear wore win won write wrote Manuel Campos I am Jose Manuel, English professor and creator of EnglishPost.org, a blog whose mission is to share lessons for those who want to learn and improve their English Related Articles 50 Grammar Lessons for the TOEIC 100 Present Perfect Continuous Examples Tag Questions Examples: Past, Present and Future Grammar Exercises Grammar Lessons Grammar Quizzes Mixed Tests PDF Worksheets Beginners Lessons Easy Worksheets Beginners Tests Reading Exercises Drag & Drop Grammar English For Kids Kids Word Games Picture Vocabulary Reading Tests Short Dialogues Short Sentences Closest in Meaning Irrelevant Sentence ESL Paragraphs GRE Reading Text Completion GRE Equivalence SAT Sentence Essay Writing Vocabulary Exercises Study Skills Tips Drag & Drop Vocab Simple Past Tense Exercises See the video exercise. buy catch cost drink hurt sell spend teach throw win Try our Latest Video Exercises? GrammarBank Video Exercises (New!) Past Tense – A Complete Past Simple Lesson Plan In this past tense lesson plan, students will learn simple past tense verbs and sentences while playing fun classroom games. Once students learn how to use the past tense then they can use this language to talk about themselves and what they did yesterday, before the lesson, at the weekend, during the vacation, etc. To help students use the past tense fluently, after teaching this lesson, talking about the past tense can become part of your classroom routine.  This page is a complete ESL lesson plan to teach the simple past tense using both regular and irregular verbs. If you would rather focus on just regular verbs, then the activities in this lesson can be easily adapted for that. All the materials for the games and activities in this lesson can be found below. For more past tense lesson materials not included in this lesson plan check the section at the bottom of the page.  Materials for this lesson: Simple past tense lesson plan for beginner esl students, introducing the past tense. Before teaching students the past tense form, it is important to put the lesson in context so that students can understand what it is they will learn. A great way to introduce the past tense is to draw a simple timeline on the board. In the middle of the timeline write ‘today’ and ask students what day it is today and write that day on the board.  Practice Key Words And Sentences Tell students that in order to talk about the past, we need to change the verb into the past tense. Write some regular verbs on the board (watch, play, walk, talk, cook, etc.) and show students how to change into the past tense by adding ‘ed’. Ask students to repeat after you and practice saying each past tense verb.  Activity 1: Past Tense Guessing Game This game is great to introduce the past tense to students and is a fun way to practice making past tense sentences. In this past tense game, students will see how to change a verb into the past tense. Then an image that is hidden behind some colored shapes is slowly revealed. Students must guess what the picture is of, and use that word to complete the past tense sentence. To play, simply play the above video in class and pause when students are ready to guess.  Activity 2: Past Tense Memory Game This past tense memory game becomes incredibly fun once students start to remember where the matching verbs are. For more free memory games like this, and for a blank editable template, visit out  PPT Games page .  Activity 3: Mystery Box Game – Past Tense Before finishing the class, review the past tense verbs and sentences from the lesson. A great way to do this is to ask students to ask their partner ‘What did you do (yesterday / last weekend)?’. Once students have asked their partner, then ask students to tell you what their partner did yesterday / at the weekend.  Additional Resources 417 IMAGES Past Simple Tense (Simple Past): Definition, Rules and Useful Examples Simple Past Tense: Definition & Useful Examples in English Past Simple Tense Examples of Past Tenses Simple Past Tense With Examples, Rules, Usage • Englishan The Simple Past Tense VIDEO Simple Past Tense #englishconversation #englishspeakingpractice Simple past tense, Simple past tense affirmative sentences, English grammar SIMPLE PAST TENSE SENTENCES / LEARN ENGLISH SIMPLE PAST TENSE SENTENCES / LEARN ENGLISH SIMPLE PAST TENSE SENTENCES / LEARN ENGLISH SIMPLE PAST TENSE SENTENCES / LEARN ENGLISH COMMENTS Simple Past Tense The simple past tense (also called the past simple or preterite) is used to describe an action or series of actions that occurred in the past. The past simple of regular verbs is typically formed by adding "-ed" to the end of the infinitive (e.g., "talk" becomes "talked"). Irregular verbs don't follow a specific pattern: some take ... Verb Tenses in Academic Writing The different tenses are identified by their associated verb forms. There are three main verb tenses: past, present, and future. In English, each of these tenses can take four main aspects: simple, perfect, continuous (also known as progressive), and perfect continuous. The perfect aspect is formed using the verb to have, while the continuous ... Verb Tenses Most Common Verb Tenses in Academic Writing. According to corpus research, in academic writing, the three tenses used the most often are the simple present, the simple past, and the present perfect (Biber et al., 1999; Caplan, 2012). The next most common tense for capstone writers is the future; the doctoral study/dissertation proposal at ... The Simple Past Tense, Made Simple What is the simple past tense? Learn when to use the simple past tense + how to correctly conjugate verbs to improve and clarify your writing. The Three Common Tenses Used in Academic Writing This handout provides the overview of three tenses that are usually found in academic writing. Background. There are three tenses that make up 98% of the tensed verbs used in academic writing. The most common tense is present simple, followed by past simple and present perfect. These tenses can be used both in passive and active voice. Simple Past Tense Simple Past Tense: Learn all about the simple past tense, its meaning, definition, uses, structure and rules in this article. Check out the examples given and also try out the practice questions to check how far you have understood the topic. Past Simple The past simple tense (also called the simple past or preterite) is used to describe an action or series of actions that occurred in the past. The past simple of regular verbs is typically formed by adding "-ed" to the end of the infinitive (e.g., "talk" becomes "talked"). Irregular verbs don't follow a specific pattern: some take ... The Past Tense l Explanation, Examples & Worksheet The past tense is a verb tense used to talk about past actions, states of being, or events. There are four past tense forms: the past simple (e.g., "you Past Simple Tense: How to Use It, With Examples The past simple tense is a fundamental part of English grammar. Learn how to use it correctly with this comprehensive guide, complete with examples. 23 Contoh Soal Simple Past Tense Essay dan Jawabannya Berikut adalah 23 contoh Simple Past Tense dalam bentuk essay, adapun kunci jawaban soal berada di akhir soal.1.)Did you … to bioscop last night? (go) Grammar Tips: Using the Past Tense We all use the past tense in our speech and writing, but do you know how different forms of the past tense work? In this post, we take a look at the past simple, past perfect, past continuous and past perfect continuous tenses. The Past Simple Tense Easy explanations and examples about how to make the past simple (or simple past) tense in English with lots of exercises and quizzes. Past Tense: Explanation and Examples The past tense is used for a past activity or a past state of being. The past tense is categorized further depending on whether the action was in progress or has been completed. The four past tenses are the simple past tense, the past progressive tense, the past perfect tense, and the past perfect progressive tense. Writing for Beginners, write stories about the past simple tense Past simple or simple past is one of the essentials in English language. You can tell a story or write a story using the past simple tense. Examples: I drove my dad's car yesterday. I washed my face last night. So basically the simple past uses the past tense of the verb plus one of these: Yesterday. Last year. Simple Past Tense: Explanation and Examples The simple past tense is used to describe a completed activity that happened in the past. In other words, it started in the past and ended in the past. Past Simple Tense: How To Use It Correctly (With Examples) The past simple is the base form of the past tense in English. We use it to refer to an action or event that was completed before now - e.g. I played tennis yesterday. The formula is: subject + verb with '-ed'. Some signal words for this tense are: before, ago, yesterday, last year. Simple Past Tense With Examples, Rules, Usage Simple Past Tense With Examples, Rules, Structure, Example Sentences, Exercise, Quiz With Answers, and PDF Notes + Worksheets & more! Mastering the 12 English Tenses: Your Quick Guide (PDF) Table of 12 English Tenses 12 English Tenses with examples Simple Tenses Simple Present. Affirmative: She walks to school. Negative: She does not walk to school. Question: Does she walk to school? Use: Regular actions, facts, schedules. Signal Words: Always, usually, never, often. Simple Past. Affirmative: She walked to school. Negative: She ... Past simple tense in English: Explained with examples Simple past tense is used to talk about actions and events that both started and ended in the past. Read a full guide with examples here. 150 Simple Past Examples The simple past is a verb tense used to describe a completed action that happened at a specific time in the past. For example: #1. I walked to the store yesterday. #2. I ate dinner at 7 PM. Continue reading so you can learn how to make affirmative, negative, and interrogative sentences correctly. Table of Contents. 2.3: Simple Past vs Present Perfect SIMPLE PAST; A verb in the simple past tense expresses that an activity, event or state began and ended in the past. Adverbs such as last year, a year ago and in 2017 make clear that the activity is pinned to a time in the past. See Past Adverbs.. COMPLETED IN PAST: Construction on the Tower of Pisa started in 1173.. Builders added a third story in 1185. Then, it began to lean. Simple Past Tense Exercises Practice verb tenses online - Simple past tense exercises with answers for students and teachers Past Tense Teach the simple past tense with this complete ESL lesson plan. Includes all the past tense games, activities, and materials you need. assignment essay homework paper phd report resume review speech thesis