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Simple Past TenseNadia Khan

Bow Valley College

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Simple Past Tense

Purpose• The simple past tense is used to talk about things, events or situations

that happened in the past and are now finished.

They arrived last night.

I studied last night. We ate pizza yesterday. They visited New York last year. They stayed at the Grand Hotel.

FutureNow

Past

Simple Past TenseFunction and Use

Completed Action in the Past• The Simple Past is used to express the idea that an action started

and finished at a specific time in the past. Sometimes, the specific time may not be mentioned, but speakers have one specific time in mind.

• Examples:• I saw a movie last night.• Last year, I traveled to Australia.• Last year, I didn't travel to Korea.• Did you have dinner last night?• He washed his car.

Simple Past Tense

A Series of Completed Actions• The Simple Past to list a series of completed actions in the

past. These actions happen 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and so on.• Examples:• I ate supper, washed the dishes, and cleaned the kitchen.• She came to the college at 8:00, took out her books from the

locker, and went to the class.• Did you cut the strawberries, pour in the milk, and

then add sugar?

Simple Past Tense

Duration in the Past• The Simple Past can be used to indicate that an action or

event occurred over a period of time in the past with the implication that it is no longer true in the present.

• Examples:• I lived in Colombia for two years.• Paul was on the soccer team in college.• We sat at the beach all day.• We talked on the phone for thirty minutes.

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Simple Past Tense

• Form• Subject + Past form of the verb

• She arrived at 3:00 pm. • They ate ice cream.

Regular and Irregular Verbs

• Regular verbs in the simple past are conjugated according to an established pattern. These verbs end in –ed. –ed is added to the base form of the verb.

• Played, arrived, studied• Verb ends in-e, add only-d ( arrive- arrived)• Verb ends in y after a consonant, change the y to i and add –ed

( study- studied)• Irregular verbs do not follow a pattern and do not end in –ed.

These verbs have to be memorized. Ate, drove, slept, went, put, read, flew

Irregular Verb- beSingular Simple past of be Example

I/ She/ he/ it was She was at the library yesterday.

Plural

We/ you/ they were We were at home last night.

NegativeWas + notI was not in class yesterday.Were + notThey were not inCalgary last week.

Yes/ No questionWas + subject + base form of the verbWas John at home last night?Were + subject + base form of the verbWere you in class yesterday?

Simple Past

• Affirmative statements

• In the simple past, the verb form is the same for all persons.

Subject Main verb in the simple past

I YouHe/ she/itI/WeThey

walked.drove.studied.swam.

Simple PastNegative Statements

• The auxiliary is conjugated in the Past Simple ( do-did)• The main verb is in the base form• For negative sentences, we insert not between the auxiliary

verb and main verb.

Subject Did not Base form of the verb

I YouHe/ she/itI/WeThey

did notdidn’t

walk.drive.study.swim.

Interrogative/ Yes/ No Question

• We can use did or didn’t in short answers. • Did it snow?• Yes, it did. (Yes)• No, it didn’t. (no)• To make WH questions, add the question before did.• For question sentences, we exchange the subject and the auxiliary verb.

Did Subject Base Form

Did

I YouHe/ she/itI/WeThey

wakesleepstayeatTake

you up?late?home?all the cookies?warm clothes?

Common Past Time MarkersYesterday Last Agoyesterdayyesterday morningyesterday afternoonyesterday evening

last nightlast Mondaylast weeklast summerlast year

five minutes agotwo hours agothree days agoa couple of days agoa week agoa month agoa year ago

Last is used with night, with long periods of time, with seasons, and with days of the week.

Ago means in the past. It follows specific lengths of time( e.g. five minutes + ago, two years + ago)

Common Past Time Markers• Time markers usually come at the beginning or at

the end of sentences.Yesterday afternoon, I went for shopping.I went for shopping yesterday afternoon.

• Today, this morning, this afternoon, and this evening can be past time markers if they mean ‘before now’.

I studied grammar today.I was late for work this morning.

• Let’s play a game…

Strategies for Tutoring Learners• Introduce/ reinforce Time Markers• Start by modeling the simple past- Use the simple

past to share your past experiences preferably using time markers.

• Or give an example: Yesterday evening I walked…

• Ask yourself and then the learners the same questions: What did you cook last night?

• When did you wake up this morning?

Strategies for Tutoring Learners

• Introduce regular and then irregular verbs.

• Visual representation- show pictures

• Comprehension activities: Use stories of vacations or news stories. These will help underline the idea that the past simple is used to narrate what happened in the past.

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Be careful• Over generalization of the rule auxiliary + base form of the verb.

I was cook vegetables last night.We were won the game yesterday.

• Use of auxiliary and main verb in the past tense. – didn’t went, did you cooked?

• Ending irregular verbs in –ed, especially those that don’t change their form- cutted, knewed

• Use of verb+ing only- I walking school yesterday. • Use of the infinitive/ base form only- I take bus yesterday.

Ideas for activities• Charade Series- give out verbs to learners and ask them to act.

Other students guess the verb in the past tense. • Diary entry- Learners write about events that happened.• Picture sentences/ picture stories: Learners guess what’s

happening in the picture. • Use facts about a famous person from the past to practice yes/

no questions.• Error correction• Writing about past events• Write the opposite of the verbs. Use irregular verbs..

remembered-? floated-? opened-?/ buy-? send-?

Activities/ Games• Board gamesLet’s play…• Post sentences with missing verbs around the room. Give verbs to

learners and ask them to fill in the gaps with the correct verbs.Let’s try this… • Songs• Yesterday- The Beatles• Coldplay- ParadiseSet Fire to the rain- AdeleSummer of 69- Brian Adams

Pronunciation of ed endings

• Regular verbs in the past tense end in ed. The final sounds for regular verbs in the past are /t/, /d/, /id/

• Laughed, played, wanted• The final sound is pronounced /t/ after voiceless sounds /f/, /k/, /p/, /s/,

/f/ /k/ /p/ /s/ /ch/ /sh/laughed licked sipped missed watched wished

Pronunciation of -ed endings• The final sound is pronounced /d/ after voiced sounds.

• The final sound is pronounced /d/ after vowel sounds.

/r/ /ng/ /th/ /y/ /v /z/occurred banged bathed massaged lived surprised

/b/ /g/ /j/ /l/ /m/ /n/rubbed hugged judged pulled hummed banned

played tied argued skied snowed

Pronunciation of ed endings

• The final sound is pronounced /id/ after /t/ and /d/. /id/ adds a syllable.

These rules do not apply to adjectives ending in –ed: wicked, wretched, crookedLet’s try this…

/t/ /d/Wanted, instructed, rested attended

Spelling RulesRule Example1. If the verb ends in an e, add d arrive arrived

love loved2. If the verb ends in a consonant, add -ed rain rained

help helped3. If a one-syllable verb ends in a consonant, a vowel and a consonant (CVC), double the last consonant and add –ed.

However, don’t double the consonant if it is w, x, or y.

CVChug huggedrub rubbed

row rowedfix fixed

4. If a two-syllable verb ends in a consonant, a vowel and a consonant (CVC) double the last consonant only if the last syllable is stressed.

refer referred (stressed)enter entered ( not stressed)

5. If the verb ends in a consonant +y change the y to i and add -ed worry worriedmarry married

If the verb ends in a vowel +y, do not change the y to i. Add –ed.

There are exceptions to this rule.

play playedenjoy enjoyed

pay paidsay said

Questions

Resources

• Focus on Grammar 1: An integrated Skills approach by Irene E. Schoenberg and Jay Maurer

• Focus on Grammar 2: An integrated Skills approach by Irene E. Schoenberg• Basic English Grammar by Betty S. Azar and Stacey A. Hagen• Fundamentals of English Grammar by Betty S. Azar and Stacey A. Hagen• From Sound to Sentence- Raymond C. Clark• http://www.ef.com/english-resources/english-grammar/simple-past-tense/• www.englishforeveryone.org• www.esllibrary.com• http://www.eslprintables.com/• https://www.englishclub.com/grammar/verb-tenses_past.htm

Images

• American English. (n.d.) Simple Past. [Image]. Retrieved from https://www.facebook.com/AmericanEnglishatState/photos/a.10152803696859123.1073741839.38452569122/10153253987944123/?type=3&theater

• American English. (n.d.) Irregular Verbs. [Image]. Retrieved from https://www.facebook.com/AmericanEnglishatState/photos/a.10152803696859123.1073741839.38452569122/10154638250399123/?type=3&theater

• iNeung. (2016.). Road signs with words now, past and future.[Image]. Retrieved from http://www.thinkstockphotos.ca/search/#520057396/s=DynamicRank/f=CTPIHVX

• Shtonado. (2016). Cartoon old people spending leisure time. Retrieved from http://www.thinkstockphotos.ca/search/#612261844/f=CPIHVX/s=DynamicRank