Simple Past Tense

Loved. You can’t use it in the past tense. Death does not stop that love at all.-Ken Kesey

Use: The past tense in English is used in the following cases:

1. Events in the past that are now finished
2. Situation in the past
3. A series of actions in the past

Key:  Subject + Verb (past form). You form the simple past of a verb by adding -ed onto the end of a regular verb but, irregular verb forms have to be learnt.

Example:

1. I walked home at lunchtime. – In this example, walk is regular verb, that is why, we have added -ed onto the last word.
2. I chose to remain silent.- In this example, Chose is a Irregular verb, that is why , we have used the past simple of choose.

1. Events in the past that are now finished

• I danced like a crazy last night.
• She learned french for 3 months.
• I sped the car and reached the venue at 8.00P.M.

2.  Situation in the Past:

• I lived in India for 10 years.

3. A Series of actions in the past.

• He entered the room, danced like crazy and left the room.

 Questions and negative sentences are a little more difficult, because they require an auxiliary verb.

Questions: Did+Subject+verb(Present form)

Example:

•          Did+  you  +  know it.
•          Did + the telephone + ring.

Negative sentence: Subject + Didn’t +verb(present form)

• He didn’t learn dance.
• He didn’t speak polite when he was a kid.