TENSES MADE EASY
Past Simple
We use the Past Simple to talk about actions that happened at a specific time
in the past. The actions can be short or long. There can also be a few actions
happening one after another. There are basically two important facts to
remember about this tense.
Infinitive
|
Past (irregular or +ED)
|
Past participle (+have)
|
Eat
|
Ate
|
Eaten
|
Fly
|
Flew
|
Flown
|
See
|
Saw
|
Seen
|
Swim
|
swam
|
Swum
|
USE:
1. Short actions
in the past (e.g. I went to school)
2. Long action in
the past
3.
A series of
actions in the past
Past
Simple Tense
|
||||
To Talk About actions completed
in the past with no relationship to the present.
|
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POSITIVE
|
SUBJECT
|
VERB
|
COMPLEMENT
|
|
I/You/We/They
He/She/It
|
Worked
Worked
|
Last weekend
Last weekend
|
||
NEGATIVE
|
SUBJECT
|
AUX. + NOT
|
VERB + ING
|
COMPLEMENT
|
I
|
Did not
|
Work
|
Last weekend
|
|
QUESTION
|
AUX.
|
SUBJECT
|
VERB + ING
|
COMPLEMENT
|
Did
|
You
|
Work
|
Last weekend?
|
In Positive Sentences
|
I saw two colorful fish in the lake yesterday (Short actions in the past)
He entered a
room. Lit a cigarette and smiled at the guests (A series of actions in the past)
Mary tried the soup but it was too hot to eat (Short actions in the past)
I lived in New York for 10 years (I don’t live there
anymore) (Long actions in the past)
They saw us playing football (Short actions in the past)
In Questions
|
How long did
he work there? (Long actions in the past)
Did the telephone ring? (Short actions in the past)
Did you see that? (Short actions in the past)
Remember!
Common time
expressions (time adverbials) in the
past simple:
Yesterday,
the other day, just now, the day before yesterday
In Negative Sentences
|
He didn’t learn
any Italian when he was in Italy two
year ago (Long actions in the past)
I wasn’t at my
grandma’s when you came Short actions in the past)
Spoken Practice
|
1.
What did you do yesterday?
2.
How did you spend your last Sunday or Friday?
3.
What did you do during last summer vacations?
4.
How did you celebrate your last birthday?
5.
What did you do on last Eid or Christmas (for Christian Students)?
6.
Describe a memorable incident of your life.
7.
Describe a memorable trip to any place
8.
Describe a wedding you attended recently
9.
Describe any traveling experience
10.
When did you go for shopping last time and what
did you buy?
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