THE PAST TENSE SIMPLE

FORMS 1. Affirmative Form = Vb. II Examples: When I heard that terrible noise, I looked outside: it was a car crash. We were at the bank when you called. He eventually told her what you said. !!! According to their form, English verbs can be divided into two main groups: Regular and Irregular A. Regular verbs follow a rule they add -(e)d to their first form and thus produce the Past Simple (Vb. II) and the Past Participle (Vb. III). Examples: ask asked asked play played played study studied studied want wanted wanted

B. Irregular verbs don't have any particular rules, but they can be divided further into 3 subgroups: a) verbs with 3 different forms: be was/were been begin began begun do did done see saw seen show showed shown take took taken b) verbs with 2 different forms: come came come lend lent lent run ran run say said said c) verbs with 1 form: cut cut cut hit hit hit let let let quit quit quit
For further information, please see the Table of Irregular Verbs.

2. Negative Form = did not + Vb. I didn't Examples: Jim didn't fire his secretary. She quit. You didn't tell me everything when I asked you what had happened. They didn't want to put up a mortgage on the house, but eventually they had to. 3. Interrogative Form = did + subject + Vb. I

Examples:

Did you hear that ? What a terrible noise ! What did he do when you told him the news ? He did nothing. He just sat there. Did you see that documentary on the telly last night ?

!!! Short answers (Yes / No) follow the rule: Adverb + Pronoun Subject + did / didn't
(Yes / No) (I, you, we, etc.) (auxiliary)

Examples:

Did you hear me when I said I didn't want to talk about the incident ? > Yes, I did. / No, I didn't. Did Paul and Susan come to your Christmas party ? > Yes, they did. / No, they didn't. > Yes, they did come. / No, they didn't come. > Yes, they came. / No, they didn't came. Did your boyfriend tell you he was going to work late tonight ? > Yes, he was. > Yes, he did. > Yes, he told me. USES

We use the Past Simple to express past actions / situations from a present perspective. When I was young, I used to play a lot of pranks on my neighbours. Our boss had an open-heart surgery last month, and now he's recovering. We use the Past Simple to talk about actions / situations which happened at a specific past time. This past time is expresses by phrases such as: yesterday, 3 hours ago, last year etc. I went out for lunch at 2 p.m. yesterday. Our neighbours had a party last night, and we couldn't sleep until about 4 in the morning. My college roommate, Sarah, came to visit me a month ago. We use the Past Simple to describe two or more actions which happen at approximately the same time (simultaneously). Compare this to the use of the Past Continuous. When he came home, he realised he had forgotten to lock the office. I came as soon as I heard this terrible news. They said they didn't need our help anymore, so we packed our bags and left. We use the Past Simple in Reported Speech to express the present from a past perspective. He said he had something very important to tell us. Mike asked us if we wanted to see a film that night.

Examples:

Examples:

Examples:

Examples: