When we talk about using Past Simple Tense, it is very important to remember how we use (be) and (do) in the Present Simple tense.
Be is used with adjectives, for location, for jobs, time, facts etc.
Do is used with verbs as an auxiliary in the question and negative.
This is also the case in the Past Simple Tense, so:
be = was (I, you, he, she, it) or were (We, They) and
“They were tired, I wasn’t feeling well, and John was at home.”
do = did (for all subjects!)
“Did you go the meeting? I didn’t, I’m lucky the boss didn’t go!”
When using the Past Simple we must also remember irregular verbs, which follow the 2nd form. For all regular verbs we add, ‘d’, ‘ed’. ‘ied’ or consonant+ed ….. depending on the verb spelling, see the chart below.
Many verbs have a light ‘t’ sound for the ‘ed’, such as washed, looked. See below for an outline of the verb endings with this sound.
Check out the chart below for the general rules of using the Past Simple Tense, including:
- Form for positive, negative and questions.
- Common reasons for usage.
- Regular verbs Spelling patterns – ed
- Other uses of Past Simple
Other important points about the Past Simple include:
- Pronunciation for ‘ed’ in regular verbs
With some regular verbs that end in ‘ed’ (e.g. – washed, looked, missed) we have a /t/ pronunciation for ‘ed’. For some other verbs ending in ‘ed’ (e.g.- used, cleaned, banged) we have a /d/ sound for the ‘ed’.
This can be very difficult at first to understand which verbs should have the /t sound ending and which should have the /d/ sound ending. However, there are some general rules which can help practice this, see the chart below for a general outline.
In my experience, students will improve their pronunciation during practice, and it is often very helpful for people (friends, colleagues, family) to correct them on small points like this to help them improve.
Another very important point (and the most common mistake students make) is that we DO NOT give the ‘ed’ its own syllable unless it is after a t (wan-ted) or d (deci-ded).
- Past Simple and Present Perfect
As discussed in the Present Perfect section, there are some basic guidelines to help you choose which tense to use when talking about past actions. See the char below:
