Simple past tense
The simple past is used for an action or actions that are finished in the past. For most verbs you add –ed to the end of the basic verb.
Examples:
She arrived back home before dinnertime.
They hated the whole movie from start to finish.
He cleaned the bathroom and vacuumed the carpet.
If the verb is negative, then use didn’t (did not) with the basic verb.
Examples:
She didn’t arrive back home until midnight.
They didn’t hate the movie, but they didn’t like it either.
He didn’t clean the bathroom or vacuum the carpet.
If the verb is interrogative (question), then use did before the subject and the basic verb.
Examples:
Did she arrive back home before dinnertime?
Did they hate the whole movie from start to finish?
Did he clean the bathroom and vacuum the carpet?
There are many irregular verbs whose past tense does not add –ed. These verbs must be memorized. They are:
be (am, are, is) was, were lose lost
become became make made
begin began mean meant
bite bit meet met
blow blew pay paid
break broke ride rode
bring brought ring rang
buy bought rise rose
catch caught run ran
choose chose say said
come came see saw
creep crept seek sought
deal dealt sell sold
dig dug shake shook
do did shoot shot
draw drew shrink shrank
drink drank sing sang
drive drove sink sank
eat ate sit sat
fall fell sleep slept
feed fed slide slid
feel felt speak spoke
fight fought spit spit / spat
find found spring sprang
flee fled stand stood
fly flew steal stole
forbid forbade stick stuck
forget forgot sting stung
forgive forgave stink stank
freeze froze strike struck
get got swear swore
give gave sweep swept
go went swim swam
grow grew swing swung
hang hung take took
have had teach taught
hear heard tear tore
hide hid tell told
hold held think thought
keep kept throw threw
kneel knelt understand understood
know knew wake woke
lay laid wear wore
leave left weep wept
lead led win won
lie (down) lay write wrote
light lit / lighted
Verbs that have the same present and past forms:
beat beat let let
bet bet pet pet
broadcast broadcast put put
burst burst quit quit
cost cost read read
cut cut set set
fit fit shut shut
hit hit split split
hurt hurt spread spread
Verbs that end in -d that change to -t:
bend bent send sent
build built spend spent
lend lent
Use these flashcards to help you study.
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