This document provides instruction on using the simple past tense in English. It outlines the affirmative, interrogative, and negative forms for regular and irregular verbs. Examples are given for each. Common uses of the simple past tense are described such as for completed past actions, habitual past actions, and telling stories. Exercises are then provided to practice forming the simple past tense of regular and irregular verbs and completing sentences in the simple past tense form.

1. Past Tense Simple
6th Grade
o Affirmative: S+VB II form – for irregular verbs
S+VB+ed –for regular verbs
e.g We arrived in London at 10.
My father bought some flowers.
o Interrogative: DID+S+VB……?
e.g. Did we arrive in London at ten?
Did my father buy some flowers?
o Negative: S+DID+NOT+the infinitive form of
the verb
e.g. We did not arrive in London at 10.
My father did not buy some flowers.

2. We use Past Tense Simple:
 to describe past concluded actions that can’t be repeated
adverbs: yesterday, last year, month, three days ago, a
few minutes ago
 to talk about habitual or repeated actions that took place in the
past
e.g. When she was young she played tennis
 to tell a story and to express actions which follow each other in
a story
e.g. It happened last summer
He opened his bag, took out the key and locked the
door

3. We use Past Tense Simple:
 to refer to the to the historical Past or to events that have
happened in the distant Past relative to the speaker
e.g. World War II ended in 1945

4. Exercises
1. Put the verbs in brackets to the correct form:
In a village there (live)…… a girl and her mother. The girl
(wear)………a red cloak that’s why people (call)………her
Little Red Riding Hood. One day mother (ask)……..her to go
and visit her sick grandmother who (live)…….in a forest
outside the village. On her way to grandmother’s house, Little
Red Riding Hood (meet)…… the evil wolf who (want)…….to
know where (do)…….Little Red Riding Hood (go)………
After the evil wolf (find)……….out, he (go)……..to
grandmother’s house and (eat)………her. When Little Red
Riding Hood (arrive)……….she (see)…….her grandmother
laying in bed, supposing that somethig strage (happen)……

5. Exercises
2. Put the verbs into the simple past:
1. Last year I (go)………to Italy on holiday.
2. It (be)………fabulous.
3. I (visit)……..lots of great places.
4. I (like)……….Venice because there (be)……lots
of interesting places.
5. I am so (excite)……..about the holiday I (have)…..

6. Exercises
3. Write the past forms of the irregular verbs
write –
speak –
put –
eat –
take –
cut –
buy –
catch –
fly –
hide –

7. Exercises
4. Put the sentences into the simple past
1. We go to school.
1. We…………….
2. My brother lives in Great Britain.
2. My brother………………………
3. Mother makes some sandwiches for us.
3. Mother………………………………….
4. My uncle moves to a new house.
4. My uncle……………………….
5. Children play in the schoolyard.
5.Children………………………..

8. Exercises
5. Complete the exercise with the verbs inside the box. (simple
past tense)
buy catch cost drink
fall hurt sell spend
teach throw win write
1. Mozart………..more than 600 pieces of music
2. ‘How did you learn to drive? My father……..me’.
3. We couldn’t afford to keep our car, so we………it.
4.I was very thirty. I…………the water very quickly.
5. Paul and I played tennis yesterday. He’s much better than
me, so he……..easily.

9. Exercises
6. Dan………down the stairs this morning and………his leg.
7. Jim……….the ball to Sue ,who………it.
8. Ann……….a lot of money yesterday. She ……….a dress. It……….100.
6. Put the verb in brackets into the simple past
Dear Jane,
I ____________ (try) to phone you yesterday, but you ________________
(not be) in the house, so I am writing this letter to you. Last weekend I
____________ (visit) my cousin. It ______________ (rain) all day on
Saturday, so we _____________ (stay) in and _____________ (watch) TV. The
films ____________ (be) OK, but I ______________ (want) to be outside!
On Sunday, the weather _____________ (be) great. We _____________ (play)
tennis all afternoon and ______________ (enjoy) ourselves. I _____________
(miss) my train. I _____________ (arrive) at the station at 9 o’clock and my
train ___________ (be) at 8.30.

10. Exercises
7. Put the words in the correct order:
Yesterday
?
Did
you
see
John