The simple past tense is used to talk about completed actions that occurred before now, regardless of duration. To form the simple past of regular verbs, -ed is added to the base verb form. There are several ways to structure sentences in the simple past tense, including affirmative statements using subject + past verb + complement, negative statements using subject + auxiliary verb + not + base verb form + complement, and interrogative statements using auxiliary verb + subject + base verb form + complement. Examples are provided of rewriting sentences in the simple past tense using these structures.

1. Simple past
The simple past is used to talk about a
completed action in a time before now.
Duration is not important. The time of the
action can be in the recent past or the
distant past.

2. verb
Regular verbs
ed
rain ed
rained

3. look
Affirmative
Subject + verb in past + complement
Example:
a shipI
Verb is in present
looked a shipI
Verb is in past
statements

4. don’t look
Negative
Subject + auxiliary negative +verb in base form +
complement
Example:
a shipI
Auxiliary and Verb are in present
didn’t a shipI
Verb is in base form
statements
look
Auxiliary negative is in past

5. see
Interrogative
Auxiliary +subject + verb in base form + complement
Example:
a ship?you
Verb in present
a ship?you
interrogative
statements
do
Aux in present
seedid
Verb in presentAux in past

6. completed
Example:
sentencesYou
Verb in past
Verb in presentAux in past
complete the sentences?youdid
complete the sentencesyou
Verb in present
interrogative
negative
Aux in past
didn’t
affirmative

7. Read the paragraph and completed with the
correct form of the verb
I ________ (start) work at 7:00 o clock. I
______ (live) in an old building. I
______(love) children and dogs. I ________
(work) in a factory. I ________(finish) my
work at 7 p.m.
Exercise :
You have 10 min.

8. Re-write the sentences into negative
She worked from 5:30 in the morning
until 9:00 pm
She cleaned all the rooms
She earned $45 pesos
She moved to another family
She liked her new job
Extra Exercise :
You have 10 min.

9. Re-write the sentences into negative
She didn’t work from 5:30 in the
morning until 9:00 pm
She didn’t clean all the rooms
She didn’t earn $45 pesos
She didn’t move to another family
She didn’t like her new job
Extra Exercise :
You have 10 min.

10. Re-write the sentences into past
She lives in a village
She don´t get married
Her father die
She start work aa a house made
Does she love babies?
Extra Exercise :
You have 10 min.

11. Re-write the sentences into past
She lived in a village
She didn’t get married
Her father died
She started work as a house made
Did she love babies?
Extra Exercise :
You have 10 min.

12. Unscramble the words
in * we * island * travel * the
We woke up in the island
ship * never * look * a * we
We never saw a ship
decided * our * we * home * to make * the
We decided to make the island our home
garden *my * a * planted * wife
My wife planted a garden
morning * Thomas * every * and * studied * Aileen
Thomas and Aileen studied every morning
Past tense :