The document discusses the past tense in English grammar. It provides examples of how the past tense is used to show completed actions at a certain time in the past, habitual or repeated actions in the past, and asking questions about past actions. It also discusses the different forms of verbs used in the past tense, including "was/were", "had", and "did". Lists of regular and irregular verbs are provided showing their present and past tense forms. Sample exercises are given demonstrating how to use the past tense correctly in sentences.

2. GRAMMAR
THE PAST TENSE
The Past Tense is used :
1. To show a completed action at a certain time
Exam ple s:
(a) I was sick yesterday.
(b) She had her dinner at 7 p.m. last Monday.
(c) We went to the cinema last night.
(d) Salimah ate nasi lemak this morning.
(e) They saw a tiger when they were at the zoo.
2.To show an action in the past which was a habit orwhich
often happened. It is usually used with
“usually”, “often”, “always”, “never’, etc.
Exam ple s :
(a) He usually played table tennis in my house last
month.
(b) We often went fishing last year.
(c) We never tooka bus home last year.
3. To askquestions about actions in the past.
Exam ple s :
(a) Did you go to the supermarket yesterday?
(b) Where was your father last night?
(c) Were the boys in their classroom just now?
Examples
was is used for the pronouns
I, he, she and it.
It is also used for any other
singularsubject.
1. I was lazy last year.
2. He was angry with me just
now.
3. Chandran was surprised at
his result.
were is used for pronouns
you, we and they.
It is also used for any other
plural subject.
1. You were rude to him.
2. They were tired an hour ago.
3. The waiters were polite.
4. The kittens were afraid of the
dog.
had is used for all pronouns
whether singular or plural.
1. I had tea with Ali just now.
2. She had many questions to
ask last night.
3. We had no time to help.
4. The brothers had a camera
last year.
did is used for both singular
and plural subjects.
1. You did not tell me about the
picnic.
2. He did the corrections.
3. They did the washing a minute
ago.
4. The policeman did not stop
the car.

3. LIST OF VERB FORMS
PRESENT PAST
am/is was being been
are were being been
beat beat beating beaten
become became becoming become
begin began beginning begun
bite bit biting bitten
blow blew blowing blown
break broke breaking broken
bring brought bringing brought
build built building built
buy bought buying bought
catch caught catching caught
choose chose choosing chosen
come came coming come
dig dug digging dug
do / does did doing done
draw drew drawing drawn
dream dreamt dreaming dreamt
drink drank drinking drunk
drive drove driving driven
eat ate eating eaten
PRESENT PAST
fall fell falling fallen
feed fed feeding fed
fight fought fighting fought
find found finding found
fly flew flying flown
forget forgot forgetting forgotten
forgive forgave forgiving forgiven
get got getting got
give gave giving given
go went going gone
grow grew growing grown
hang hung hanging hung
hang hanged hanging hung
has / have had having had
hear heard hearing heard
hide hid hiding hidden
hold held holding held
keep kept keeping kept
know knew knowing known
lay laid laying laid
leave left leaving left
CONTINUOUS PARTICIPLE CONTINUOUS PARTICIPLE

4. lie lay lying lain
lie lied lying lied
lose lost losing lost
make made making made
mean meant meaning meant
meet met meeting met
pay paid paying paid
ride rode riding ridden
ring rang ringing rung
rise rose rising risen
run ran running run
say said saying said
see saw seeing seen
sell sold selling sold
send sent sending sent
sew sewed sewing sewn
shake shook shaking shaken
shine shone shining shone
shoot shot shooting shot
show showed showing shown
sing sang singing sung
sink sank sinking sunk
sit sat sitting sat
sleep slept sleeping slept
speak spoke speaking spoken
spend spent spending spent
stand stood standing stood
steal stole stealing stolen
sweep swept sweeping swept
swim swam swimming swum
take took taking taken
teach taught teaching taught
tear tore tearing torn
tell told telling told
think thought thinking thought
throw threw throwing thrown
wake woke waking woken
wear wore wearing worn
win won winning won
write wrote writing written
PRESENT PAST CONTINUOUS PARTICIPLE PRESENT PAST CONTINUOUS PARTICIPLE

5. LIST OF VERB FORMS (REGULAR)
PRESENT PAST
add added
agree agreed
allow allowed
arrange arranged
arrive arrived
bake baked
bark barked
bathe bathed
breathe breathed
care cared
carry carried
cause caused
change changed
clap clapped
close closed
complete completed
copy copied
cry cried
dance danced
decorate decorated
die died
PRESENT PAST
divide divided
drop dropped
enter entered
escape escaped
finish finished
fit fitted
hand handed
hope hoped
hurry hurried
join joined
jump jumped
laugh laughed
live lived
marry married
move moved
name named
note noted
reply replied
stop stopped
study studied
talk talked
PRESENT PAST
tie tied
try tried
use used
wrap wrapped
PRESENT PAST
burst burst
cost cost
cut cut
hit hit
hurt hurt
let let
put put
read read
set set
shut shut
spread spread

6. The Past Tense is used :
1. To show a completed action at a certain time
Exam ple s:
(a) I was sick yesterday.
(b) She had her dinner at 7 p.m. last Monday.
(c) We went to the cinema last night.
(d) Salimah ate nasi lemak this morning.
(e) They saw a tiger when they were at the zoo.

7. 2. To show an action in the past which was a habit or which often
happened. It is usually used with “usually”, “often”, “always”, “never’,
etc.
Exam ple s :
(a) He usually played table tennis in my house last month.
(b) We often went fishing last year.
(c) We never tooka bus home last year.

8. 3. To ask questions about actions in the past.
Exam ple s :
(a) Did you go to the supermarket yesterday?
(b) Where was your father last night?
(c) Were the boys in their classroom just now?

9. Examples
was is used for the
pronouns I, he, she
and it. It is also
used for any other
singularsubject.
1. I was lazy last year.
2. He was angry with me just now.
3. Chandran was surprised at his result.
were is used for
pronouns you, we
and they. It is also
used for any other
plural subject.
1. You were rude to him.
2. They were tired an hour ago.
3. The waiters were polite.
4. The kittens were afraid of the dog.

10. Examples
had is used for all
pronouns whether
singular or plural.
1. I had tea with Ali just now.
2. She had many questions to ask last night.
3. We had no time to help.
4. The brothers had a camera last year.
did is used for both
singular and plural
subjects.
1. You did not tell me about the picnic.
2. He did the corrections.
3. They did the washing a minute ago.
4. The policeman did not stop the car.

11. PRESENT PAST
am/is was being been
are were being been
beat beat beating beaten
become became becoming become
begin began beginning begun
bite bit biting bitten
blow blew blowing blown
break broke breaking broken
bring brought bringing brought
build built building built
buy bought buying bought
CONTINUOUS PARTICIPLE

12. PRESENT PAST
catch caught catching caught
choose chose choosing chosen
come came coming come
dig dug digging dug
do / does did doing done
draw drew drawing drawn
dream dreamt dreaming dreamt
drink drank drinking drunk
drive drove driving driven
eat ate eating eaten
CONTINUOUS PARTICIPLE

13. PRESENT PAST CONTINUOUS PARTICIPLE
fall fell falling fallen
feed fed feeding fed
fight fought fighting fought
find found finding found
fly flew flying flown
forget forgot forgetting forgotten
forgive forgave forgiving forgiven
get got getting got
give gave giving given
go went going gone
grow grew growing grown

14. PRESENT PAST CONTINUOUS PARTICIPLE
hang hung hanging hung
hang hanged hanging hung
has / have had having had
hear heard hearing heard
hide hid hiding hidden
hold held holding held
keep kept keeping kept
know knew knowing known
lay laid laying laid
leave left leaving left

15. PRESENT PAST CONTINUOUS PARTICIPLE
lie lay lying lain
lie lied lying lied
lose lost losing lost
make made making made
mean meant meaning meant
meet met meeting met
pay paid paying paid
ride rode riding ridden
ring rang ringing rung
rise rose rising risen
run ran running run

16. PRESENT PAST CONTINUOUS PARTICIPLE
say said saying said
see saw seeing seen
sell sold selling sold
send sent sending sent
sew sewed sewing sewn
shake shook shaking shaken
shine shone shining shone
shoot shot shooting shot
show showed showing shown
sing sang singing sung

17. PRESENT PAST CONTINUOUS PARTICIPLE
sink sank sinking sunk
sit sat sitting sat
sleep slept sleeping slept
speak spoke speaking spoken
spend spent spending spent
stand stood standing stood
steal stole stealing stolen
sweep swept sweeping swept
swim swam swimming swum
take took taking taken

18. PRESENT PAST CONTINUOUS PARTICIPLE
teach taught teaching taught
tear tore tearing torn
tell told telling told
think thought thinking thought
throw threw throwing thrown
wake woke waking woken
wear wore wearing worn
win won winning won
write wrote writing written

19. PRESENT PAST
add added
agree agreed
allow allowed
arrange arranged
arrive arrived
bake baked
bark barked
bathe bathed
breathe breathed
care cared
carry carried
cause caused
change changed
clap clapped
close closed
complete completed
copy copied
cry cried
dance danced
decorate decorated
die died
divide divided
PRESENT PAST

20. PRESENT PAST PRESENT PAST
drop dropped
enter entered
escape escaped
finish finished
fit fitted
hand handed
hope hoped
hurry hurried
join joined
jump jumped
laugh laughed
live lived
marry married
move moved
name named
note noted
reply replied
stop stopped
study studied
talk talked
tie tied
try tried
use used
wrap wrapped

21. PRESENT PAST
burst burst
cost cost
cut cut
hit hit
hurt hurt
let let
put put
read read
set set
shut shut
spread spread

22. SIMPLE PAST TENSE
Exercise 1
Put in the correct form of the verbs in brackets.
1. The farmer __________ (sell) his cows last week.
2. Swee Lan _________ (take) the bag yesterday.
3. He ________ (lose) his pen three days ago.
4. She ________ (put) it on the shelf a minute ago.
5. We _________ (sleep) at 11 o’clock last night.
6. They ________(hear) the news last evening.
7. I ________ (go) to the cinema last Friday.
8. The cat _________ (steal) the fish just now.
9. My sister __________ (give) me the bag last year.
10. They ________ (catch) a lot of fish this morning.
SIMPLE PAST TENSE
Exercise 2
Write out the sentences putting in the Simple Past tense of the verbs in
brackets.
e.g. I _______ (not meet) him last Sunday.
I did not meet him last Sunday.
1. They _______ (not do) their homework yesterday.
2. He _______(find) his pen under the tree yesterday.
3. She ______ (wait) until 2 o’clock yesterday.
4. My father ________ (not cut) down the tree yesterday.
5. She __________ (not come) to my house last evening.
6. Jane ________ (break) the glass five minutes ago.
SIMPLE PAST TENSE
Exercise 3
Make these sentences negative by putting in ‘not’.
e.g. I walked to school yesterday.
I did not walk to school yesterday.
1. She sang that song yesterday.
2. Poh Lin wore a blue dress last night.
3. I slept at 8 o’clock last night.
4. He spoke to her just now.
5. Johan made a kite yesterday afternoon.
6. The thief stole our chickens last night.
7. The sun shone brightly yesterday.
8. Mary read that book a month ago.
9. Miss Goh taught us English last year.
10. The wind blew the tree down last week.
11. Cheok Man saw a snake last week.
12. She spent all her money yesterday.

23. SIMPLE PAST TENSE
Exercise 4
Turn these statements into questions. Begin with ‘Did’.
e.g. I walked to school yesterday.
Did you walk to school yesterday?
1. She sang that song yesterday.
2. Poh Lin wore a blue dress last night.
3. I slept at 8 o’clock last night.
4. He spoke to her just now.
5. Johan made a kite yesterday afternoon.
6. The thief stole our chickens last night.
7. The sun shone brightly yesterday.
8. Mary read that book a month ago.
9. Miss Goh taught us English last year.
10. The wind blew the tree down last week.
11. Cheok Man saw a snake last week.
12. She spent all her money yesterday.
SIMPLE PAST TENSE
Exercise 5
Underline the correct word in the brackets. Then, write the sentences in
the space below.
1. (Do, Did) you (go, went) out last night?
2. My father (buy, bought, buys) a new car yesterday.
3. You (break, breaks, broke) my ruler that day.
4. The tiger (come, come, came) to the village again last week.
5. Amy (fall, falls, fell) down and (break, broke, breaks) her leg
yesterday.
6. (Does, Do, Did) he (speak, speaks, spoke) English well at the
seminar yesterday?
7. He (did, do, does) not (give, gives, gave) me any money this
morning.
8. Who (take, takes, took) my pen just now?
9. The traffic police (stops, stopping, stopped) the motorist and gave
him a warning.
10. The boys (climbed, climbing, climb) the mango tree to pluck the
fruits.
Nb/mab/2004

24. SIMPLE PAST TENSE
Exercise 1
Put in the correct form of the verbs in brackets.
1. The farmer __________ (sell) his cows last week.
2. Swee Lan _________ (take) the bag yesterday.
3. He ________ (lose) his pen three days ago.
4. She ________ (put) it on the shelf a minute ago.
5. We _________ (sleep) at 11 o’clock last night.
6. They ________(hear) the news last evening.
7. I ________ (go) to the cinema last Friday.
8. The cat _________ (steal) the fish just now.
9. My sister __________ (give) me the bag last year.
10.They ________ (catch) a lot of fish this morning.
sold
took
lost
put
slept
heard
went
stole
gave
caught

25. SIMPLE PAST TENSE
Exercise 2
Write out the sentences putting in the Simple Past tense of the verbs in
brackets.
e.g. I _______ (not meet) him last Sunday.
I did not meet him last Sunday.
1. They _______ (not do) their homework yesterday.
2. He _______(find) his pen under the tree yesterday.
3. She ______ (wait) until 2 o’clock yesterday.
4. My father ________ (not cut) down the tree yesterday.
5. She __________ (not come) to my house last evening.
6. Jane ________ (break) the glass five minutes ago.
They did not do their homework yesterday.
He found his pen under the tree yesterday.
She waited until 2 o’clock yesterday.
My father did not cut down the tree yesterday.
She did not come to my house last evening.
Jane broke the glass five minutes ago.

26. SIMPLE PAST TENSE
Exercise 3
Make these sentences negative by putting in ‘not’.
e.g. I walked to school yesterday.
I did not walk to school yesterday.
1. She sang that song yesterday.
2. Poh Lin wore a blue dress last night.
3. I slept at 8 o’clock last night.
4. He spoke to her just now.
5. Johan made a kite yesterday afternoon.
6. The thief stole our chickens last night.
7. The sun shone brightly yesterday.
8. Mary read that book a month ago.
9. Miss Goh taught us English last year.
10. The wind blew the tree down last week.
11. Cheok Man saw a snake last week.
12. She spent all her money yesterday.
She did not sing that song yesterday.
Poh Lin did not wear a blue dress last
night.
I did not sleep at 8 o’clock last night.
He did not speak to her just now.
Johan did not make a kite yesterday
afternoon.
The thief did not steal our chickens last
night.
The sun did not shine brightly yesterday.
Mary did not read that book a month ago.
Miss Goh did not teach us English last
year.
The wind did not blow the tree down last
week.
Cheok Man did not see a snake last week.
She did not spend all her money
yesterday.

27. SIMPLE PAST TENSE
Exercise 4
Turn these statements into questions. Begin
with ‘Did’.
e.g. I walked to school yesterday.
Did you walk to school yesterday?
1. She sang that song yesterday.
2. Poh Lin wore a blue dress last night.
3. I slept at 8 o’clock last night.
4. He spoke to her just now.
5. Johan made a kite yesterday afternoon.
6. The thief stole our chickens last night.
Nb/mab/2004
7. The sun shone brightly yesterday.
8. Mary read that book a month ago.
9. Miss Goh taught us English last year.
10. The wind blew the tree down last week.
11. Cheok Man saw a snake last week.
12. She spent all her money yesterday.
Did she sing that song yesterday?
Did Poh Lin wear a blue dress last night?
Did you sleep at 8 o’clock last night?
Did he speak to her just now?
Did Johan make a kite yesterday afternoon?
Did the thief steal our chickens last night?
Did the sun shine brightly yesterday?
Did Mary read that book a month ago?
Did Miss Goh teach us English last year?
Did the wind blow the tree down last week?
Did Cheok Man see a snake last week?
Did she spend all her money yesterday?

28. SIMPLE PAST TENSE
Exercise 5
Underline the correct word in the brackets. Then, write the sentences in
the space below.
1. (Do, Did) you (go, went) out last night?
2. My father (buy, bought, buys) a new car yesterday.
3. You (break, breaks, broke) my ruler that day.
4. The tiger (come, come, came) to the village again last week.
5. Amy (fall, falls, fell) down and (break, broke, breaks) her leg yesterday.
6. (Does, Do, Did) he (speak, speaks, spoke) English well at the seminar yesterday?
7. He (did, do, does) not (give, gives, gave) me any money this morning.
8. Who (take, takes, took) my pen just now?
9. The traffic police (stops, stopping, stopped) the motorist and gave him a warning.
10. The boys (climbed, climbing, climb) the mango tree to pluck the fruits.
Nb/mab/2004
SIMPLE PAST TENSE
Exercise 5
Underline the correct word in the brackets. Then, write the sentences in
the space below.
1. (Do, Did) you (go, went) out last night?
2. My father (buy, bought, buys) a new car yesterday.
3. You (break, breaks, broke) my ruler that day.
4. The tiger (come, come, came) to the village again last week.
5. Amy (fall, falls, fell) down and (break, broke, breaks) her leg yesterday.
6. (Does, Do, Did) he (speak, speaks, spoke) English well at the seminar yesterday?
7. He (did, do, does) not (give, gives, gave) me any money this morning.
8. Who (take, takes, took) my pen just now?
9. The traffic police (stops, stopping, stopped) the motorist and gave him a warning.
10. The boys (climbed, climbing, climb) the mango tree to pluck the fruits.
Did you go out last night?
My father bought a new car yesterday.
You broke my ruler that day.
The tiger came to the village again last week.
Amy fell down and broke his leg yesterday.
Did he speak English well at the seminar yesterday?
He did not give me any money this morning.
Who took my pen just now?
The traffic police stopped the motorist and gave him a warning.
The boys climbed the mango tree to pluck the fruits.

29. PAST TENSE + PAST TENSE or PAST TENSE + TO-INFINITIVE
He climbed up the mango tree
and plucked some mangoes.
to pluck some mangoes.
He ran to the village
and asked for help.
to ask for help.
He dived into the river
and saved the boy from drowning.
to save the boy from drowning.
He jumped over the fence
and escaped from the police.
to escape from the police.

30. Simple Past Tense
Exercise 6
Make good sentences from the words given.
1. Mary - switched off - light - left - room
2. Puan Mariam - woke - early - prepare - breakfast - children
3. - sweeper - took - broom - swept - floor
4. Rita - went - supermarket - buy - present - friend
5. - ambulance - arrived - took - motorist - hospital

31. Simple Past Tense
Exercise 6
Make good sentences from the words given.
1. Mary - switched off - light - left - room
2. Puan Mariam - woke - early - prepare - breakfast - children
3. - sweeper - took - broom - swept - floor
4. Rita - went - supermarket - buy - present - friend
5. - ambulance - arrived - took - motorist - hospital
Mary switched off the light and left the room.
Puan Mariam woke up early to prepare breakfast for the children.
The sweeper took a broom and swept the floor.
Rita went to the supermarket to buy a present for her friend.
The ambulance arrived five minutes later and took the motorist to the
hospital.