This document provides instructions on how to form sentences in the past tense in English. It discusses using the simple past tense for actions completed in the past and covers forming regular verbs by adding "-ed" or "-d" as well as irregular verb forms. Examples are given for forming positive and negative sentences and questions for both regular and irregular verbs. Common time phrases for talking about the past are also listed.

1. By Ahsan Ahmad
Level 03
University of Ha’il
Objective: You will learn in this chapter how to write sentences in the past tense.

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What happened yesterday in the class?
What did you do on the weekend?
What did you eat last night?
Where did you go last night?
Past Tense: When you talk about actions in the past, you use the simple past
tense.
Anything that you did few minutes ago, few hours ago, a day ago, a month
ago, a year ago or years ago is discussed in the past tense.
Both regular and irregular verbs can be used in the simple past tense.

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The simple past is used to describe an action that happened in the past, and it
was completed in the past.
For regular verbs, the simple past is formed by adding -ed to the base form of
the verb
Base form + ed =
simple past
walk
walked
push
pushed
greet
greeted
cover
covered

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Creating simple past tense from regular verbs is easy. You add –ed or –d to the end
of regular verbs.
Example: Use the word live in the simple past tense.
I lived in Riyadh.
He lived in England.
They lived in New York.
Add -d at the end of the base form, LIVE to create a sentence in the simple past. Since
the word ends with liv(e), you just add –d at the end of live(D). He lived, she lived, they
lived, we lived, it lived.
Visit
Another examples: The base form is
I visited—You visited—He visited—She visited—They visited—We visited

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The simple past tense of all regular verbs is the same for all persons. You will
either use –ed or –d at the end of the base form for all persons.
Singular
Plural
1st per
I worked yesterday.
We worked yesterday.
2nd per
You worked yesterday.
You worked yesterday.
3rd per
He, She, It worked yesterday.
They worked yesterday.

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Always remember to add –ed or –d at the end of a base form of a regular
verb.
For example: Wait
I waited for my friend.
He waited for a friend.
She waited for her sister.
We waited for the customer service to help us.
They waited to cross the street.

7. Irregular Verb
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The verb "be" is an irregular verb in the Simple Past.
There are two Simple Past forms of the verb be: "was" and "were.―
The simple past form of the verb be are, ―Was,‖ and ―Were.‖
It also has different question forms and negative forms.
The verb ―Be‖
Positive
Negative
Question
I was.
I was not.
Was I?
You were.
You were not.
Were you?
We were.
We were not.
Were we?
They were.
They were not.
Were they?
He was.
He was not.
Was he?
She was.
She was not.
Was she?
It was.
It was not.
Was it?

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Textbook examples [Page 93]:
Which one is the right form of the verb ―Be‖ in the past tense.
I am in Guatemala last year.
I were in Guatemala last year.
I was in Guatemala last year.
Which one is the right form of the verb ―Be‖ in the past tense.

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More Examples:
I was in United States
You were in United States
He was in United States
We were in United States
They were in United States
Some common Irregular verbs:
Fly
Flew
Buy
bought
Find
found
Eat
Ate

10. How do you form questions in the simple past?
 When asking someone about an activity or activities in the simple past, you use:
did+ subject + base form of main verb
For example: Did
Jason
sing
last night?
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Subject
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Base form
Did tells us that the sentence is in the simple past
Time Phrase

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Verb to live (page 94)
Did I live…?
Did you live…?
Did you (plural) live?
Did he/she/it live…?
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Did we live…?
Did they live?
For example: Did I live in England?
Did you live in England?
Did he/she/it live in England?
Did we live in England?
Did you all (plural) live in England?
Did they live in England?

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Always remember to use did + subject + base form of the verb.
More Examples: Did I sing yesterday?
Did you sing yesterday?
Did he/she/it sing yesterday?
Did we sing yesterday?
Did you (plural) all sing yesterday?
Did they sing yesterday?
More Examples: Did I dance in the evening?
Did you dance in the evening?
Did he/she/it dance in the evening?
Did we dance in the evening?
Did you (plural) dance in the evening?
Did they dance in the evening?

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Certain words or phrases can be used to talk about the actions that happened in the
past.
For instance, you can use the following phrases to in your past sentences:
Last night
What did you do last night?
Yesterday
Did you come to the football game yesterday?
Last week
Did you forget to do the homework last week?
This morning
Did you come to the class late this morning?
This evening
Did you eat a cake this evening?
A minute ago
Did you drink Pepsi a minute ago?
An hour ago
Did you buy a new car an hour ago?
A month ago
Where did you live a month ago?
A year ago
Did you live in New York a year ago?