SIMPLE PAST TENSE

We use the Past Simple to talk about actions that happened at a specific time in the past. The actions can be short or long. There can also be a few actions happening one after another. Generally, there are two important facts to remember about this tense:

• Questions and negative sentences, unlike the positive ones, preserve the base form of the verb (Did you go there?)
• Irregular verbS

Copernicus was the first to be sure that the Sun, rather than the Earth, is the center of the Solar System.

Use

1. Events in the past that are now finished (e.g. I went to school) *
2. Situation in the past (they lived a normal life until they won a lottery) **
3. A series of actions in the past

* often referred to as short actions in the past
** often referred to as long action in the past

Irregular Verbs
I go, I went, I have gone

As an ESL student you have certainly encountered the irregular verbs more

Form

Declarative sentences:

Subject	+	Verb + ed or an irregular form
I/a dog etc.		worked/went/saw

I saw two colorful fishes in the lake yesterday (Use 1)

• He enter ed a room, lit a cigarette and smiled at the guests. (Use 3)
• Mary tried the soup but it was too hot to eat. (Use 1)
• I lived in New York for 10 years (I don't live there anymore) (Use 2)
• They saw us playing football. (Use 1)
• He married a woman who lived in the same village. (Use 1)

Questions (interrogative sentences):

Auxiliary verb	+	Subject	+	Verb
did		I/a cat/me and my brother		go/take

• How long did he work there? (Use 2 or Use 1)
• Did the telephone ring? (Use 1)
• Did you see that? (Use 1)

Note: When the subject is unknown ("who", "what") we omit "did"

• Who cleaned up the mess yesterday?
• What bit you?

Common time expressions (time adverbials) in the Past Simple:
yesterday, the other day, just now, the day before yesterday.

Negative sentences:

Subject	+	Auxiliary verb	+	Verb
I/a cat etc.		didn't		go/take

• He didn't learn any Italian when he was in Italy two year ago. (Use 2)
• I wasn't at my grandma's when you came. (Use 1)
• He didn't get any good grades when he attended school. (Use 3)

I met my old friend from school yesterday and she looked really weird.