PAST SIMPLE

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We use the past simple to talk about past actions and states. I left school in 1999. Then I went to University. I liked rock music when I was a teenager.

We often use a time expression with the past simple. For example; yesterday, last week, in 2003. I saw John yesterday

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Affirmative & Negative I found (Verb 2) He / She /It You/We/They Question I When did he/she/it you/we/they Short Answer Did you find a job? find (Verb a job? 1) Yes, I did/No, I didnt didnt find (did not + Verb 1) a job.

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With regular verbs, we usually add -ed to the infinitive in the affirmative. There are three groups of exceptions. 1. When the verb ends in -e, we add d. like liked love loved 2. When the verb ends in y after consonant, we change the y to -ied. study studied try tried 3. With some verbs that end in consonant, we double the consonant. plan planned stop stopped

Other verbs in this group include : admit, chat, control, drop, nod, occur, refer, regret, rob, transfer and trap.

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Past continuous tense

a) The continuous form of the past tense is obtained as follows : to the past tense of the verb to be used as an auxiliary, the is added the present participle (ing form) of the main verb. examples : I was working we were working You were working They were working

He, She, It was working

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b) We use the past continuous tense to show that an action was continuing at a given moment of past time or the time another action happened. Example : Last night, at seven-thirty, we were listening to the radio. they were eating, when we arrived.

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Notice that, when we use the past continuous tense, no interest is shown in the completion of the action. We are interested only in the fact that the action was continuing at the given moment in the past. Also observe that when we use the past continuous tense together with a verb in the simple past tense, the past continuous form always describes an action longer duration than that of the simple past tense verb. While we were walking to school yesterday, we met John and Mary (the action of walking to school is simultaneous with the action of meeting John and Mary, but the former action is of longer duration) We were playing bridge when you telephoned.

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EXERCISE 1 State these verb phrases in simple past tense form : Example : I swim waited I swam she waits she

I go, he pays, she pays, he brings, we look, you like, she stays, we do, they have, he eats, it works, she catches, we buy, he drives, we feel, they finish, it flies, we get, he grows, they go, I hear, they keep, we know, it lays, you let, they lose, I mean, we meet, it rings, we sit, she stands, he tears, we take, I think, we throw, it wears, he writes.

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EXERCISE 2 Fill the blanks with the past continuous tense of the verbs in parentheses :
1. 2. 3.

They .. (eat) dinner when we arrived. The baby .. (sleep) soundly when I went in to wake him. Im sure that eight oclock last night, we .. (watch) television. They .. (travel) at about eight miles an hour when the accident happened. The teacher .. (explain) the grammar when I arrived. He .. Just (order) breakfast when I got to his hotel. Mary .. (write) a letter and her father .. (read) the paper. We .. (stand) on the corner when he drove by.

4.

5. 6. 7.

8.

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EXERCISE 3 Supply the simple past tense of the verbs in parentheses.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Mr. Smith .. (leave) for St. Louis yesterday. His wife and daughter .. (accompany) him. They .. (sell) their house last year. I .. (send) the letter by airmail. The telephone .. (ring) only once this morning. I .. (lose) my notebook on my way to college. The crowd .. (wait) at the station until the President came.

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EXERCISE 4 State what each the following was doing when you last saw him or her. Make your own answers complete as shown in the example given with the first sentence. Example : The teacher .. (the teacher was talking with the principal when I last saw her.)
1. 2. 3.

My cousin .. My dog .. Johns father ..