1.
The simple past tense
 Use and meaning
 Form (structure)

2.
Meaning & Use
Simple past expresses a one-time completed past event and emphasizes that the action is
finished.
The simple past tense shows that you are talking about something that has already happened.
You can also use the simple past to talk about a past state of being, such as the way someone felt
about something. This is often expressed with the simple past tense of the verb to be and an
adjective, noun, or prepositional phrase.

3.
Forming the Simple Past Tense
If you're dealing with a regular verb, the simple past tense is formed like this:
base form of verb + "ed“
(or just -d if the root form already ends in an e)
Play→Played Type→Typed Listen→Listened Push→Pushed Love→Loved

4.
Spelling Rules
If a verb of one syllable ends [consonant-vowel-consonant],
double the final consonant and add "ed":
chat > chatted
stop > stopped
if the final consonant is w, x, or y, don't double it:
sew > sewed
fix > fixed

5.
If a verb ends in a consonant and -y, you take off the y and
add -ied.
try → tried carry → carried
But if the word ends in a vowel and -y, you add -ed.
play → played enjoy → enjoyed

6.
For irregular verbs, things get more
complicated. The simple past tense of some
irregular verbs looks exactly like the root
form
Put→Put
Cut→Cut
Set→Set
Cost→Cost
Hit→Hit
For other irregular verbs, including the
verb to be, the simple past forms are
more erratic:
See→Saw
Build→Built
Go→Went
Do→Did
Rise→Rose
Am/Is/Are→Was/Were

7.
How to make the simple past negative
If you need the negative version, you can use the following word order
"did not" + base form of verb
Example: You didn't close the door We didn't sleep well last night.
For the verb to be, you don’t need the auxiliary did. When the subject of the sentence is
singular, use was not or wasn’t. When the subject is plural, use were not or weren’t
Example: They weren't in Rio last summer. Sara wasn’t happy

8.
How to ask a question
for asking a question in the simple past tense is
did + [subject] + [root form of verb].
Example:
• Did you have a bicycle when you were young?
• Did you pass?
You didn't fail, did you?
Yes, I did. / No, I didn't
When asking a question with the verb to be, you don’t need the auxiliary
did. The formula is was/were + [subject].
Example:
. Were they in Iceland last January?