English Past Simple Lesson

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Past Simple

A class by Joe

English

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When do we use the past simple?

To talk about:1. Something that happened once in the past:Example: 'We went to Spain on holiday.'2. Something that happened several times in the past:Example: 'When I was a child, I walked to school every day.'3. something that was true for some time in the past:Example: 'I lived in the USA for a year.'4. we often use expressions with 'ago' with the past simple: Example: 'I met my wife a long time ago.'

How do we use the past simple?

For regular verbs, we add -ed.Word examples:play – played, watch – watched, want – wantedSentence examples:'I playedvideo games last night.''She watched the football match yesterday.'

Regular Verbs

How do we use the past simple?

Regular verbs are easy but there are lots of irregular verbs in English. Here are the most common irregular verbs with their past tense forms:

Irregular Verbs

Click on the button for a a list you can save and print (there are 2 pages).

Sentence Examples

I went to the cinema yesterday.

He had toast for breakfast this morning.

She slept very well last night.

What are the original forms of the verbs used in the sentences?

Negative Sentences

When we use the negative, we don’t change the main verb. We use ‘didn’t’ or 'did not' instead. I didn’t watch TV yesterday.I did not watch TV yesterday.Theydidn’t go to school last week.They did not go to school last week.

Negative Form

The Verb 'be'

The concert was amazing!

'Be' is a special verb and we use 'was' or 'were' for the past simple, depending on who you are talking about.

Remember! I was You wereShe was He wasIt was We were They were

Be careful!For negatives add 'n't' or ‘not’.

The concert wasn't amazing.The concert was not amazing.You weren’t late for school this morning. You were not late for school this morning.

You were late for school this morning.

Negative

Now click on the buttons below to practice. Read the rules and examples and enjoy the games!

That was easy, right? Now try something a lttle more difficult!

Read the rules and examples and click on the 'questions' tabs to do the activities.

Extra activities

If you want to practice more, click on the buttons for extra activities and games.

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Great Job!

Well Done!