Download What is simple past tense?

Outlines
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Definition
Structure
Forms
Uses
Comparison
Conclusion
What is simple past tense?
• The simple past expresses an action
in the past taking place once, never,
several times. It can also be used for
actions taking place one after
another or in the middle of another
action.
What is simple past
tense?
• The simple past
expresses an action in
the past taking place
once, never, several
times. It can also be
used for actions
taking place one after
another or in the
middle of another
action.
Structure
• Subject + Verb 2 + Object +
Extension
• Example : I saw two colorful fishes in
the lake yesterday.
For regular verbs, simply use the –ed form of the
verb in a positive sentence.
When I was a child, I ___________ the piano.
Donna ______________ and _______________
in Paris when she was younger.
For irregular verbs, use the
correct past tense form in
positive sentences.
Last week, I ___________ you a letter.
The students _____________ a speech in
English. They __________ a great job!
The verb BE
Remember the forms of verb BE for
the simple past tense:
I, He, She, It
They, We, You
WAS
WERE
Forms
Past simple tense can be formed in
three types of sentence. They are as
follows• Positive
• Negative
• Question
Simple Past (Positive)
For all verbs use:
Simple Past (Negative)
For all verbs (EXCEPT be), use:
VERB BE (Negative)
For this verb ONLY, never use didn’t.
Simply ADD the word NOT after the
verb.
I was tired.
I was NOT tired.
Simple Past (Question)
For all verbs (EXCEPT be), use:
Did + subject + verb 1 + object?
Example : Did he go to Dhaka?
VERB BE (Question)
For this verb ONLY, never use did.
I was tired.
Was I tired?
Uses
• 1. To describe actions and situations
that happened in the past. These
actions and situations were started
and finished in the past .
• Example : We arrived at 9:00 o'clock.
2. To talk about habitual or repeated
actions that took place in the past.
Example : We often went there.
3. To tell a story and to express
actions which follow each other in a
story.
Example : She opened her bag, took
out the key and unlocked the door.
4.To refer to the historical past or to
events.
Example : World War II ended in 1945.
5. For reporting what someone
said.
Example : David said that he was
tired.
6. For making second conditional
sentences.
Example : If he told me , I would help
him.
7. To talk about action in the
past that take place in the middle
of another action.
Example : When Peter arrived, I
was reading a book.
8. The sentence often contains an
adverb or adverb phrase of time,
such as yesterday, the other day,
last night, last week, three days
ago, a few minutes ago, in (year),
from (year) to (year), etc.
Example : We came here in 1980.
Comparisons
• Simple Past vs. Past Continuous
Use the simple
past for:
Use the past
continuous for:
1) action that
happened in the
past and is . . .
1) action that was in
progress at a specific
point in the past
OR
over, done,
finished
2) focusing on an
action that continued
for a long time in the
past
Compare the meaning of these two
sentences:
1. Tom visited us last week.
2. Lisa and her husband were visiting us
last week.
The first sentence uses:
Simple Past
The second sentence uses:
Past Continuous
Questions about past
tense
You are warmly
welcome to ask
us.