SIMPLE PAST

HELLO DEAR STUDENTS, THESE ARE SOME OF THE BASIC RULES TO FORM THE SIMPLE PAST OF REGULAR VERBS

Simple Past

FORM

VERB+ed

Examples:

  • You called Debbie.
  • Did you call Debbie?
  • You did not call Debbie.

Complete List of Simple Past Forms

USE 1 Completed Action in the Past

Use the Simple Past to express the idea that an action started and finished at a specific time in the past. Sometimes, the speaker may not actually mention the specific time, but they do have one specific time in mind.

Examples:

  • I saw a movie yesterday.
  • I didn’t see a play yesterday.
  • Last year, I traveled to Japan.
  • Last year, I didn’t travel to Korea.
  • Did you have dinner last night?
  • She washed her car.
  • He didn’t wash his car.

USE 2 A Series of Completed Actions

We use the Simple Past to list a series of completed actions in the past. These actions happen 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and so on.

Examples:

  • I finished work, walked to the beach, and found a nice place to swim.
  • He arrived from the airport at 8:00, checked into the hotel at 9:00, and met the others at 10:00.
  • Did you add flour, pour in the milk, and then add the eggs?

USE 3 Duration in Past

The Simple Past can be used with a duration which starts and stops in the past. A duration is a longer action often indicated by expressions such as: for two years, for five minutes, all day, all year, etc.

Examples:

  • I lived in Brazil for two years.
  • Shauna studied Japanese for five years.
  • They sat at the beach all day.
  • They did not stay at the party the entire time.
  • We talked on the phone for thirty minutes.
  • A: How long did you wait for them?
    B: We waited for one hour.

USE 4 Habits in the Past

The Simple Past can also be used to describe a habit which stopped in the past. It can have the same meaning as “used to.” To make it clear that we are talking about a habit, we often add expressions such as: always, often, usually, never, when I was a child, when I was younger, etc.

Examples:

  • I studied French when I was a child.
  • He played the violin.
  • He didn’t play the piano.
  • Did you play a musical instrument when you were a kid?
  • She worked at the movie theater after school.
  • They never went to school, they always skipped class.

USE 5 Past Facts or Generalizations

The Simple Past can also be used to describe past facts or generalizations which are no longer true. As in USE 4 above, this use of the Simple Past is quite similar to the expression “used to.”

Examples:

  • She was shy as a child, but now she is very outgoing.
  • He didn’t like tomatoes before.
  • Did you live in Texas when you were a kid?
  • People paid much more to make cell phone calls in the past.



 

IRREGULAR VERBS

Common English Irregular Verb List

Base Form Past Simple Past Participle 3rd Person Singular Present Participle / Gerund
Abide Abode/Abided Abode/Abided/Abidden Abides Abiding
Alight Alit/Alighted Alit/Alighted Alights Alighting
Arise Arose Arisen Arises Arising
Awake Awoke Awoken Awakes Awaking
Be Was/Were Been Is Being
Bear Bore Born/Borne Bears Bearing
Beat Beat Beaten Beats Beating
Become Became Become Becomes Becoming
Begin Began Begun Begins Beginning
Behold Beheld Beheld Beholds Beholding
Bend Bent Bent Bends Bending
Bet Bet Bet Bets Betting
Bid Bade Bidden Bids Bidding
Bid Bid Bid Bids Bidding
Bind Bound Bound Binds Binding
Bite Bit Bitten Bites Biting
Bleed Bled Bled Bleeds Bleeding
Blow Blew Blown Blows Blowing
Break Broke Broken Breaks Breaking
Breed Bred Bred Breeds Breeding
Bring Brought Brought Brings Bringing
Broadcast Broadcast/Broadcasted Broadcast/Broadcasted Broadcasts Broadcasting
Build Built Built Builds Building
Burn Burnt/Burned Burnt/Burned Burns Burning
Burst Burst Burst Bursts Bursting
Bust Bust Bust Busts Busting
Buy Bought Bought Buys Buying
Cast Cast Cast Casts Casting
Catch Caught Caught Catches Catching
Choose Chose Chosen Chooses Choosing
Clap Clapped/Clapt Clapped/Clapt Claps Clapping
Cling Clung Clung Clings Clinging
Clothe Clad/Clothed Clad/Clothed Clothes Clothing
Come Came Come Comes Coming
Cost Cost Cost Costs Costing
Creep Crept Crept Creeps Creeping
Cut Cut Cut Cuts Cutting
Dare Dared/Durst Dared Dares Daring
Deal Dealt Dealt Deals Dealing
Dig Dug Dug Digs Digging
Dive Dived/Dove Dived Dives Diving
Do Did Done Does Doing
Draw Drew Drawn Draws Drawing
Dream Dreamt/Dreamed Dreamt/Dreamed Dreams Dreaming
Drink Drank Drunk Drinks Drinking
Drive Drove Driven Drives Driving
Dwell Dwelt Dwelt Dwells Dwelling
Eat Ate Eaten Eats Eating
Fall Fell Fallen Falls Falling
Feed Fed Fed Feeds Feeding
Feel Felt Felt Feels Feeling
Fight Fought Fought Fights Fighting
Find Found Found Finds Finding
Fit Fit/Fitted Fit/Fitted Fits Fitting
Flee Fled Fled Flees Fleeing
Fling Flung Flung Flings Flinging
Fly Flew Flown Flies Flying
Forbid Forbade/Forbad Forbidden Forbids Forbidding
Forecast Forecast/Forecasted Forecast/Forecasted Forecasts Forecasting
Foresee Foresaw Foreseen Foresees Foreseeing
Foretell Foretold Foretold Foretells Foretelling
Forget Forgot Forgotten Forgets Foregetting
Forgive Forgave Forgiven Forgives Forgiving
Forsake Forsook Forsaken Forsakes Forsaking
Freeze Froze Frozen Freezes Freezing
Frostbite Frostbit Frostbitten Frostbites Frostbiting
Get Got Got/Gotten Gets Getting
Give Gave Given Gives Giving
Go Went Gone/Been Goes Going
Grind Ground Ground Grinds Grinding
Grow Grew Grown Grows Growing
Handwrite Handwrote Handwritten Handwrites Handwriting
Hang Hung/Hanged Hung/Hanged Hangs Hanging
Have Had Had Has Having
Hear Heard Heard Hears Hearing
Hide Hid Hidden Hides Hiding
Hit Hit Hit Hits Hitting
Hold Held Held Holds Holding
Hurt Hurt Hurt Hurts Hurting
Inlay Inlaid Inlaid Inlays Inlaying
Input Input/Inputted Input/Inputted Inputs Inputting
Interlay Interlaid Interlaid Interlays Interlaying
Keep Kept Kept Keeps Keeping
Kneel Knelt/Kneeled Knelt/Kneeled Kneels Kneeling
Knit Knit/Knitted Knit/Knitted Knits Knitting
Know Knew Known Knows Knowing
Lay Laid Laid Lays laying
Lead Led Led Leads Leading
Lean Leant/Leaned Leant/Leaned Leans Leaning
Leap Leapt/Leaped Leapt/Leaped Leaps Leaping
Learn Learnt/Learned Learnt/Learned Learns Learning
Leave Left Left Leaves Leaving
Lend Lent Lent Lends Lending
Let Let Let Lets Letting
Lie Lay Lain Lies Lying
Light Lit Lit Lights Lighting
Lose Lost Lost Loses Losing
Make Made Made Makes Making
Mean Meant Meant Means Meaning
Meet Met Met Meets Meeting
Melt Melted Molten/Melted Melts Melting
Mislead Misled Misled Misleads Misleading
Mistake Mistook Mistaken Mistake Mistaking
Misunderstand Misunderstood Misunderstood Misunderstands Misunderstanding
Miswed Miswed/Miswedded Miswed/Miswedded Misweds Miswedding
Mow Mowed Mown Mows Mowing
Overdraw Overdrew Overdrawn Overdraws Overdrawing
Overhear Overheard Overheard Overhears Overhearing
Overtake Overtook Overtaken Overtakes Overtaking
Pay Paid Paid Pays Paying
Preset Preset Preset Presets Presetting
Prove Proved Proven/Proved Proves Proving
Put Put Put Puts Putting
Quit Quit Quit Quits Quitting
Re-prove Re-proved Re-proven/Re-proved Re-proves Re-proving
Read Read Read Reads Reading
Rid Rid/Ridded Rid/Ridded Rids Ridding
Ride Rode Ridden Rides Riding
Ring Rang Rung Rings Ringing
Rise Rose Risen Rises Rising
Rive Rived Riven/Rived Rives Riving
Run Ran Run Runs Running
Saw Sawed Sawn/Sawed Saws Sawing
Say Said Said Says Saying
See Saw Seen Sees Seeing
Seek Sought Sought Seeks Seeking
Sell Sold Sold Sells Selling
Send Sent Sent Sends Sending
Set Set Set Sets Setting
Sew Sewed Sewn/Sewed Sews Sewing
Shake Shook Shaken Shakes Shaking
Shave Shaved Shaven/Shaved Shaves Shaving
Shear Shore/Sheared Shorn/Sheared Shears Shearing
Shed Shed Shed Sheds Shedding
Shine Shone Shone Shines Shining
Shoe Shod Shod Shoes Shoeing
Shoot Shot Shot Shoots Shooting
Show Showed Shown Shows Showing
Shrink Shrank Shrunk Shrinks Shrinking
Shut Shut Shut Shuts Shutting
Sing Sang Sung Sings Singing
Sink Sank Sunk Sinks Sinking
Sit Sat Sat Sits Sitting
Slay Slew Slain Slays Slaying
Sleep Slept Slept Sleeps Sleeping
Slide Slid Slid/Slidden Slides Sliding
Sling Slung Slung Slings Slinging
Slink Slunk Slunk Slinks Slinking
Slit Slit Slit Slits Slitting
Smell Smelt/Smelled Smelt/Smelled Smells Smelling
Sneak Sneaked/Snuck Sneaked/Snuck Sneaks Sneaking
Soothsay Soothsaid Soothsaid Soothsays Soothsaying
Sow Sowed Sown Sows Sowing
Speak Spoke Spoken Speaks Speaking
Speed Sped/Speeded Sped/Speeded Speeds Speeding
Spell Spelt/Spelled Spelt/Spelled Spells Spelling
Spend Spent Spent Spends Spending
Spill Spilt/Spilled Spilt/Spilled Spills Spilling
Spin Span/Spun Spun Spins Spinning
Spit Spat/Spit Spat/Spit Spits Spitting
Split Split Split Splits Splitting
Spoil Spoilt/Spoiled Spoilt/Spoiled Spoils Spoiling
Spread Spread Spread Spreads Spreading
Spring Sprang Sprung Springs Springing
Stand Stood Stood Stands Standing
Steal Stole Stolen Steals Stealing
Stick Stuck Stuck Sticks Sticking
Sting Stung Stung Stings Stinging
Stink Stank Stunk Stinks Stinking
Stride Strode/Strided Stridden Strides Striding
Strike Struck Struck/Stricken Strikes Striking
String Strung Strung Strings Stringing
Strip Stript/Stripped Stript/Stripped Strips Stripping
Strive Strove Striven Strives Striving
Sublet Sublet Sublet Sublets Subletting
Sunburn Sunburned/Sunburnt Sunburned/Sunburnt Sunburns Sunburning
Swear Swore Sworn Swears Swearing
Sweat Sweat/Sweated Sweat/Sweated Sweats Sweating
Sweep Swept/Sweeped Swept/Sweeped Sweeps Sweeping
Swell Swelled Swollen Swells Swelling
Swim Swam Swum Swims Swimming
Swing Swung Swung Swings Swinging
Take Took Taken Takes Taking
Teach Taught Taught Teaches Teaching
Tear Tore Torn Tears Tearing
Tell Told Told Tells Telling
Think Thought Thought Thinks Thinking
Thrive Throve/Thrived Thriven/Thrived Thrives Thriving
Throw Threw Thrown Throws Throwing
Thrust Thrust Thrust Thrusts Thrusting
Tread Trod Trodden Treads Treading
Undergo Underwent Undergone Undergoes Undergoing
Understand Understood Understood Understands Understanding
Undertake Undertook Undertaken Undertakes Undertaking
Upset Upset Upset Upsets Upsetting
Vex Vext/Vexed Vext/Vexed Vexes Vexing
Wake Woke Woken Wakes Waking
Wear Wore Worn Wears Wearing
Weave Wove Woven Weaves Weaving
Wed Wed/Wedded Wed/Wedded Weds Wedding
Weep Wept Wept Weeps Weeping
Wend Wended/Went Wended/Went Wends Wending
Wet Wet/Wetted Wet/Wetted Wets Wetting
Win Won Won Wins Winning
Wind Wound Wound Winds Winding
Withdraw Withdrew Withdrawn Withdraws Withdrawing
Withhold Withheld Withheld Withholds Withholding
Withstand Withstood Withstood Withstands Withstanding
Wring Wrung Wrung Wrings Wringing
Write Wrote Written Writes Writing

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