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Past Simple
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USE 1 Completed Action in the Past
Use the Past Simple 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.
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USE 2 A Series of Completed Actions
We use the Past Simple to list a series of completed actions in the past. These actions happen 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th...
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USE 3 Single Duration
The Past Simple can be used with a duration which starts and stops in the past. A duration is a long action often used with expressions like "for two years," "for five minutes," "all day" or "all year."
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USE 4 Habit in the Past
The Past Simple 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 use expressions such as "always," "often," "usually," "never," "...when I was a child" or "...when I was younger" in the sentence.
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IMPORTANT "When clauses" happen first
Clauses are groups of words which have meaning but are not complete sentences. Some clauses begin with the word when such as "When I dropped my pen..." or "When class began..." These clauses are called "when clauses" and they are very important. The examples below contain "when clauses."
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ACTIVE / PASSIVE Simple Past
EXAMPLES:
Tom repaired the car. ACTIVE
The car was repaired by Tom. PASSIVE
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Past
Simple Exercises
1. Verb Tense Exercise :
Simple Past and Past
Continuous
2. Verb Tense Exercise :
Simple Past and Past
Continuous
3. Verb Tense Exercise :
Simple Past and Present
Perfect
4. Verb Tense Exercise :
Simple Past and Present
Perfect
5. Verb Tense Exercise :
Past Simple
6. Verb Tense Exercise :
Simple
Past Tense Quiz
7. Verb Tense Exercise :
Past Simple 1
8. Verb Tense Exercise :
Past Simple 2
9. Verb Tense Exercise :
Past Simple 3
10. Verb Tense Exercise :
Past 4
11. Verb Tense Exercise :
Fill in the correct form of the past tense (simple or continuous?)
12. Verb Tense Exercise :
Complete the sentences using the past tense simple and continuous
13. Verb Tense Exercise :
Choose the appropriate past tense forms
14. Verb Tense Exercise :
Past Simple Tense - "Wh" Questions
15. Verb Tense Exercise :
Past Simple
16. Verb Tense Exercise :
Exercise 1: affirmative
17. Verb Tense Exercise :
Exercise 2: affirmative
18. Verb Tense Exercise :
Exercise 3: affirmative
19. Verb Tense Exercise :
Exercise 4: negative
20. Verb Tense Exercise :
Exercise 5: negative
21. Verb Tense Exercise :
Exercise 6:
interrogative
22. Verb Tense Exercise :
Exercise 7: interrogative
23. Verb Tense Exercise :
Questions in the Simple Past - Exercise 1
24. Verb Tense Exercise :
Questions in the Simple Past - Exercise 2
25. Verb Tense Exercise :
Simple Past - ending -ed - Exercise 1
26. Verb Tense Exercise :
Simple
Past - ending -ed - Exercise 2
27. Verb Tense Exercise :
Simple Past - Exercise 1
28. Verb Tense Exercise :
Simple Past - Exercise 2
29. Verb Tense Exercise :
Simple Past
(regular verbs)
30. Verb Tense Exercise :
Simple Past (all verbs)
31. Verb Tense Exercise :
Simple Past (verbs in bold)
32. Verb Tense Exercise :
Was
or Were?
33. Verb Tense Exercise :
Positive Sentences in Simple Past
34. Verb Tense Exercise :
Answer Questions in Simple Past
35. Verb Tense Exercise :
Negative Sentences in Simple Past
36. Verb Tense Exercise :
Questions in Simple Past
37. Verb Tense Exercise :
Questions with Interrogatives in Simple Past
38. Verb Tense Exercise :
Mixed
Exercise in Simple Past
39. Verb Tense Exercise : Goldilocks and the three
bears:
Part 1,
Part
2,
Part
3
40. Verb Tense Exercise :
Exercise on the text “Chicago”
41. Verb Tense Exercise :
Exercise on the text “Oxford”
42. Verb Tense Exercise :
Irregular
Verbs
43. Verb Tense Exercise :
Simple Past and
Past Continuous
44. Verb Tense Exercise :
Simple Past and
Past Continuous
45. Verb Tense Exercise :
Simple Past and Present Perfect
46. Verb Tense Exercise :
Simple Past and
Present Perfect
47. Verb Tense Exercise :
Simple Past
and Past Perfect
48. Verb Tense Exercise :
Simple Past,
Present Perfect and Past Perfect
49. Verb Tense Exercise :
Tenses with
durations
50. Verb Tense Exercise :
Present and
Past Tenses with Non-Continuous Verbs
51. Verb Tense Exercise :
Present and
Past Tense Review
52. Verb Tense Exercise :
Cumulative Verb Tense Review
| Past Progressive |
| Present Progressive |
| Future Progressive |
| Past Perfect Progressive |
| Present Perfect Progressive |
| Future Perfect Progressive |
| Table of English Tenses |
| English Tenses Graphic Comparison |
Present Progressive | Present
Perfect |
Future Simple
| Present
Simple | Past Perfect |
Past Simple |
Verb Tenses | English
as a Second Language
ESL |
Future Perfect Progressive |
Past
Perfect Progressive |
Past Progressive
|
Future Perfect |
Present
Perfect Progressive
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