1. To express what already happened.
Simple Past Tense
To express what already happened.

2. What is the simple past?
To create the simple past, add –ed to most simple present verbs.
Verbs: watch, start, live, move, study, stay.
Yesterday Kahn __ English for two hours.
Mayra __ a video on elephants last night.
Last year Ana __ in Chicago for a week.
Roberto __ in the library all day yesterday.
Kim __ in China before she __ here.
Jo __ to learn French when he __ in France.
Alan __ to our community at age fifteen.

3. Why use the simple past?
Use the simple past for activities and situations already started and ended.
Example: Last week, the ISA went camping.
Example: Our class took a quiz yesterday.
Both the time adverb and the verb typically indicate past tense.
Did the man know that he
didn’t have enough blocks
before he started building?

4. What is the past of be? Were matches you we, and they.
Was is for I and he.
Where __ you last night?
I __ at home!
__ you up or in bed?
I __ up until late.
I __ on the phone to call you many times.
Sorry, I __ not near my cell phone.
Is Bob still on
a low-cost diet?

5. Can you pronounce past endings?
After strong consonants, say /d/
/calld/ /livd/
After soft consonants, say /t/
/talkt/ /washt/
After /t/ and /d/, say /ed/
/waited/ /needed/
Did the man hear
the woman clearly?

6. Do you use irregular past verbs?
Most irregular verbs change vowels.
Begin/began, come/came, give/gave
Some irregular verbs end in “t.”
Build/built, feel/felt, sweep/swept
A few irregular verbs don’t change.
Cost/cost, fit/fit, let/let
Is the past form of
‘understand’ irregular?

7. Which is the past form? Sylvia blow/blew the odd guy off.
Alfredo drew/drawn a cool picture.
Minh kept/keep his place in class.
The bank lend/lent Foram $5,000.
The professor tore/tear the paper.
Krupal stood/stand in the back.
The girl wear/wore red lipstick.

8. What does used to mean?
Used to expresses a past habit or situation that no longer exists.
Example: Raquel used to watch cartoons when she was little.
Now she is a busy working mother with no time for cartoons, but her children watch them.
Does the man still
live in luxury?

9. What is didn’t use to? Didn’t use to means that you never did it.
Example: The teacher has never used drugs, so he didn’t use to take them at all.
Example: Did you use to play in the sand when you were a kid?
Example: Did college students use to have computers?
Do cats play
in the sand?

10. Can you fill in the verbs?
Verbs: finish, get, put, want, use, forget, find,
talk, be, lose, call, do, and remember.
Poor Carmen __ her cell phone inside her own car.
She __ that it __ in her car just the day before.
She __ her friend Abdul to talk about their date.
When she __ speaking, she __ the phone down.
She __ out of the car, leaving the phone in there.
She __ busy in her house and __ think about it.
Then she __ to call someone, and __ it again.

11. Do you know the past verbs?
present past
begin ___
buy ___
drive ___
fail ___
feel ___
go ___
grow ___
hear ___
present past
know ___
leave ___
lose ___
mean ___
pay ___
sell ___
sit ___
think ___

12. Can you use the academic vocabulary?
Words to use: achieve, effect, approach, chapter, and context.
How do you complete or __ your goals?
How do you __ change in your life?
How do you __ the way of learning?
What division or __ are you reading?
In what situation or __ can you study?
Watch for these words
on the next quiz.