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Past simple Exercises

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Past simple form : ( verb 2 )

In English we use the past simple tense to talk about finished actions in the past.

We use 'did' as an auxiliary verb in negatives and questions and we often use the past simple with past time phrases such as 5 minutes ago, yesterday, last week, in the 1980s, and when I was a child.

Notes for use of past simple  :

In English, to change verbs to the past tense, we add '-ed' to regular verbs. For example;

work --> worked

live --> lived

walk --> walked

If the verb ends in 'e', we drop the 'e' before adding '-ed'. For example;

dance --> danced

smile --> smiled

phone --> phoned

If the verb ends in a vowel + consonant, we double the last consonant. For example;

stop --> stopped

tag --> tagged

plan --> planned

If the verb has more than one syllable, we double the consonant at the end only if the last syllable is stressed. For example;

prefer --> preferred

permit --> permitted

regret --> regretted

If the last syllable of the verb is not stressed, we do not double the last consonant. For example;

visit --> visited

happen --> happened

develop --> developed

In British English, verbs ending in 'l' double the 'l' before '-ed' whether the last syllable is stressed or not. For example;

travel --> travelled

cancel --> cancelled

If the verb ends in a 'y' or a 'w', we do not double it when we add '-ed'. For example;

stay --> stayed

play --> played

sew --> sewed

In English we do not double the consonant if the verb has two vowels before the last consonant. For example;

boil --> boiled

explain --> explained

In English we also do not double the consonant if the verb ends in two consonants. For example;

help --> helped

start --> started

However, irregular verbs change to completely different words in the past tense. For example;

go --> went

take --> took

know --> knew

The table below shows the different forms of past simple :

Example Verb : live
I / You  / We / They / He / She / It
Positive... lived.
Negative... didn't live.

Questions

Did ... live?
Short answers

Yes, ... did. /

No, ... didn't.

For the verb 'to be' we use 'was' and 'were'' in the past simple. No auxiliary verbs are used in negative sentences and questions.

Verb : Be
I / He / She / It
You / We / They
Positive... was ...... were ...
Negative... wasn't ...... weren't ...
QuestionsWas ... ... ?Were ... ...?
Short answers

Yes, ... was. /

No, ... wasn't.

Yes, ... were. /

No, ... weren't.

Past Simple Example Sentences :

Positive Examples of Past Simple :

  • I went to Japan last year.
  • She worked as a consultant for 5 years.
  • We saw a film last night.
  • He was ill yesterday.
  • They were at the party last Saturday night.

Negative Examples of Past Simple :

  • You didn't go to the gym last night.
  • He didn't attend the meeting this morning.
  • We didn't have a dog when I was a child.
  • I wasn't at home last weekend.
  • They weren't happy with the service.

Question Examples of Past Simple :

  • Did you visit New York last summer?
  • Did you eat at the Japanese restaurant last night?
  • Who did you meet at the conference?
  • Was she angry?
  • Where were you yesterday afternoon?

Past simple example sentences
I left it on this chair!Bu sandalyenin üstüne koymuştum.
I know, I also didn't expect it to be your favourite movie.Biliyorum, ayrıca senin en sevdiğin film olmasını beklemiyordum.
I checked the train schedule on the internet.İnternetten tren saatlerine baktım.
Sorry, but I have to say, we saw another house earlier today...Üzgünüm ama söylemem gerek, biz bugün başka bir ev daha baktık...
Exactly... So I gave up and decided to sit at a cafe and have a coffee.Aynen... Bu yüzden pes ettim ve bir kafede oturup kahve içmeye karar verdim.
While I finished doing things here by myself!Ben burada tek başıma bu işleri bitirirken!
I found out we didn't have many things in the fridge.Buzdolabında pek fazla bir şeyimiz olmadığını fark ettim.
I went home and plugged my phone into the charger...Eve gittim ve telefonumu şarja taktım...
I can't believe you, where did you get it from?Sana inanamıyorum, bunu nereden aldın?
I only went to the kitchen and no one was there.Sadece mutfağa gittim ve orada kimse yoktu.
I was going to today, it just happened last night!Bugün söyleyecektim, daha dün gece oldu!
Oh my god, I'm sorry dear, I got what you meant just now...Aman tanrım, üzgünüm canım, ne demek istediğini şimdi anladım...
She was yelling at me like how dirty we were...Bana ne kadar pis olduğumuzla ilgili bir şeyler bağırıyordu...
I didn't have any time to go and check houses.Gidip ev bakmaya hiç vaktim yoktu.
We did it together only for one day, dear!Bunu sadece bir gün beraber yaptık, canım!
Also I caught the wasp before they managed to get stung.Ayrıca onlar kendilerini sokturmadan yaban arısını yakaladım.
Yes, I thought about moving upstairs.Evet, üst kata taşınmayı düşündüm.
Did the chips remind you of her?Patates kızartması sana onu mu hatırlattı?
What did you cook for breakfast?Kahvaltı için ne hazırladın?
We should've checked inside the oven before we turned it on.Fırını çalıştırmadan önce içine bi' bakmamız gerekirdi.

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Be going to
Be going to passive
Be used to / Get used to
Comparative
Defining relative clause
Echo tag
Expression
First conditional
Future
Future continuous
Future perfect continuous
Future perfect passive
Future perfect simple
Future simple passive
Greeting
Have/Get something done
Imperative
Implied conditional
Indirect question
Infinitive of purpose
Interjection
Mixed conditional
Modal
Modal passive
Non-defining relative clause
Other
Past continuous
Past continuous passive
Past perfect continuous
Past perfect passive
Past perfect simple
Past simple
Past simple passive
Polite request / offer / suggestion
Present continuous
Present continuous passive
Present perfect continuous
Present perfect passive
Present perfect simple
Present simple
Present simple passive
Question tag
Reduced relative clause
Reported speech imperative
Reported speech question
Reported speech request
Reported speech statement
Second conditional
Short answer
Superlative
Third conditional
Used to / would (past habit)
Was/were going to
Was/were supposed to
Wish
Would rather
Zero conditional