Past Tense
Just like simple present tense, simple past tense uses the verb's forms, or conjugations, to show that an action happened in the past. By changing a verb you can let your reader know that something has already happened. Listen to the lesson on simple present tense and complete the exercises.
The simple past tense is one of the most common tenses in English. With most verbs, the simple past is conjugated by adding "-ed". However, with some verbs, you need to add "-d" or change the ending a little. Here are some examples:
| Verb | Simple Past Tense |
|---|---|
| boil |
boiled |
| fill |
filled |
| hand |
handed |
| show |
showed |
| live |
lived |
| date | dated |
| try | tried |
| cry | cried |
Examples of simple past tense sentences:
- Lena showed me how to use a microscope.
- Alejandra directed a play.
- Ysabella was really good at getting others to open up.
- Amanda said she didn't want to go to the party.
- Marcela ran a car wash down the street from my house.
Exercise: Select the correct verb conjugation for the six sentences below. You will see the next question after you select an answer.
Source: University of Victoria, https://web2.uvcs.uvic.ca/courses/elc/studyzone/330/grammar/pasted.htm
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 License.
Source: Lumen Learning, https://courses.lumenlearning.com/styleguide/chapter/verb-tenses/
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Source: Saylor Academy
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.