Simple Past Tense is one of the basic and important grammar for those who are learning English or want to score high in the IELTS test. However, to be able to use this tense fluently, you need to remember the formula, how to identify the simple past tense as well as each case of application in the lesson.
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1. What Is the Past Simple?
The Past Simple (or Simple Past) is used to describe actions or events that happened and ended at a specific time in the past.
Examples:
I learned how to play the guitar five months ago.
Sam cooked a tasty dinner yesterday.
Maximus wasn’t a big fan of horror movies when he was in school.
2. Past Simple Formula
There are two main forms: with the verb to be, and with regular/permutation verbs.
2.1 Past Simple with “to be”
Affirmative:
I/He/She/It + was + …
We/You/They + were + …
Negative:
I/He/She/It + wasn’t + …
We/You/They + weren’t + …
Yes/No Questions:
Was I/He/She/It + … ?
Yes, I was. / No, I wasn’t.
Were We/You/They + … ?
Yes, we were. / No, we weren’t.
Wh- Questions:
When/Where/Why + was/were + subject + … ?
2.2 Past Simple with Regular or Irregular Verbs
Affirmative:
Subject + V2/“-ed” + object
Negative:
Subject + did not + base verb + object
Yes/No Questions:
Did + subject + base verb?
Yes, I did. / No, I didn’t.
Wh- Questions:
When/Where/Why + did + subject + verb + object?
3. Past Simple Time Indicators
Look out for adverbs and phrases that signal Past Simple, such as:
yesterday, ago, last (week, month, year), in the past, the day before,
Past time expressions like this morning (when speaking later in the day),
for + duration,
Phrases like used to, as if, it’s time, if only, wish, rather.
4. When to Use Past Simple
Usage | Example |
Completed actions in the past | World War II began in 1939 and ended in 1945. |
Past habits | When I was a child, I always read comics. |
One action interrupts another | The children were playing when their mother came home. |
Sequence of past actions | Last week, Marina saw me, then cried and yelled. |
Unreal wish | I wished I owned a villa. |
Type II conditional | If she had a new car, she would drive it everywhere. |
5. How to Form the Past Simple
5.1 Regular Verbs: Adding “-ed”
Add “-ed”: need → needed
If verb ends in “e”, add “-d”: agree → agreed
One-syllable, CVC ending: double consonant + “-ed”: stop → stopped
Two-syllable, stress on second syllable: double consonant: commit → committed
Verbs ending in “y”:
Vowel + y → “-ed”: play → played
Consonant + y → change to “ied”: study → studied
5.2 Irregular Verbs
Must memorize irregular forms as there is no fixed rule, e.g.:
go → went
eat → ate
have → had
6. Practice Exercises with Answers
Exercise 1: Rewrite using past simple
Yesterday, I saw Jaden on my way home.
What did you do last Monday? You looked tired when you came to our house.
Linda didn’t eat anything because she was full.
The cats went out with him to go shopping. They looked happy.
Did you and your classmates study the lesson?
Exercise 2: Fill in past simple verbs
Alex ordered office chairs online last Monday.
The next morning he realized he needed two more chairs.
He tried to call the company to add more, but no one answered.
Alex worried the company’s website was fake.
He emailed the company and explained his situation.
The customer service representative responded a few hours later and fixed the order.
Alex relaxed when he received a confirmation email.
Master the Past Simple Tense with IDP
This guide offers a full overview of the Past Simple tense and when to use it. To improve your accuracy, try the free personalized IELTS practice resources from IDP.
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