Past simple tense
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PDF book 1: English grammar exercises PDF
PDF book 2: English grammar rules PDF
Past simple PDF exercises
Past simple PDF exercise 1 (verbs)
- Complete an email.
Dear Jane,
How are you doing? Yesterday I ___ (do) my homework, ___ (tidy) my bedroom and ___ (decide) to go out.
Past simple PDF exercise 2 (verbs)
- Choose correct verbs to complete sentences.
cast, catch, cost, cut
The goalkeeper ___ the ball.
Our holiday in the Caribbean ___ a fortune.
Past simple PDF exercise 3 (was, were)
- Complete sentences.
A: ___ I often ill when I was a child?
B: Not really. You ___ healthier than your brother.
Past simple PDF exercise 4 (was, were)
- Complete a dialogue.
Samuel, I hear you ___ eighteen years old last week.
Yes, I ___ . I had a big birthday party.
Past simple PDF exercise 5 (questions)
- Make past simple questions.
(Bill | arrive | on time)
Did Bill arrive on time?
Past simple PDF exercise 6 (questions)
- Choose correct questions.
? Did your students their homework?
? Did your students do their homework?
Past simple PDF exercise 7 (negative)
- Correct wrong information in a knowledge quiz.
The Beatles were formed in London in 1960.
The Beatles ___ (not be) formed in London. They ___ (start) to play together in Liverpool in 1960.
Past simple PDF exercise 8 (negative)
- Complete sentences with words in brackets.
I ___ (not have) a good day yesterday. I ___ (cannot) stay in bed late, because it was Monday and I had to go to school again.
Compare:
Past simple vs. Past continuous exercises PDF
Past simple vs. Past perfect exercises PDF
Past simple vs. Present perfect exercises PDF
Past simple passive exercises PDF
Online exercises with answers:
- Three online exercises on regular and irregular verbs, negative forms and questions.
Grammar rules PDF:
Past simple and continuous PDF rules
Past simple
We add -ed to the base form of a verb to make regular past simple forms: work - worked, jump - jumped. It is the same for all persons, singular and plural.
Positive statement: I listened, he listened
Negative statement: I did not listen (I didn't listen), he did not listen (he didn't listen)
Question: Did you listen?
Negative question: Did you not listen? (Didn't you listen?)
Spelling rules
We add -d (not -ed) to the verbs that end with -e: like - liked.
If the verb ends with a consonant and -y, we change -y into -i: carry - carried, try - tried.
But: play - played, because this verb ends with a vowel and -y.
If the verb has only one syllable and ends with a vowel and a consonant, we double the consonant to keep the same pronunciation: stop - stopped. The same rule applies to the verbs that end with -l: travel - travelled.
Irregular verbs
All the irregular verbs have different forms: go - went, buy - bought, cut - cut etc.
Questions
We use did to make past simple questions: I cried. - Did you cry? He slept. - Did he sleep?
Notes
We do not use the auxiliary verb did with the verb to be and modal verbs.
Were you a student? Was he in London? I was not at home. He was not happy.
Could you sing? Could he come? I could not swim. He could not stay.
Wh- questions
The auxiliary verb did is not used in questions beginning with wh- pronouns (who, which) in case that the pronoun is the subject of the question.
Who met you? (who is the subject)
Which train arrived on time? (which train is the subject)
But: Who did you meet? Which train did you miss? (who and which train are the objects)
The negative question normally shows a surprise.
Didn't you know it?
Negative forms
We use did not or didn't to make negative forms: You did not come. Julia didn't do her homework.
Our tip:
- All PDF exercises and grammar rules from this website.