Past simple tense
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PDF book 1: English grammar exercises PDF
PDF book 2: English grammar rules PDF
Past simple exercises + PDF worksheets
PDF exercises to download for free:
- Dear Jane,
How are you doing? Yesterday I ___ (do) my homework, ___ (tidy) my bedroom and ___ (decide) to go out.
- cast, catch, cost, cut
The goalkeeper ___ the ball.
Our holiday in the Caribbean ___ a fortune.
- A: ___ I often ill when I was a child?
B: Not really. You ___ healthier than your brother.
- Samuel, I hear you ___ eighteen years old last week.
Yes, I ___ . I had a big birthday party.
- (Bill | arrive | on time)
Did Bill arrive on time?
- Did your students their homework? or Did your students do their homework?
Past simple positive + negative PDF 7
- The Beatles were formed in London in 1960.
The Beatles ___ (not be) formed in London. They ___ (start) to play together in Liverpool in 1960.
- 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:
Past simple - regular and irregular verbs
- Complete sentences with regular and irregular verbs.
Past simple - irregular verbs 1
- Choose correct verbs from the list to complete sentences.
Past simple - irregular verbs 2
- Complete sentences with verbs in brackets.
Past simple - positive and negative
- Correct the information in the general knowledge.
- Complete the story. (Blue Monday)
- Choose the correct questions.
- Regular and irregular verbs, negative forms and questions (three exercises).
Grammar rules PDF:
Past simple and continuous PDF rules
Past simple tense
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.