Simple Past


FORM

 

[VERB+ed] or irregular verbs


Examples:

  • You called Debbie.

  • Did you call Debbie?

  • You did not call Debbie.

 

USE 1 Completed Action in the Past

 

Use the Simple Past to express the idea that an action started and finished at a specific time in the past. Sometimes, the speaker may not actually mention the specific time, but they do have one specific time in mind.


Examples:

  • I saw a movie yesterday.

  • I didn't see a play yesterday.

  • Last year, I traveled to Japan.

  • Last year, I didn't travel to Korea.

  • Did you have dinner last night?

  • She washed her car.

  • He didn't wash his car.

     

USE 2 A Series of Completed Actions

 

We use the Simple Past to list a series of completed actions in the past. These actions happen 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and so on.


Examples:

  • I finished work, walked to the beach, and found a nice place to swim.

  • He arrived from the airport at 8:00, checked into the hotel at 9:00, and met the others at 10:00.

  • Did you add flour, pour in the milk, and then add the eggs?

     

USE 3 Duration in Past

 

The Simple Past can be used with a duration which starts and stops in the past. A duration is a longer action often indicated by expressions such as: for two years, for five minutes, all day, all year, etc.



Examples:

  • I lived in Brazil for two years.

  • Shauna studied Japanese for five years.

  • They sat at the beach all day.

  • They did not stay at the party the entire time.

  • We talked on the phone for thirty minutes.

  • A: How long did you wait for them?
    B: We     waited for one hour.

     

USE 4 Habits in the Past

 

The Simple Past can also be used to describe a habit which stopped in the past. It can have the same meaning as "used to." To make it clear that we are talking about a habit, we often add expressions such as: always, often, usually, never, when I was a child, when I was younger, etc.



Examples:

  • I studied French when I was a child.

  • He played the violin.

  • He didn't play the piano.

  • Did you play a musical instrument when you were a kid?

  • She worked at the movie theater after school.

  • They never went to school, they always skipped class.


USE 5 Past Facts or Generalizations

 

The Simple Past can also be used to describe past facts or generalizations which are no longer true. As in USE 4 above, this use of the Simple Past is quite similar to the expression "used to."


Examples:

  • She was shy as a child, but now she is very outgoing.

  • He didn't like tomatoes before.

  • Did you live in Texas when you were a kid?

  • People paid much more to make cell phone calls in the past.

IMPORTANT When-Clauses Happen First


Clauses are groups of words which have meaning but are often not complete sentences. Some clauses begin with the word "when" such as "when I dropped my pen..." or "when class began..." These clauses are called when-clauses, and they are very important. The examples below contain when-clauses.


Examples:

  • When I paid her one dollar, she answered my question.

  • She answered my question when I paid her one dollar.

     

When-clauses are important because they always happen first when both clauses are in the Simple Past. Both of the examples above mean the same thing: first, I paid her one dollar, and then, she answered my question. It is not important whether "when I paid her one dollar" is at the beginning of the sentence or at the end of the sentence. However, the example below has a different meaning. First, she answered my question, and then, I paid her one dollar.


Example:

  • I paid her one dollar when she answered my question.


ADVERB PLACEMENT


The examples below show the placement for grammar adverbs such as: always, only, never, ever, still, just, etc.


Examples:

  • You just called Debbie.

  • Did you just call Debbie?


ACTIVE / PASSIVE


Examples:

  • Tom repaired the car. Active

  • The car was repaired by Tom. Passive