Simple past tense Notes-2

1. We form the Past Simple of regular verbs by adding -ed to the basic verb:

2. Spelling: Here are some spelling rules for regular verbs:

1. Some verbs already end in -e. To form the Past Simple, add -d.

For example:

escape → They escaped

hope → We hoped

live → I lived

rescue → They rescued

2. Some verbs end in consonant + -y.

They changes to i + -ed.

For example:

carry → He carried

cry → He cried

hurry → They hurried

marry → She married

But remember that verbs ending in vowel + -y end in -ed:

For example:

play → He played

stay → They stayed

3. Some verbs end in consonant + vowel + consonant (a vowel sandwich). Most double the final consonant.

For example:

cancel → They cancelled

plan → He planned

rob → They robbed

stop → We stopped

travel → He travelled

fit → The shoe fitted

However there are some exceptions to this:

For example:

happen → happened

open → opened

visit → visited

3. Pronunciation: We pronounce the -ed in different ways, as [t], [d] or [id].

4. But not all verbs in English are regular in the past.

For example:

go → he went

have → she had

5. We use the Past Simple to talk about the past. We use it to tell a story:

Harry and Michelle robbed the bank. Inspector Clark followed them.

We use it to talk about something which was true in the past:

Rome ruled a great empire.

My grandfather liked wine.

We use it when we are talking about a particular time in the past:

One hour ago/ Two years ago/ Last night/ Yesterday/ Last month/ In 1992, I visited we President.