Tenses_Simple Past

From English Second Language Chat Page:

TENSES - Simple Past:
The simple past expresses an action in the past taking place once, never, several times. It can also be used for actions taking place one after another or in the middle of another action.

Form of Simple Past:
no differences

- Positive "I spoke"
- Negative "I did not speak"
- Question "Did I speak?"

For irregular verbs, use the past form. For regular verbs, just add “ed”.


Exceptions in Spelling when Adding ‘ed’:
- after a final e only add 'd': 'love – loved'
- final consonant after a short, stressed vowel or l as final consonant after a vowel is doubled: 'admit – admitted; travel – travelled'
- final 'y' after a consonant becomes 'i': 'hurry – hurried'


Use of Simple Past:
- action in the past taking place once, never or several times
Example: "He visited his parents every weekend."

- actions in the past taking place one after the other
Example: "He came in, took off his coat and sat down."