Activity 3

We use the simple past to talk about finished actions in the past with a specific time.

For example:

I visited my grandparents yesterday.

The simple past is pretty easy, the only difficult thing can be the spelling.

For regular verbs, we usually add -ed to the verb but there are some spelling rules.

For most verbs, we just add ed

For verbs that end in e, just add d

For verbs that end in a consonant + y goes to ied

For long words, that end with a consonant and have a stress on the last syllable, we double the last consonant and add ed

BUT! For words with the stress on the first syllable, we don’t double the consonant.

In negative sentences we just put didn’t before the verb. We don’t need to change the verb.

For example:

We didn’t finish the video game.

My husband didn’t like the movie.

There are lots of common time expressions for the simple past. You can use time expressions at the beginning or at the end of a sentence. We never use these expressions in the middle of a sentence.

For example:

• yesterday
• last night / week / month / year
• two days / months / years ago
• three days / months / years ago
• a week / month / year ago
• the day before yesterday

Look at these verbs and write them in the simple past.

Present	Past	Negative
Accept Act Close Compare Complete Dress End Enjoy Fix Follow Invite Imagine Jump Love Like Hate Want Need Open Order Organize Paint Perform Shop	*Accepted* *Acted* *Closed* *Compared* *Completed* *Dressed* *Ended* *Enjoyed* *Fixed* *Followed* *Invited* *Imagined* *Jumped* *Loved* *Liked* *Hated* *Wanted* *Needed* *Opened* *Ordered* *Organized* *Painted* *Performed* *Shopped*	*Didn’t accept* *Didn’t act* *Didn’t close* *Didn’t compare* *Didn’t complete* *Didn’t dress* *Didn’t end* *Didn’t enjoy* *Didn’t fix* *Didn’t follow* *Didn’t invite* *Didn’t imagine* *Didn’t jump* *Didn’t love* *Didn’t like* *Didn’t hate* *Didn’t want* *Didn’t need* *Didn’t open* *Didn’t order* *Didn’t organize* *Didn’t paint* *Didn’t perform* *Didn’t shop*