Simple Past Tense

Simple Past Tense

We use the Simple Past Tense to talk about:

• completed actions at a definite time in the past

• states/ conditions and repeated events in the past

Let's have a look at the following examples:

• It was boiling hot every day last week.

• The boys played basketball from noon till 2 p.m. yesterday.

• Sarah washed the dishes and then did her homework this evening.

The simple past tense is often used with the following time expressions:

• just now

• earlier this week

• last night/ week/ year/ month

• this morning

• the day before yesterday

• the other day

• two weeks ago

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Jimmy lives in Wan Chai now. He

(live) in Wong Tai Sin 10 years ago.

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I am exhausted. I

(not sleep) well last night.

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Eric

(break) his promise just now.

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Mary

(play) the piano all the time when she was young.

We form negative statements in the simple past tense with the verb to be like this:

• verb to be + not + noun

• verb to be + not + adjective

• verb to be + not + prepositional phrase

verb to be + not + noun

• Kevin was not a teacher.

• Mary was not a mother.

• My parents were not doctors.

verb to be + not + adjective

• Sam was not furious with me.

• The movie was not hilarious.

• The stories were not that heart-breaking.

verb to be + not + prepositional phrase

• Were you at home?

• Was Jack at work just now?

• Were your parents in the farm?

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Tom and Mary

(not) fond of swimming 10 years ago.

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Anson Lo

(not) a celebrity 5 years ago.

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Leon

(not) in hospital a few days ago.

We form negative statements in the simple past tense with the verb to do like this:

• verb to do + not + base form of verb

verb to do + not + base form of verb

• Owen did not run the marathon.

• Paul did not cry.

• Peter did not sleep last night.

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Mum

(not study) at university when she was young.

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The car

(not stop) outside the park just now.

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It

(not rain) the other day.