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Regular Past Tense Verbs and Rules - Printable ELA Worksheets grade 8 - Wayground

Regular Past Tense Verbs and Rules

Leigh Turner

Created by Leigh Turner

15 questions

6th - 8th Grade

ELA

Updated Sep 2026

Regular Past Tense Verbs and Rules is a free printable English worksheet for students in Grades 6–8. It contains 15 questions—2 fill-in-the-blank items and 13 multiple-choice questions—that focus on forming the past tense of regular verbs and identifying the rules behind each spelling change. Students practice adding -ed to most regular verbs, adding -d to verbs ending in -e, changing a consonant + y to i before adding -ed, and doubling a final consonant before adding -ed when the stated stress pattern applies. The worksheet also distinguishes regular verbs from irregular verbs whose past forms must be learned individually. Use it for guided instruction, independent practice, or a quick understanding check. A complete answer key is included with this free printable worksheet.

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Regular Past Tense Verbs and Rules

Total questions: 15

Name
Class
Date
1.

Most regular verbs form their past tense by adding '--' to the base form of the verb.

(a)  

2.

What is the past tense of "play"?

a)

plaid

b)

playied

c)

play

d)

played

3.

Which is the correct past tense form of "walk"?

a)

walked

b)

walken

c)

walks

d)

walkt

4.

What is the correct past tense form of "dance"?

a)

dances

b)

dance

c)

danced

d)

dancer

5.

Verbs Ending in Consonant + 'y'

Example: cry

a)

Change the 'y' to 'ie' and add '-ed'.

crieed

b)

Change the 'y' to 'e' and add '-d'.

cred

c)

Change the 'y' to 'e' and add '-ied'.

creied

d)

Change the 'y' to 'i' and add '-ed'.

cried

6.

What is the past tense of "try"?

a)

tried

b)

tryied

c)

tryed

d)

try

7.

Choose the correct past tense form of "apply"

a)

applyed

b)

applied

c)

apply

d)

applieded

8.

R (a)   verbs usually follow the simple rule of adding '-ed', while irregular verbs have unique past tense forms that must be learned individually.

9.

For Verbs Ending in '-e':

  • Example: bake

a)

Simply add 'yd' to form the past tense.

bakeyd

b)

Simply add 'ed' to form the past tense.

bakeed

c)

Simply add '-d' to form the past tense.

baked

d)

Simply add 'ied' to form the past tense.

bakied

10.

For verbs Ending in a single vowel + a single consonant and the stress is on the final syllable:

Example: stop

a)

Double the final consonant and add '-yed'.

b)

Double the final consonant and add '-ed'.

c)

Double the final consonant and add '-ied'.

d)

Double the final consonant and add '-d'.

11.

Which is the correct past tense form of "plan"?

a)

plannet

b)

planted

c)

planed

d)

planned

12.

Which is the correct past tense form of "admit"?

a)

admit

b)

admitted

c)

amited

d)

amitied

13.

What is the past tense of "drop?"

a)

droped

b)

dropped

c)

droppied

d)

dropsed

14.

Which three ways can verbs be changed to past tense?

a)

add n, - ed, or change y to i and add - ed

b)

add - d, - ed, or change ye to i and add - ed

c)

add - d, - ed, or change y to i and add - ed

d)

add - d, - ed, or change y to i and add - yed

15.

There are many verbs that don’t follow these rules and have ______ past tense forms. These verbs must be memorized.

a)

irregular

b)

regular

c)

silly

d)

many

WaygroundAnswer Key

Regular Past Tense Verbs and Rules

Total questions: 15

1.
ed
2.
d)

played

3.
a)

walked

4.
c)

danced

5.
d)

Change the 'y' to 'i' and add '-ed'.

cried

6.
a)

tried

7.
b)

applied

8.
Regular
9.
c)

Simply add '-d' to form the past tense.

baked

10.
b)

Double the final consonant and add '-ed'.

11.
d)

planned

12.
b)

admitted

13.
b)

dropped

14.
c)

add - d, - ed, or change y to i and add - ed

15.
a)

irregular

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FAQs

What does the Regular Past Tense Verbs and Rules worksheet cover?

This Grade 6–8 English worksheet uses 2 fill-in-the-blank and 13 multiple-choice questions to practise forming regular past tense verbs. Students apply the basic -ed rule, add -d to verbs ending in -e, change consonant + y to i before adding -ed, and double a final consonant before adding -ed in the stated pattern. It also asks students to distinguish regular verbs from irregular verbs.

How can I use this worksheet to teach regular past tense verb rules?

Introduce the four spelling patterns with examples such as play → played, bake → baked, try → tried, and plan → planned before students complete the worksheet. Have students explain why each answer uses -ed, -d, a y-to-i change, or a doubled consonant, then use the two fill-in-the-blank items as a quick check of the underlying rules and the regular-versus-irregular distinction.

What mistakes should I watch for when students complete this past tense worksheet?

Watch for students writing tryed or applyed instead of changing consonant + y to i before adding -ed. They may also write bakeed instead of baked, or droped and planed instead of applying the final-consonant doubling rule shown for words such as drop and plan. The multiple-choice distractors make these spelling errors visible for review.

How do I assign and grade this regular past tense worksheet?

The worksheet is available as a printable PDF and as a digital quiz on Wayground, and it includes a complete answer key for all 15 items. You can grade printable submissions by scanning student work with the Wayground for Teachers app, or review responses from the digital quiz.

How can I differentiate this regular past tense worksheet for my students?

Use the worksheet’s Advanced Settings to adjust font spacing and font size so the spelling patterns and answer choices are easier to read. You can also enable a dyslexia-friendly font or translate the worksheet into another language when those changes support access to the verb-formation questions.

Where can I find more worksheets like this on Wayground?

Wayground offers a comprehensive collection of free printable worksheets and practice problems across all subjects, with downloadable PDFs and answer keys to support essential skills and concepts. Browse more resources at https://wayground.com/en-us/worksheets.

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