Past Simple
You will learn to:
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Use verbs to describe an event which started and finished in the past.
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I ate dinner.
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She drank beer.
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We went to the shops.
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Use 'time adverbials' to add detail.
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On Saturday...
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At 1:00pm...
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...last Friday.
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We will use 'the' for all place names.
"I went to the cinema."
The past simple is used for one event which starts and finishes in the past.
Past
Now
Future
I went to the cinema.
Let's look at these verbs before we start.
Past Simple Examples
First, the structure.
Subject + past form verb + noun / noun phrase.
I went to the bank.
She ate cake.
They drank my water.
This structure will create simple sentences.
This is Tom's diary for Saturday. In the evening he tells Jane what he did.
9am - football
1pm - lunch with friends
Past
11am - shopping
3pm - beer in the pub
Now - 7pm
Let's create some simple sentences.
Subject + past form verb + noun / noun phrase
Tom played football.
Tom went shopping.
Tom lunch with friends.
Tom beer in the pub.
The last two sentences can be made more natural.
Tom lunch with friends.
Tom beer in the pub.
Answer
ate
Answer
drank
Answer
had
Answer
had
+ LOCATION CHUNK
+ LOCATION CHUNK
To extend your sentences you can add:
Time (remember to keep it in the past)
Time + Subject + past tense form + noun / noun phrase
At 9am I played football.
At 11am I went shopping.
At 1pm I had lunch with friends.
Or you can put the time at the end.
Subject + past tense verb + noun / noun phrase + time.
I played football at 9am.
I went shopping at 11am.
I had lunch with friends at 1pm.
+ TIME CHUNK
Time - vocabulary
Past Simple Exercises
Time + Subject + past tense verb + noun / noun phrase.
On Monday Kate went swimming.
On Tuesday Kate had dinner at a friend's house.
Answer
On Wednesday Kate went to the cinema.
Answer
On Thursday Kate had a hot chocolate before bed.
Answer
On Friday Kate had a takeaway pizza.
Time - vocabulary
Past Simple Examples- negative
Used for one event which did not happen.
Past
Now
Future
I did not play football.
First, the structure.
Subject + did not + present form verb + noun / noun phrase
I did not go to the bank.
She did not eat cake.
They did not drink their water.
This is Jane's calendar, but Jane was ill so did not do any of it.
Last Friday - a haircut
Two days ago - the bank
Past
Today - Friday
Last Monday - the supermarket
Yesterday - the gym
Let's create some simple sentences.
Subject + present form verb + noun / noun phrase
Jane did not have a haircut.
Jane did not go to the supermarket.
Jane did not to the bank.
Jane did not to the gym.
Answer
go
Answer
go
Past Simple Exercises - Negative
Let's add time to Jane's sentences.
Subject + present form verb + noun / noun phrase + time
Time + Subject + present form verb + noun / noun phrase
Jane did not have a haircut last Friday.
+ TIME CHUNK
Answer - supermarket / last Monday
Jane did not go to the supermarket last Monday.
Answer - Two days ago / bank
Two days ago Jane did not go to the bank.
Answer - bank / yesterday
Jane did not go to the bank yesterday.
Make sentences in the positive and negative form.
I
I went to the museum.
Answer
I did not eat pizza.
Answer
I did not go to school.
Answer
I did not drink milk.
Answer
I drank coca-cola.
Answer
I ate cereal.
Past Simple Examples - Questions (?)
Past
Now
Future
Did you go to the bank?
First, the structure.
Did + subject + present form verb + noun / noun phrase?
Did you go to the bank?
Did she eat that cake?
Did they drink water?
This structure will create simple questions.
You can answer the questions using a full sentence. We usually shorten it to make it more natural.
Did you have pizza?
Full sentence: "Yes, I had pizza" or "No, I did not have pizza."
Short form: "Yes, I did." or "No, I didn't."
Kate went to a friend's house for the weekend. Tom asks her questions about it.
Did you go to the cinema?
Yes, I did.
Did you have fish and chips?
No, I had pizza.
Did you have milk?
Yes, I did.
Past simple - advanced
We can join our events in the past into one sentence using and.
Past
Now
Future
I went to the supermarket.
I ate chocolate cake.
I went to the bank. I ate chocolate cake.
I went to the bank and ate chocolate cake.
If we have three sentences, we using a comma (,) and an 'and' at the end.
I had a cup of tea.
Past
Now
Future
I went to the supermarket.
I ate chocolate cake.
I went to the supermarket. I had a cup of tea. I ate chocolate cake.
I went to the supermarket, had a cup of tea and ate chocolate cake.
Let's turn these into long sentences:
On Saturday Tom
Answer
played football, went shopping and had lunch with friends.
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