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Ch 18

Simple Past — Regular

worked · played · studied · stopped

What is the simple past?

Use the simple past for completed actions in the past — events that started and finished.

Finished action
I watched a film last night.
Specific time
She arrived at 8 o'clock.
Past habit
When I was a child, I played football every day.
Time signals
yesterday · last week · ago · in 2020 · when I was young

Add -ed (regular verbs)

Most verbs add -ed to form the past

Standard
work → worked · play → played · visit → visited
All subjects same
I worked · she worked · they worked (no -s!)
Pronunciation: -ed has three sounds:
/t/ after p, k, f, s, sh, ch (worked, walked)
/d/ after voiced sounds (played, lived)
/ɪd/ after t or d (visited, wanted)

Spelling rules

Three rules for adding -ed

Verb ends in -e
just add -d: live → lived, love → loved, dance → danced
CVC short verbs
consonant + vowel + consonant → double the consonant: stop → stopped, plan → planned
Consonant + y
y → ied: study → studied, cry → cried, try → tried
Vowel + y
just add -ed: play → played, stay → stayed

Negative and questions

Use didn't / did + BASE verb (not past form)

Negative: subject + didn't + base verb  →  She didn't work.
Question: Did + subject + base verb?  →  Did she work?
Correct
She didn't work yesterday.
Did they play football?
Wrong
She didn't worked.
→ base verb after didn't
Did she worked?
→ base verb after did

Common mistakes

She didn't worked yesterday.
→
She didn't work yesterday.
After didn't use base verb
I studyed last night.
→
I studied last night.
y → ied (consonant + y)
He stoped the car.
→
He stopped the car.
CVC: double the consonant
Did you went there?
→
Did you go there?
Question: did + base verb

Your turn

Answer out loud — full sentences

Talk about the past with regular verbs (-ed).

1
What did you watch last night?
2
Where did you stay on your last holiday?
3
Say three things you played, cooked or visited last week.
4
Ask your teacher: Did you…? (watch, play, visit…)

Recap

Positive
verb + ed
worked, played, visited
Negative
didn't + base
didn't work (not didn't worked)
Question
Did + subject + base?
Did she work?
Spelling
+d / double / y→ied
lived, stopped, studied
Practice now →