Beginner Lesson 1 -
The Prodigal Son
Grammar Lesson
This is the fifth part of Beginner Lesson 1, or you can do it as an individual grammar lesson.
Past Simple – Regular Verbs
Did you know that English speakers do not use the present tense very much? Most of the time, English speakers will use the future tense or the past tense when they are speaking. Let’s take a closer look at the Simple Past Tense.
This paragraph uses the simple past tense to describe what I did.
I woke up at 5:30 and took a shower. I dressed and ate breakfast at 6:15. For breakfast, I fried eggs and bacon. I also drank a glass of orange juice.
We use the Simple Past to Talk About Completed Activities
If an activity is finished, we use the simple past.
The boys played video games yesterday after school.
William baked cookies for them.
The verbs “played” and “baked” talk about actions that happened in the past, and are finished.
Regular and Irregular Verbs
The verbs “play” and “bake” are regular in the simple past tense. All regular, simple past tense verbs end with “-ed.”
The prodigal son worked hard.
His father interrupted him.
They prepared a big party.
The simple past tense is one of the easiest verb tenses for English learners! Why? Because the verb does not change with the subject. Look at these examples:
I worked hard.
You worked hard.
She worked hard.
We worked hard.
They worked hard.
In the simple past tense, the verb is always the same!
Spelling Regular Simple Past Tense Verbs
If you know that the verb is regular in the simple past tense, all you have to do is add “-ed.”
kiss, kissed
want, wanted
Sometimes, if the verb ends with an “e,” like the verb “prepare,” you just have to add a “-d.”
prepare, prepared
celebrate, celebrated
If the verb ends in a “consonant + y,” you need to change the “y” to “i” before you add “-ed.”
study, studied
carry, carried
This rule applies to regular verbs. Of course, English has many irregular verbs, too. We will talk about those in another lesson. If you are speaking and don’t know if a verb is regular or irregular, don’t worry! Most verbs are regular. Just put an “-ed” on the end of it. Your listener will be able to understand what you are saying.
The Negative Simple Past
When we make a sentence negative in the simple past, we have to use the helping verb “did.” “Did” is the past tense of “to do,” and yes, it is irregular.
Start your sentence with the subject. Then, use the helping verb “did,” then the negative word “not.” Finally, use the verb in its base form.
Here are some examples:
I did not work hard.
You did not study very well.
Maria did not bake any cookies.
Arlo and I did not watch the game on TV.
My sisters did not visit me on my birthday.
Asking a Question in the Simple Past
Asking a question in the simple past is easy. Again, we need the helping verb “did.” Use “Did” at the beginning of the sentence. Then, you can just say a simple sentence using a subject with a base verb. Look at these examples:
Did I work hard?
Did you study very well?
Did Maria bake cookies?
Did Arlo and I watch the game on TV?
Did my sisters visit me on my birthday?
Answering a Question in the Simple Past
Answering a question like this is easy, too. You can just say “did” or “did not.”
Did I work hard? No, I did not.
Did you study very well? Yes, you did.
Did Maria bake cookies? Yes, she did.
Did Arlo and I watch the game on TV? No, we did not.
Did my sisters visit me on my birthday? Yes, they did.
One Final Note about "Did Not"
Almost always, when we say “did not,” English speakers will shorten this to “didn’t.” It’s just easier and faster to say this shortened form. This is one of the short forms you can use in writing, too.
Maria didn’t bake cookies.
You didn’t study very well.
I hope this review of the simple past tense helped you! If you would like to take the time to do a worksheet, you can find many free worksheets online about the simple past tense. Try this one to start.
Now, click the button to go to the Writing Exercise.
Click this button to go back to the Speaking Exercise.
