Ampersand Lab

Foundation grammar · Lesson 11 · A1

worked/got/went etc. (past simple)

The past simple is the same for every person. Regular verbs add -ed (worked, stayed); irregular verbs have their own forms (got, went, saw), and they simply have to be learnt.

Start the lesson

17Steps · about 34 minutes

In this lesson

The past simpleA1 screen of questions
Regular verbs: -edB2 screens of questions
Irregular verbsC5 screens of questions
Put it together+4 screens of mixed questions

Point A of 3

The past simple

They watch the telly every evening. That is the present simple.

They watched the telly yesterday evening. That is the past simple.

The past simple is the same for I, you, we, they, he, she, it: I watched, she watched, they watched.

  • They watch the telly every evening.
  • They watched the telly yesterday evening.

Point A · Extra practice

Put the verb into the past simple.

  1. We a film on the telly last night. (watch)

  2. She in York when she was a student. (live)

  3. I my mum yesterday. (phone)

Point B of 3

Regular verbs: -ed

Regular verbs make the past simple with -ed: walk, walked; play, played; open, opened; live, lived; want, wanted; smile, smiled.

Watch the spelling: carry, carried; marry, married; cry, cried; drop, dropped; travel, travelled.

  • I walk the dog every evening. Last night I walked him twice because he wouldn't settle.
  • My aunt lived in Glasgow from 1995 to 2010.
  • It snowed all night. It stopped just before breakfast.
  • We loved the wedding. We danced until midnight and chatted to everyone.
  • The party finished at midnight.

Point B · Exercise 11.1 · part 1 of 2

Complete the sentences with one of these verbs in the past simple: clean, die, enjoy, finish, happen, open, rain, start, stay, want.

Use these

cleandieenjoyfinishhappenopenrainstartstaywant

  1. Example

    I cleaned my teeth three times yesterday.

    AnswerI cleaned my teeth three times yesterday.

  2. The kitchen was full of smoke, so I the back door.

  3. The concert at half seven and at ten o'clock.

  4. When I was little, I to be a pilot.

  5. The accident last Sunday afternoon.

Point B · Exercise 11.1 · part 2 of 2

Complete the sentences with one of these verbs in the past simple: clean, die, enjoy, finish, happen, open, rain, start, stay, want.

Use these

cleandieenjoyfinishhappenopenrainstartstaywant

  1. It's sunny now, but on Saturday it from morning till night.

  2. We our holiday last year. We at a lovely place by a lake.

  3. Ann's grandad when he was ninety-four.

Point C of 3

Irregular verbs

Irregular verbs do not add -ed. They have their own past form, and you have to learn them. These are the most common ones:
begin, began fall, fell leave, left sell, sold
break, broke find, found lose, lost sit, sat
bring, brought fly, flew make, made sleep, slept
buy, bought forget, forgot meet, met speak, spoke
catch, caught get, got pay, paid stand, stood
come, came give, gave put, put take, took
do, did go, went read, read tell, told
drink, drank have, had ring, rang think, thought
eat, ate hear, heard say, said win, won
know, knew see, saw write, wrote
  • I normally leave the house at eight, but today I left at ten past.
  • We did loads of gardening on Sunday.
  • Ravi went swimming four times last week.
  • Lucy came in, put down her bag and made a cup of tea.

Point C · Exercise 11.2 · part 1 of 3

Write the past simple of these verbs.

  1. Example

    get: got

    Answerget, got

  2. see:

  3. play:

  4. pay:

  5. visit:

Point C · Exercise 11.2 · part 2 of 3

Write the past simple of these verbs.

  1. buy:

  2. go:

  3. think:

  4. copy:

Point C · Exercise 11.2 · part 3 of 3

Write the past simple of these verbs.

  1. know:

  2. put:

  3. speak:

Point C · Exercise 11.3 · part 1 of 2

Read about Lisa's trip to Lisbon. Put the verbs in brackets into the past simple.

  1. Example

    Last Tuesday Lisa flew (fly) from Manchester to Lisbon.

    AnswerLast Tuesday Lisa flew from Manchester to Lisbon.

  2. She (get) up at five o'clock in the morning and (have) a cup of tea.

  3. At half five she (leave) home and (drive) to the airport.

  4. When she (arrive), she (park) the car and then (go) to the airport café,

  5. where she (have) breakfast. Then she (go) through security

Point C · Exercise 11.3 · part 2 of 2

Read about Lisa's trip to Lisbon. Put the verbs in brackets into the past simple.

  1. and (wait) for her flight. The plane (depart) on time

  2. and (arrive) in Lisbon two and a half hours later.

  3. In the end she (take) the bus from the station to her cousin's flat.

Put it together · Exercise 11.4 · part 1 of 2

Write sentences about the past.

  1. Example

    Jim always cycles to work. Yesterday he cycled to work.

    AnswerJim always cycles to work. Yesterday he cycled to work.

  2. Rachel often loses her phone. She last week.

  3. Liam phones his mum every evening. He yesterday evening.

  4. I usually buy a paper every day. Yesterday I .

  5. We usually go swimming on Sundays. Last Sunday we .

Put it together · Exercise 11.4 · part 2 of 2

Write sentences about the past.

  1. I eat an apple every day. Yesterday I .

  2. Tom always has a bath in the evening. Yesterday evening he .

  3. Our friends come round every Friday. They last Friday.

Put it together · Exercise 11.5 · part 1 of 2

Write sentences about what you did yesterday.

  1. Example

    Something you did in the morning.

    I played football yesterday morning.

    Example answerI played football yesterday morning.

  2. Something you ate.

  3. Somewhere you went.

  4. Somebody you saw or spoke to.

  5. Something you watched, read or listened to.

Put it together · Exercise 11.5 · part 2 of 2

Write sentences about what you did yesterday.

  1. What time you went to bed.

Lesson 11 · Result

How you did

Next lesson: I didn't ... Did you ... ? (past simple negative and questions)Back to the course

–Right

Each point

A. The past simple–Not checkedB. Regular verbs: -ed–Not checkedC. Irregular verbs–Not checkedPut it together–Not checked