Simple Past: Regular Verbs

Introduction

The simple past tense is one of the most common tenses in English. Its form is the same with all subjects. It is usually formed by adding -ED to the verb. This page will explain the rules for forming the tense with regular verbs.

1. Forming the simple past tense

With most verbs, the simple past is created simply by adding -ED. However, with some verbs, you need to add -D or change the ending a little. Here are the rules:

Verb ending in...	How to make the simple past	Examples
e	Add -D	live lived date dated
Consonant +y	Change y to i, then add -ED	try tried cry cried
One vowel + one consonant (but NOT w or y)	Double the consonant, then add -ED	tap tapped commit committed
anything else including w	Add -ED	boil boiled fill filled hand handed show showed

When you are sure that you understand the lesson, you can continue with the exercises.

Simple Past: Regular Verbs 1

Choose the correct past tense form for each verb.

Click on the button beside the correct answer.

1 / 10

1. fail
   1.   failled
   2.   failied
   3.   failed
2. marry
   1.   marryyed
   2.   married
   3.   marryed
3. play
   1.   playyed
   2.   plaied
   3.   played
4. bathe
   1.   bathed
   2.   bathhed
   3.   bathied
5. rely
   1.   relyed
   2.   relied
   3.   rellyed
6. permit
   1.   permited
   2.   permitied
   3.   permitted
7. share
   1.   shared
   2.   sharred
   3.   sharied
8. depart
   1.   departied
   2.   departed
   3.   departted
9. trap
   1.   trapped
   2.   trapied
   3.   traped
10. show
    1.   showwed
    2.   showied
    3.   showed

Forming the Simple Past Tense (Regular Verbs)

Put the verb in brackets in the correct simple past form.

Type all of your answers in the spaces and the and click on "Check answers". If you need help, click "Show a letter".

My grandfather had a very exciting life. When he was young, he (live) on a farm in the country. His parents (raise) cattle, and he (look) after the cows. When he was eighteen, he went to university, where he (study) Philosophy. He also (play) the trumpet in a jazz band. When the war started, he (try) to join the Air Force, but he (end) up in the Navy. In the Atlantic, a German torpedo (rip) a hole in the side of his ship, and the ship sank. Only five men (escape). They (sail) in a lifeboat back to England. Then he met my grandmother, and they (marry) after only three weeks. He says now that he (want) to marry her very quickly in case he (die) in the war.

Simple Past: Regular and Irregular Verbs

Put the verb in brackets in the correct simple past form. Note that some of these verbs are REGULAR and some are IRREGULAR.

Type all of your answers in the spaces and then click on "Check answers". If you need help, click "Show a letter".

Emily Carr, British Columbia's most famous artist, (be) born in 1871. Her parents (die) when she was still a teenager. She (study) art in San Francisco and Paris, but when she (come) back to Victoria, she (keep) a house called "The House of All Sorts", where she (be) the landlady. Many years later, she (begin) painting again. To find subjects for her paintings, she (take) trips into the forests of British Columbia, and she often (meet) with the First Nations people and (paint) them too. Emily Carr also (write) several books, and she (win) the Governor General's Award for one of them.

Simple Past: Irregular Verbs

Introduction

Although many verbs in English form their past tense with -ED, some do not. These are called irregular verbs, and they include some of the most basic verbs in English. This page will explain some of the most important patterns in forming the past tense. However, the only way to know how an irregular verb will change in the past tense is to learn all of the important verbs.

1. The three most important irregular verbs

The three most important irregular verbs are BE, HAVE, and DO. The simple past forms for BE are different depending on the subject.

Pronoun	BE	HAVE	DO
I	was	had	did
You	were	had	did
He / she / it	was	had	did
We	were	had	did
They	were	had	did

2. Other irregular verbs

Other irregular verbs fall into three main categories:

Category	Examples
Verbs which don't change	cut - cut hit - hit fit - fit
Verbs which change their vowel	get - got sit - sat drink - drank
Verbs which change completely	catch - caught bring - brought teach - taught

When you are sure that you understand the lesson, you can continue with the exercises.

Simple Past: Irregular Verbs

Choose the correct past tense form for each verb.

Click on the button beside the correct answer.

1 / 10

1. drink
   1.   drink
   2.   drank
   3.   drunk
2. catch
   1.   caught
   2.   catched
   3.   catch
3. have
   1.   have
   2.   hove
   3.   had
4. cut
   1.   cutted
   2.   cut
   3.   caught
5. teach
   1.   teached
   2.   taught
   3.   teach
6. get
   1.   get
   2.   gought
   3.   got
7. fit
   1.   fat
   2.   fought
   3.   fit
8. bring
   1.   brought
   2.   brang
   3.   bringed
9. set
   1.   sat
   2.   set
   3.   sought
10. find
    1.   found
    2.   fand
    3.   find

    Simple Past: Regular and Irregular Verbs

    Put the verb in brackets in the correct simple past form. Note that some of these verbs are REGULAR and some are IRREGULAR.

Type all of your answers in the spaces and then click on "Check answers". If you need help, click "Show a letter".

Emily Carr, British Columbia's most famous artist, (be) born in 1871. Her parents (die) when she was still a teenager. She (study) art in San Francisco and Paris, but when she (come) back to Victoria, she (keep) a house called "The House of All Sorts", where she (be) the landlady. Many years later, she (begin) painting again. To find subjects for her paintings, she (take) trips into the forests of British Columbia, and she often (meet) with the First Nations people and (paint) them too. Emily Carr also (write) several books, and she (win) the Governor General's Award for one of them.