Simple Past

Go + verb that implies a recreational activity the second verb must go in –ING.
Go dancing go camping go swimming go jogging go running go walking
Go fishing go sightseeing.

Spelling of –ED and –ING Forms

Verbs that end in a consonant Hope Hoped Hoping -ING form: if the verb ends in
+E Date Dated Dating E, drop the E and then add –
Injure injured Injuring ING.

-ED form: if the verb ends en

E, just add –D.
Verbs that end in a consonant One-syllable Verbs -ING form: if the verb ends in a
+ vowel + consonant Stop Stopped Stopping consonant + vowel +
Rob Robbed Robbing consonant double the last
Beg Begged Begging consonant and then add –ING.

Verbs that end in vowel + Rain Rained Raining -ED form: if the verb ends in a
vowel + consonant Fool Fooled Fooling consonant + vowel +
Dream Dreamed Dreaming consonant, double the last
Dreamed dreamt consonant and then add –ED
Smelled smelt
If the verb ends in two vowels
+ a consonant just add –ING or
–ED.
Verbs that end in a consonant Two-syllable Verbs
+ vowel + consonant

First Syllable Stressed Listen Listened Listening If the first syllable is stressed in
Offer Offered Offering a two-syllable verb, just add –
Open Opened Opening ING or –ED.

Second Syllable Stressed Begin - Beginning If the second syllable is

Prefer Preferred Preferring stressed in a two-syllable verb,
control Controlled Controlling double the last consonant and
then add –ING or –ED.
Verbs that end in two Start Started Starting If the verb ends in two
consonants Fold Folded Folding consonants just add –ING or –
Demand Demanded Demanding ED.
Verbs that en in –Y

Verbs that end in vowel + Y Enjoy Enjoyed Enjoying If the verb ends in vowel + Y
Pray Prayed Praying just add –ING or –ED.
Buy - Buying

Verbs that end in consonant + Study Studied Studying -ED form: If the verb ends in
Y Try Tried Trying consonant + Y. Drop the –Y
Reply Replied Replying and then add –ED.

-ING form: If the verb ends in

consonant + Y, keep the – Y
and then add –ING.
Verbs that end in –IE Die Died Dying -ING form: for those verbs that
Tie Tied Tying end in –IE change the –IE to a
Lie Lied Lying –Y and then add –ING.

-ED form: for those verbs that

end in –IE just add -D
Read and complete with the verbs in the box.

copied liked looked painted stayed

stopped traveled used visited walked

Last Saturday, we (a) ______ a big art gallery in New York. We (b) ______by bus. The bus (c) ______
near a park. We (d) ______ through the park to the museum. In the gallery we (e) ______ at a lot of
paintings and drawings. After that, we (f) ______ our favorite painting in our notebooks. On Sunday
morning, I (g) ______ in bed late. I was tired! In the afternoon, I (h) ______ a picture for my mom. I (i)
______ lots of different colors. My mom was happy – she (j) ______ my picture a lot!

Past Simple Tense Exercises

1) Complete the sentences with the SIMPLE PAST of the verbs in parentheses:

a) They ______ (watch) TV last night.

b) Priscilla ______ (talk) to her friends all day.
c) I ______ (have) a terrible headache yesterday.
d) Bob ______ (come) home from school late.
e) They ______ (arrive) late and ______ (miss) the bus.
f) She ______ (study) hard and ______ (pass) the exam.
g) He ______ (call) the office to tell them he was sick.
h) I ______ (speak) to the director as he was leaving the room.
i) Dr. Johnson _______ (get up) early this morning.
j) Mary ______ (do) her homework and ______ (go) to school.
k) Chris ______ (find) a ten-dollar bill.
l) The dog ______ (follow) us down the road.
m) Those students ______ (work) hard last semester.
n) Jimmy ______ (stop) at the corner and ______ (call) us.
o) I ______ (try) to talk to Helen last night.
p) I ______ (pay) the phone bill yesterday.
q) My dad ______ (catch) a cold when he ______ (be) in Canada.
r) She ______ (leave) home early yesterday.
s) They ______ (know) each other very well when they ______ (be) kids.

2) Write questions or negatives sentences:

a) She visited her parents last weekend.

Question: ___________________________________________________________?

b) He cleaned his room before school.

Question: ___________________________________________________________?
c) The teacher found the missing exams.
Question: ____________________________________________________________?

d) Tom wanted to go to the movies alone.

Question: ___________________________________________________________?

e) Helena offered Henrique a piece of cake.

Question: ___________________________________________________________?

f) I knew what to do.

Question: ____________________________________________________________?

g) Alexander helped Anita with her homework.

Question: ___________________________________________________________?

h) You ate cookies after dinner.

Question: ____________________________________________________________?

i) You talked to her earlier.

Question: ___________________________________________________________?

j) We turned off the TV after the news.

Question: ____________________________________________________________?

k) He drank only a coke at the party.

Question: ___________________________________________________________?

l) Mom made breakfast early.

Question: __________________________________________________________?

3. Complete the text using the correct tense and form of the verbs on the right.

A Biography

My aunt Nancy was born in England, but now she

(1) ______ in Perth, Australia. She (2) ______ to Go, die, live
Australia in 1985 when her husband, my uncle
Jack, (3) ______.

She (4) ______ 80 years old now, but she

still (5) ______. She’s an artist. She (6) ______ Love, work, be, have, paint
pictures of cats for birthday cards. She (7) ______
cats – she (8) ______ twenty-five!

She (9) ______ painting in 1986. At first

she (10) ______ for a hobby, but then in 1989 (11) Start, like, paint, buy, begin
______ making and selling birthday cards. A lot of
people (12) ______ them and (13) ______ them.

She usually (14) ______ work at 7: 00 in

the morning and (15) ______ at 5:00 in the Go, start, finish
evening. Then she (16) ______ swimming.

Last year I (17) ______ to Australia and I

(18) ______ with her for two weeks. I (19) ______ Have, visit, stay
a very good holiday.
Regular Verbs: Pronunciation of –ED Endings

Final –ed has three different pronunciations: /t/, /d/, and /∂d/
 Looked = look/t/ Final –ed is pronounced /t/ after voiceless sounds.
 Clapped = clap/t/ Voiceless sounds are made by pushing air through
 Missed = miss/t/ your mouth no sound comes from your throat.
 Watched = watch/t/
 Finished = finish/t/ Voiceless sounds: k, p, s, ch, sh, t, x, gh (sounds
 Laughed = laugh/t/ like /f/
 Boxed = box/t/
 Smelled = smell/d/ Final –ed is pronounced /d/ after voiced sounds.
 Saved = save/d/ Voiced sounds come from your throat. If you touch
 Cleaned = clean/d/ your neck when you make a voiced sound, you can
 Robbed = rob/d/ feel your voice box vibrate.
 Played = play/d/
 Roamed = roam/d/ Voiced sounds: l, v, n, b, r, y /aɪ/, m, dge /dʒ/ and
all the vowel sounds like “ay” and “oy”
 Judged = judge/d/
 Poured = pour/d/
 Dried =dri/d/
 Enjoyed = enjoy/d/
 Decided = decide/∂d/ Final –ed is pronounced /∂d/ after “t” and “d”
 Needed = need/∂d/ sounds. The /∂d/ adds a whole syllable to a word.
 Wanted = want/∂d/
 Invited = invite/∂d/ Compare:

Looked = one syllable = look/t/

Smelled = one syllable = smell/t/
Needed = two syllables = need/∂d/
Wanted = two syllables = want/∂d/