Past Simple tense

                            Past Simple tense

Use:

• We use the past tense to talk about something that happened once in the past:

1. I met my wife in 1983.
2. We went to Spain for our holidays.
3. They got home very late last night.

•    something that happened again and again in the past:

1. When I was a boy I walked a mile to school every day.
2. We swam a lot while we were on holiday.
3. They always enjoyed visiting their friends.

•     something that was true for some time in the past:

1. I lived abroad for ten years.
2. He enjoyed being a student.
3. She played a lot of tennis when she was younger.

•      we often use phrases with ago with the past tense:

1. I met my wife a long time ago.

Structure of sentences:

Positive Sentence:     

     

      • Subject + main verb (past simple) + object
      • Subject + 2nd form of verb (past simple) + object
    

Examples

1.               I killed a snake.
2.              He ate a mango.

Negative sentences:
      

     • Subject + (auxiliary verb + not) main verb (base form) + object
       • Subject + did not + 1st form of verb or base form + object

In negative sentence “did not” is written and the 1st form of verb (base verb) is used instead of using 2nd form (or past simple verb).

Examples.

1.              I did not kill a snake.
2.        .     He did not eat a mango.

Interrogative sentences:    

     

     • Auxiliary verb + subject + main verb (base verb) + object
       • Did + subject + 1st form of verb (or base verb) + object

Interrogative sentence starts with “did” and the 1st form of verb (base verb) is used instead of using 2nd form (or past simple verb).

Examples

1.              Did I kill a snake?
2.                 Did he eat a mango?