The Simple Past Tense

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Click here for the Present Simple

Go here for the Past Progressive

How to properly use the simple past

The simple past tense is used to describe actions that happened in the past at a given time or a period of time in the past and are completed or no longer happening. It is used to talk about specific events or actions that occurred at a definite time in the past. Here are some examples of how the simple past tense is used.

Function:

1st Specific time in the past

(Notice the time element on each sentence)

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1. She finished her homework at 10 p.m. last night.
2. They traveled to Paris during their summer vacation in 2019.
3. He bought a new car last month.
4. We visited the museum yesterday afternoon.
5. The concert started at 8 o’clock last Saturday.
6. I met my friend for lunch earlier today.
7. They attended a wedding ceremony last week.
8. She cooked a delicious dinner for her family on Tuesday.
9. He completed his degree in 2015.
10. We celebrated my grandmother’s birthday on her actual birthdate, February 12th.

DRILL

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Instruction:

Play the audio, answer the questions.
Answer like this:
Did she finish her homework?
Yes, She did. She finished her homework.
Did they travel to Paris?
Yes, they did. They traveled to Paris

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Instruction:

Play the audio, answer the questions.
Answer like this:
What time did she finished her homework?
She finished her homework at 10 p.m. last night.
When did they travel to Paris?
They traveled to Paris during their summer vacation in 2019.

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2nd Period of time in the past

(Notice the time element on each sentence)

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1. She lived in London for five years.
2. They studied French for three semesters in college.
3. He worked at the company from 2008 to 2015.
4. We traveled through Europe for two months last summer.
5. The project took six weeks to complete.
6. I stayed in that hotel for a week during my business trip.
7. They played soccer together for several years before joining different teams.
8. She practiced the piano every day for two hours.
9. He volunteered at the animal shelter for six weeks.
10. We lived in that house for ten years before moving to a new city.