32 Past Simple Affirmative
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Introduction
The past simple is the tense used to express situations, events and actions that happened in the past.
When expressed in its affirmative form, the verb confirms something about the subject.
Form
The past simple of regular verbs, in their affirmative form, has this structure:
Regular
Subject + Verb (Past tense) + …
- We add -ed at the end of the verb:
| Subject | Verb (past tense) |
|---|---|
| I | worked |
| You | worked |
| He | worked |
| She | worked |
| It | worked |
| We | worked |
| You | worked |
| They | worked |
Exceptions
The exceptions of the past simple in their affirmative form are:
- Verbs with suffix -e: add only -d:
| Infinitive | Verb (past tense) |
|---|---|
| hope | hoped |
| decide | decided |
| arrive | arrived |
- Verbs with suffix -y preceded by a consonant: change -y to -i and add -ed:
| Infinitive | Verb (past tense) |
|---|---|
| study | studied |
| cry | cried |
| worry | worried |
- Verbs with a consonant (except: w, y) preceded by a stressed vowel: double the consonant and add -ed:
| Infinitive | Verb (past tense) |
|---|---|
| stop | stopped |
| ban | banned |
| travel | travelled |
Example
Regular
- I planted some trees yesterday.
- He lived in the mountains for 8 years.
- They visited the capital in 2012.
Exceptions
Base form with -e
- I hoped to go skiing.
- The school decided that all children must do exercise.
- They arrived at the city centre.
Consonant + -y
- I studied about plants for the exams.
- Their children cried all the time at the game.
- He applied to do gymnastics professionally.
Stressed vowel + consonant suffix
- He stopped doing exercise long ago.
- My friend suggested playing the banned game.
- They travelled all over the place.
Use
We use past simple, in the affirmative form, to confirm:
- Actions, situations and events that occurred and finished in the past;
- Repeated events and habits that took place in the past;
- Past events and with time expressions such as: two weeks ago, last year, in 2010, yesterday…
Summary
We use the past simple, in the affirmative form, to confirm situations and events that occurred and finished or were repeated in the past. We also use it with some time expressions. The past simple form is made by adding -ed at the end of the verb.
When we use the past simple in its affirmative form, we start with the subject followed by the verb in the past tense.
For example:
— “They worked on an important project yesterday.” = The sentence is in the past simple affirmative, so we add -ed at the end of the verb work (worked).
The past simple tense of regular verbs is formed differently depending on the base form of the verb used.
For example:
— With suffix -e, we just add -d: “I dance.” ⇒ “I danced.”
— With suffix -y, we change –y to i and add -ed: “I try.” ⇒ “I tried.”
— With suffix with stressed vowel + consonant (except -w and -y), we double the consonant and add -ed: “I plan.” ⇒ “I planned.”
Let’s revise this content within the {Form} section. Take a look at the {Example} section that shows its use within a context.
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