The Past Simple Tense

1. The Past Simple Tense

2. We use the past continuous to describe a longer action. I spoke to Tom yesterday. I was speaking to Tom yesterday.

3. Affirmative Negative Yes/No-Q Simple past I wrote a poem . I didn’twrite a poem Didyouwrite a poem? Past continuous Hewaswritinga poem Theywerewriting a poem He wasn’twriting a poem Theyweren’twriting a poem Was he writing a poem? Weretheywriting a poem? Wh-Q What did you write? What was he writing? What were they writing ?

4. Time Expressions yesterday in 2011 when / while last week/ month/ year… a week/ month / year ago

5. Past Simple: Regular Verbs • The Past Simple tense of the most English verbs (regular verbs) is formed by adding "-ed"/"-d" to their base form. (If the verb ends in "-e", we add "-d" to form the past simple) Examples: • We arrived at 9:00 o'clock. • My brother lived in London four years ago. • When she was young, she danced beautifully.

6. Irregular Verbs • There are also some verbs called irregular verbs that have special past tense forms. See list of irregular verbs • We went (go) to school yesterday. • The children read (read) that story last year. • Tamar wrote (write) the letter to her friend on Sunday. • The students forgot (forget) to do the homework.

7. Past Simple or Past Continuous? • a) Yesterday evening I . . . (work) hard till late because I . . . . .(have) a difficult task to do. • The teacher . . . . .(not talk) when Mary arrived. • They . . . . . .(not watch) TV when their parents arrived • My mother . . . . (give) me a new CD and my sister and I . . . . . . . (listen) to it immediately.

8. Change into negative • Christopher Columbus discovered India. • Christopher Columbus didn’t discover India • Emma was reading a book. • Emma wasn’t reading a book • Ahmed won the football cup. • Ahmed didn’t win the football cup. • Ben and Chris were eating lunch • Ben and Chris weren’t eating lunch.

9. The End