Practice Makes Perfect

61
The Simple Past Tense
The simple past is used to describe an action that happened in the recent past. Fol-
low these rules to create the simple past tense with regular verbs.
 
Delete y and add
-ied 
to the simple
 
 
form of the verb if
 
 
the verb ends in y 
Add -ed to the simple 
Add only -d if the 
preceded by a
form of the verb. 
verb ends in e. consonant.
to visit 
to believe 
to cry
I visited 
I believed 
I cried
you visited 
you believed 
you cried
he visited 
he believed 
he cried
she visited 
she believed 
she cried
it visited 
it believed 
it cried
we visited 
we believed 
we cried
they visited 
they believed 
they cried
 When 
-ed is added 
The ending of all 
When -ed is added to 
to verbs that end 
other regular verbs 
verbs that end in d, in 
t, pronounce 
is pronounced as 
pronounce the last 
the last syllable
one syllable when 
syllable separately. 
separately. 
-ed is added.
to need 
to want 
to open 
I need-ed 
I want-ed 
I opened 
you need-ed 
you want-ed 
you opened
he need-ed 
he want-ed 
he opened
she need-ed 
she want-ed 
she opened
it need-ed 
it want-ed 
it opened
we need-ed 
we want-ed 
we opened
they need-ed 
they want-ed 
they opened
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 62
practice makes perfect Basic 
English
16·1
EXERCISE
Use your dictionary to find the meaning of the following verbs and vocabulary words 
needed for this exercise before you begin. Write the words in your language in the space 
provided.
to answer 
to reward 
to increase 
to notice 
to share 
to land 
to kill 
to dry 
to try 
to sign 
to lie 
to challenge
hair dryer 
ditch 
upside down
inside out 
snack 
another 
lease 
eel 
age 
toad 
sweater 
building 
Rewrite the following sentences in the simple past tense by adding 
-ed
 or 
-ied
 to the simple form of the 
verb in parentheses.
1. I (to use) my hair dryer to dry my hair. 
2. We (to try) a new recipe last night. 
3. Thomas (to answer) the phone. 
4. I (to notice) that your sweater was inside out. 
5. The car (to land) upside down in the ditch. 
6. She (to share) her snack with her friends at school yesterday. 
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7. The minimum wage (to increase) last year. 
8. Suzanne (to lie) about her age. 
9. My company (to sign) the lease for our building for another three years. 
10. The teacher (to challenge) her students and (to reward) them for their hard work. 
11. The eel (to kill) the toad. 
16·2
EXERCISE
Use your dictionary to find the meaning of the following verbs and vocabulary words 
needed for this exercise before you begin. Write the words in your language in the space 
provided.
to destroy 
to please
to describe 
to expect
to rain 
to serve 
to knock 
to deny 
to borrow 
to accept
to avoid 
to marry
to move 
to arrest 
to tidy 
to prove 
to decide 
to join 
to obtain 
to paint 
in-line skates
in detail 
contract 
someone
lawn 
weekend
accident 
terms
everybody 
audience
The Simple Past Tense
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 64
practice makes perfect Basic 
English
innocent conditions
plain 
passport
army 
court 
door 
alert 
makeup appetizer
collision singer 
doctor 
police 
Complete the sentences using the simple past tense by adding 
-ed
 or 
-ied 
to the simple form of these 
regular verbs.
1. We (to accept) the terms and conditions of the contract.
2. My brother (to join) the army.
3. My neighbors (to move) to Vancouver.
4. Someone (to knock) on the door.
5. He (to describe) the accident in detail.
6. I (to prove) that I was innocent in court.
7. The man (to deny) everything.
8. Tina (to borrow) my in-line skates.
9. They (to watch) the kids in the pool.
10. She (to use) my makeup.
11. I (to tidy) the house for my mother.
12. It (to rain) all day.
13. My husband (to paint) the bathroom on the weekend.
14. I was alert and I (to avoid) the collision.
15. We (to push) the baby in the carriage.
16. My cousin (to marry) a doctor.
17. The singer (to please) the audience.
18. Your dog (to destroy) my lawn.
19. We (to serve) appetizers to our guests.
20. Mike (to obtain) his passport.
21. The police (to arrest) everybody.
22. We (to order) a plain pizza last night.
23. I (to decide) to learn English.
24. We (to expect) to see you there.
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