Simple Past Tense

The simple past tense shows action that has already occurred. To form the simple past tense of regular verbs, we add ed.

talk—talked
bark—barked
walk—walked
work—worked
squawk—squawked
toss—tossed
gawk—gawked

When a one-syllable verb ends in a single consonant, we double the consonant and add ed.

chip—chipped
tap—tapped
bat—batted
rub—rubbed
mop—mopped
slip—slipped
hop—hopped

When a verb ends in e, we drop the e and add ed.

rake—raked
live—lived
bake—baked
writhe—writhed
regulate—regulated
tithe—tithed

When the verb ends in y, we change the y to i and add ed.

try—tried
supply—supplied
rely—relied
apply—applied
party—partied

Examples 1

Write the simple past tense form of each verb.

1. slap
5. worry
9. share
13. muddy

2. care
6. move
10. reply
14. promote

3. cry
7. chat
11. shove

4. pat
8. study
12. wrap

Solutions

We write the simple past tense verbs as follows:

  1. slapped (Since this is a short verb ending in a consonant, we double the consonant and add ed.)
  2. cared (The verb ends in e, so we drop the e and add ed.)
  3. cried (The verb ends in y, so we change the y to i and add ed.)
  4. patted (Since this is a short verb ending in a consonant, we double the consonant and add ed.)
  5. worried (The verb ends in y, so we change the y to i and add ed.)
  6. moved (The verb ends in e, so we drop the e and add ed.)
  7. chatted (Since this is a short verb ending in a consonant, we double the consonant and add ed.)
  8. studied (The verb ends in y, so we change the y to i and add ed.)
  9. shared (The verb ends in e, so we drop the e and add ed.)
  10. replied (The verb ends in y, so we change the y to i and add ed.)
  11. shoved (The verb ends in e, so we drop the e and add ed.)
  12. wrapped (Since this is a short verb ending in a consonant, we double the consonant and add ed.)
  13. muddied (The verb ends in y, so we change the y to i and add ed.)
  14. promoted (The verb ends in e, so we drop the e and add ed.)

Errors to Avoid

Do not use the present tense form in place of the simple past tense.

  • NO: Yesterday, Ben calls me twice.
  • YES: Yesterday, Ben called me twice.
  • NO: Last night, we work late.
  • YES: Last night, we worked late.
  • NO: A week ago, Mia studies the map.
  • YES: A week ago, Mia studied the map.
  • NO: Last night, I look everywhere.
  • YES: Last night, I looked everywhere.
  • NO: A week ago, Sam tries to find me.
  • YES: A week ago, Sam tried to find me.
  • NO: Timothy fries doughnuts earlier this morning.
  • YES: Timothy fried doughnuts earlier this morning.
  • NO: Last week, they elect officers.
  • YES: Last week, they elected officers.
  • NO: The judges reply earlier this morning. 
  • YES: The judges replied earlier this morning.

Do not shift from past to present in the same phrase.

  • NO: She looked everywhere but discovers nothing. 
  • YES: She looked everywhere but discovered nothing.
  • NO: The sparrow chirped and flaps its wings. 
  • YES: The sparrow chirped and flapped its wings.
  • NO: The captain deserted his troops and shows up later to apologize.
  • YES: The captain deserted his troops and showed up later to apologize.
  • NO: Yesterday, he raised the flag at daybreak and lowers it at sundown.
  • YES: Yesterday, he raised the flag at daybreak and lowered it at sundown.
  • NO: The House impeached and removes the offending public official. 
  • YES: The House impeached and removed the offending public official.

Examples 2

Choose the correct form of the verb to complete each sentence.

  1. Daniel washed the dishes and (mops, mopped) the floor.
  2. A while ago, I (slip, slipped) on the icy walkway.
  3. Last night, the puppy (barks, barked) for several hours.
  4. Geraldine baked vanilla cupcakes and (frosts, frosted) them with chocolate icing.
  5. While watching the video, we (pop, popped) popcorn and ate it.
  6. James drew a picture of the Capitol and (paints, painted) it white.
  7. While discussing politics, we (sip, sipped) our tea and ate our cookies.

Solution

  1. Daniel washed the dishes and mopped the floor.
  2. A while ago, I slipped on the icy walkway.
  3. Last night, the puppy barked for several hours.
  4. Geraldine baked vanilla cupcakes and frosted them with chocolate icing.
  5. While watching the video, we popped popcorn and ate it.
  6. James drew a picture of the Capitol and painted it white.
  7. While discussing politics, we sipped our tea and ate our cookies.