GRAMMAR & STRUCTURE
Past Simple

Definition

The past simple describes events in the past.

Example

I walked to work yesterday.

Explanation

Simple past:

• describes actions completed in the past
• uses time expressions to show when the action happened in the past
  -yesterday, last week, last year, in 1989 are examples of time expressions
• adds "ed" to the verb for regular verbs
• has irregular verb forms
• uses the auxiliary "did" + not to make negative simple past sentences
• uses the same structure as the present simple for questions

Related Sections

Questions
Past Continuous
Past Time Expressions