Unit Simple Past

Simple Past: 

Simple Past August & September 2011

Use of Simple Past: 

Use of Simple Past Actions which happened at a definite stated time in the past Past habits Use the Simple Past to express the idea that an action started and finished at a specific time in the past. Sometimes, the speaker may not actually mention the specific time, but they do have one specific time in mind. Examples: I saw you yesterday. I didn't see a play yesterday. Last year, I traveled to Germany. Last year, I didn't travel to Canada. Did you have dinner last night? She washed her car. He didn't wash his car.

Use of Simple Past: 

Use of Simple Past USE 2 A Series of Completed Actions We use the Simple Past to list a series of completed actions in the past. These actions happen 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and so on. Examples: I finished work, walked to the beach, and found a nice place to swim. He arrived from the airport at 8:00, checked into the hotel at 9:00, and met the others at 10:00. Did you add flour, pour in the milk, and then add the eggs?

Use of Simple Past: 

Use of Simple Past USE 3 Duration in Past The Simple Past can be used with a duration which starts and stops in the past. A duration is a longer action often indicated by expressions such as: for two years, for five minutes, all day, all year, etc. Examples: I lived in Brazil for two years. Shauna studied Japanese for five years. They sat at the beach all day. They did not stay at the party the entire time. We talked on the phone for thirty minutes. A: How long did you wait for them? B: We waited for one hour.

Use of Simple Past: 

Use of Simple Past USE 4 Habits in the Past The Simple Past can also be used to describe a habit which stopped in the past. It can have the same meaning as " used to ." To make it clear that we are talking about a habit, we often add expressions such as: always, often, usually, never, when I was a child, when I was younger, etc. Examples: I studied French when I was a child. He played the violin. He didn't play the piano. Did you play a musical instrument when you were a kid? She worked at the movie theater after school. They never went to school, they always skipped class.

Use of Simple Past: 

Use of Simple Past USE 5 Past Facts or Generalizations The Simple Past can also be used to describe past facts or generalizations which are no longer true. As in USE 4 above, this use of the Simple Past is quite similar to the expression " used to ." Examples: She was shy as a child, but now she is very outgoing. He didn't like tomatoes before. Did you live in Texas when you were a kid? People paid much more to make cell phone calls in the past.

IMPORTANT When-Clauses Happen First: 

IMPORTANT When-Clauses Happen First Clauses are groups of words which have meaning but are often not complete sentences. Some clauses begin with the word "when" such as "when I dropped my pen..." or "when class began..." These clauses are called when-clauses, and they are very important. The examples below contain when-clauses.

Samples of when-clauses:: 

Samples of when-clauses : When I paid her one dollar , she answered my question. She answered my question when I paid her one dollar . When-clauses are important because they always happen first when both clauses are in the Simple Past. Both of the examples above mean the same thing: first, I paid her one dollar, and then, she answered my question. It is not important whether "when I paid her one dollar" is at the beginning of the sentence or at the end of the sentence. However, the example below has a different meaning. First, she answered my question, and then, I paid her one dollar. Example: I paid her one dollar when she answered my question .

Affirmative form:: 

Affirmative form : We form the past simple of regular verbs by adding - ed to the main verb We form questions and negative sentences with did/did not (didn’t) and the base form of the verb.

Negative form:: 

Negative form : Negative We form negative sentences with did not / didn’t and the main verb without – ed

Interrogative form:: 

Interrogative form : Interrogative We form questions with the auxiliary verb did, the subject pronoun and the main verb without – ed , or in simple present. In short answers we only use Yes or No, the subject pronoun and the auxiliary verb did/didn’t. we do not repeat the whole question. Remember the question mark goes at the end of the question (?)

Slide 12: 

Read the text below and check the use of the simple past

A NATION OF IMMIGRANTS: 

A NATION OF IMMIGRANTS By the time American independence was declared in 1776, two-fifths of all settlers were of non- English origin . The firts U.S. census , taken in 1790, revealed a population of just under four million people , with about 10,000 new settlers arriving each year . When the U.S. goverment began keeping records of arriving passengers in 1820, the majority of immigrants were from Nothern Europe ; by the end of the 18th. Century , they came largely from Southern and Eastern Europe . Today , the majority arrive from Latin America and Asis . Their reason for coming , however - opportunity and freedom - remain unchanged . From : American Life and Institutions By Stevenson D. K (1998).

Simple past verb “To be”: 

Simple past verb “ To be ” The verb "be" is also irregular in the Simple Past. Unlike other irregular verbs, there are two Simple Past forms: "was" and "were." It also has different question forms and negative forms. Always remember that you DO NOT use "did" with the verb "be" in the Simple Past. I was I wasn’t Was I …? You were You weren’t Were you …? She was She was’t Was she …? He was He wasn’t Was he …? It was It wasn’t Was It …? They were They weren’t Were they …? You were You weren’t Were y ou …? We were We weren’t Were we … ?

Simple Past : 

Simple Past Verb TO BE July was at the school last night . July wasn’t at the school yesterday . Was July at the school last monday ? OTHERS Javo made tortillas. Javo didn’t make tortillas. Did Javo make tortillas? Javo read a book . Javo didn’t read a book . Did Javo read a book ?

Regulars and irregulars verbs: 

Regulars and irregulars verbs Regular Irregular Rules Spelling: Verbs ending in – e take only -d Verbs ending in a consonant + y, drop the y and take - ied Verbs ending in a vowel + y, take - ed Verbs ending in one stressed vowel between two consonants double the last consonant an d take - ed But visit-visited Verbs ending in one l double the l and take - ed Irregulars verbs do not form the past simple by adding –ed. They can change from prefix or in the middle of the word.

Time expressions used with simple past: 

Time expressions used with simple past Yesterday Last night/month/year Three weeks ago In 1998

Adverb placement: 

Adverb placement The examples below show the placement for grammar adverbs such as: always, only, never, ever, still, just, etc. Examples: You just called Debbie. Did you just call Debbie?

Pronunciation: 

Pronunciation The suffix – ed is pronounced: /Id/ when the verbs ends in a /t/ or /d/ /t/ when the verb ends in a /k/, /s/, / tf /, /s/, /f/ or /p/ /d/ when the verb ends in any other sound.

Modal verbs: 

Modal verbs Modal verbs behave very strangely in the Simple Past. The most important verb to remember is "must." Notice how it becomes "had to" in the Simple Past. "Must" becomes "had to": I must call my wife now.(present) I had to call my wife yesterday.(simple past)

Used To vs. To be used to verb+ing: 

Used To vs. To be used to verb+ing There's a big difference between used to – to talk about past habits or states and is used to verb+ing – to talk about something that you are now familiar with. Avoid making mistakes by remembering the verb pattern. Used to + verb describes a past habit or state. For example: He used to smoke, but he doesn't now." To be used to + verb with ing describes something that you are now familiar with. For example: "Five years ago, I didn't know about the internet. Now I am used to working with it."

Samples:: 

Samples : The managment used to deal with emergencies much more competently when Fiedler was the chairman . Mary used to have more positive attitude towards her work before she was moved to Chicago. When I was young I used to play with my dolls. = When I was young I would play with my dolls. I used to be an administrative assistant.

Use to with did and didn’t: 

Use to with did and didn’t You should use 'use to' without a d in sentences when it follows 'did' or 'didn't‘ In the negative you cannot use would without a change in meaning. I didn't use to play with my dolls. If I said I wouldn't play with my dolls. It would mean I refused to play with my dolls. We didn't use to go out much in the winter months. If I said we wouldn't go out much. It would mean we refused to go out much. Note - The general rule is when there is did or didn't in the sentence, we say use to (without d ) when there is no did or didn't in the sentence, we say used to (with d ).

Use to with did and didn’t: 

Use to with did and didn’t The question form is ‘ Did you use to …?'. When asking a closed question you put did/didn't in front of the subject followed by use to , you cannot use would . Did you use to go out with my sister? Did they use to own the company? Didn't we use to go to the same school? Also when asking questions about states in the past you cannot use would . What sort of things did you use to like when you were young?