Past Simple

The past simple form is used to show the past tense of actions that began and ended in the past. It doesn't matter when they began and ended; it just matters that they're not happening right now.

The past is never simple… except in grammar.

For regular verbs, the past simple form is made by adding –ed to the base verb. For other verbs… good luck.

A personal pronoun is actually pretty impersonal. So what is it, exactly?

 

Examples

" Bobbi delighted in watching her calico kitten chase its own tail."

In this example, the past simple form of the base verb delight means that Bobbi, at some point in the past, took delight in watching her kitten chase her own tail like an adorable doofus—an adorable doofus that can run as fast as thirty miles per hour. That's faster than Usain Bolt.

" Kurt's boss advised him to stop filling out his time sheet in crayon if he ever wants to get a promotion."

Advised uses the past simple form because this is, hopefully, referring to a one-time conversation between Kurt and his understanding employer.

" For her trip to Prague, Jennifer packed every pair of socks she owns."

Here, packed is a past simple verb indicating that, at some point in the past, Jennifer removed her sock drawer from her bureau and just dumped the whole thing into her suitcase. We like the way you think, Jennifer.

 

Please Wait...