SPARROW READERSA2

Past Simple — Affirmative & Negative

Sapphire · Challenge

Grammar summary

Subject / verb	Affirmative	Negative
I / You / We / They	worked / went	did not / didn't work or go
He / She / It	worked / went	did not / didn't work or go
be: I / He / She / It	was	was not / wasn't
be: You / We / They	were	were not / weren't

Use past simple for finished events: yesterday, last week, in 2020.

Regular: play - played; live - lived; study - studied; stop - stopped.

After did not / didn't, use the base verb: She didn't go.

01 Mix regular and irregular verbs

Use the past simple of the verbs in brackets.

Example: We brought a picnic. (bring)

1.She early yesterday. (leave)

2.We our holiday last week. (plan)

3.I a present yesterday. (choose)

4.They the test last Friday. (finish)

5.He the window yesterday. (break)

6.You hard last night. (study)

02 Complete the negatives

Use the negative past simple.

1.She the answer yesterday. (not / know)

2.We home early yesterday. (not / come)

3.He the game last night. (not / win)

4.They us last week. (not / tell)

03 Remember be

Use was/were or their negative forms.

1.The news surprising yesterday. (be)

2.The people friendly yesterday. (be)

3.I at the meeting yesterday. (not / be)

4.You ready yesterday. (not / be)

Grammar summary

Base verb	Past form	Example
go / see	went / saw	We went home. We saw a film.
eat / buy	ate / bought	He ate lunch. He bought a book.
have / make	had / made	I had dinner. I made a cake.
take / write	took / wrote	She took a photo. She wrote an email.

Irregular past forms must be learned; they do not take -ed.

Negative: I didn't see it. With be: I wasn't there; they weren't there.

Choose the form from the finished past time and the instruction.

04 Present habits and finished past

Use present simple for usually and past simple for yesterday.

Example: I play every day. I played yesterday.

1.She usually to school. (walk)

2.Yesterday she to school. (walk)

3.He usually by bus. (go)

4.Yesterday he by bus. (go)

05 Avoid the common mistakes

Complete with the correct form of the verb in brackets.

1.He didn't yesterday. (leave)

2.He yesterday. (leave)

3.They didn't last night. (win)

4.They last night. (win)

06 An unexpected afternoon

Use the past simple of the verbs in brackets.

1.Nora her keys yesterday. (lose)

2.She worried. (be)

3.She them in her bag. (not / find)

4.Her brother her. (help)

5.They the keys under the sofa. (find)

6.Nora him for his help. (thank)