Worksheet on Simple past Tense With Answers

Worksheet on simple past tense with answers

Before going directly into the Worksheet on Simple past tense, it might be a good idea first to understand What is Simple Past Tense in brief?

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Simple past tense | Past Indefinite Tense

The simple past tense is a verb tense that we used to discuss actions or events that happened at a specific time in the past. It has called “simple” because it’s one of the most basic verb tenses, and it’s used very frequently in everyday conversation. It is also known as the past indefinite tense.

To form the simple past tense, we usually add “-ed” to the base form of regular verbs. For example:

• walk → walked

• play → played

• talk → talked

However, some verbs are irregular, which means that they do not follow this pattern. For example:

• eat → ate

• go → went

• have → had

To use the simple past tense, you need to think about when the action or event happened. For example:

• “Yesterday, I played with my friend.” (The action happened yesterday.)

• “Last summer, we went to the beach.” (The event happened last summer.)

We often use time expressions like “yesterday,” “last week,” or “two years ago” to show when the action or event happened.

Sentence Formation

Here are some examples of how to form sentences in the simple past tense:

1. Affirmative sentence (positive statement):
   Subject + verb in simple past tense + object

Example:

• I played soccer yesterday.

In this sentence, “I” is the subject, “played” is the verb in the simple past tense, and “soccer” is the object. The sentence formation in simple past tense is: “Subject (I) + verb in simple past tense (played) + object (soccer).”

 

2. Negative sentence (negative statement):
   Subject + did not (didn’t) + base form of verb + object

Example:

• I did not eat breakfast this morning.

In this sentence, “I” is the subject, “didn’t eat” is the negative form of the verb in the simple past tense, and “breakfast” is the object. The sentence formation in simple past tense is: “Subject (I) + did not (didn’t) + base form of verb (eat) + object (breakfast).”

3. Interrogative sentence (question):
   Did + subject + base form of verb + object?

Example:

• Did you see the new movie last weekend?

In this sentence, “you” is the subject, “did see” is the question form of the verb in the simple past tense, and “the new movie” is the object. The sentence formation in simple past tense is: “Did + subject (you) + base form of verb (see) + object (the new movie)?”

Now let’s move on to the worksheet for Simple past tense. We have also provided printable worksheets, you can download them also for your personal use.

Worksheet on simple past tense questions

1. Question 1: Write the correct form of the verb in the simple past tense to complete the sentence.

1. The sun __________ (set) behind the mountains yesterday evening.

2. My little sister __________ (fall) off her bike and hurt her knee yesterday.

3. My family __________ (go) on a trip to the beach last summer.

4. The teacher __________ (explain) the lesson very well yesterday.

5. The cat __________ (drink) milk from a bowl yesterday.

6. The boy __________ (run) quickly to catch the bus yesterday morning.

7. The girl __________ (sing) a song beautifully during the school concert last week.

8. The children __________ (build) a sandcastle at the beach last weekend.

9. The flowers __________ (bloom) beautifully in the garden last spring.

2. Question 2: Rewrite the following sentences in the simple past tense:

1. I go to the store every day. → __________

2. She plays basketball on the weekends. → __________

3. They study for exams every night. → __________

4. He watches TV after dinner. → __________

5. We read books in the library. → __________

6. She dances at the party. → __________

7. He draws a picture of a house. → __________

8. They visit their grandparents every holiday. → __________

9. I buy groceries at the supermarket. → __________

 

3. Question 3: Choose the correct form of the verb in the simple past tense:

1. She __________ (run/ran) to catch the bus.

2. They __________ (swim/swam) in the pool yesterday.

3. He __________ (write/wrote) a letter to his friend.

4. We __________ (drive/drove) to the beach last weekend.

5. I __________ (take/took) my dog for a walk.

6. She __________ (give/gave) me a gift for my birthday.

7. He __________ (play/played) the guitar at the concert.

8. They __________ (fly/flew) to New York last summer.

9. I __________ (see/saw) a movie at the cinema.

 

4. Question 4: Write sentences in the simple past tense based on the given prompts:

1. (He / eat breakfast) –>

2. (We / study at the library) –>

3. (She / play the guitar) –>

4. (They / swim at the pool) –>

5. (He / brush his teeth) –>

6. (She / listen to music) –>

7. (We / cook dinner) –>

8. (He / ride his bike) –>

9. (They / read books) –>

Now comes our final question related to an English simple past-tense worksheet. Please note that solutions for this worksheet on simple past tense are also provided below. After practicing the worksheet you can match your answers again. If you have any doubts you can comment in the comment section.

 

5. Question 5: Rewrite the following paragraph in the simple past tense.

Paragraph 1: Every day, I go to the beach with my family. We arrive at the beach early in the morning and spend the day swimming and sunbathing. We have a picnic lunch on the beach and play beach volleyball in the afternoon. Later in the evening, we watch the sunset over the ocean and then go back to our hotel. It is a great day at the beach and I have a lot of fun with my family.

Paragraph 2: Last weekend, I visit my grandparents who live in the countryside. I arrive on Friday evening and we have a delicious dinner together. On Saturday morning, we wake up early and go for a walk around the fields. We see lots of wildflowers and birds along the way. In the afternoon, we visit a nearby town and go shopping at the local market. We buy fresh fruits and vegetables to make dinner. On Sunday, we have a lazy morning and then cook a big brunch together. I leave in the afternoon feeling grateful for the time I get to spend with my grandparents.

Now let’s move on to solutions for the worksheet on simple past tense.

You can also download the PDF at the end of this worksheet.

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Worksheet on simple past tense with answers

1. Question 1: Write the correct form of the verb in the simple past tense to complete the sentence.

1. The sun set behind the mountains yesterday evening. (The verb “set” is in the simple past tense, which indicates that the action happened in the past, and has already been completed.)

2. My little sister fell off her bike and hurt her knee yesterday. (The verb “fell” is in the simple past tense, which indicates that the action happened in the past, and has already been completed.)

3. My family went on a trip to the beach last summer. (The verb “went” is in the simple past tense, which indicates that the action happened in the past, and has already been completed.)

4. The teacher explained the lesson very well yesterday. (The verb “explained” is in the simple past tense, which indicates that the action happened in the past, and has already been completed.)

5. The cat drank milk from a bowl yesterday. (The verb “drank” is in the simple past tense, which indicates that the action happened in the past, and has already been completed.)

6. The boy ran quickly to catch the bus yesterday morning. (The verb “ran” is in the simple past tense, which indicates that the action happened in the past, and has already been completed.)

7. The girl sang a song beautifully during the school concert last week. (The verb “sang” is in the simple past tense, which indicates that the action happened in the past, and has already been completed.)

8. The children built a sandcastle at the beach last weekend. (The verb “built” is in the simple past tense, which indicates that the action happened in the past, and has already been completed.)

9. The flowers bloomed beautifully in the garden last spring. (The verb “bloomed” is in the simple past tense, which indicates that the action happened in the past, and has already been completed.)

2. Question 2: Rewrite the following sentences in the simple past tense:

1. I went to the store yesterday.
   The verb ‘go’ is changed to its past tense ‘went’ to show that the action took place in the past. In simple past tense, the verbs are used to describe actions that have already happened in the past.

2. She played basketball last weekend.
   The verb ‘plays’ is changed to its past tense ‘played’ to indicate that the action took place in the past. In simple past tense, the verbs are always in the past form and typically end with “-ed” for regular verbs.

3. They studied for exams last night.
   The verb ‘study’ is changed to its past tense ‘studied’ to show that the action took place in the past. In simple past tense, regular verbs end with “-ed” to indicate the past form.

4. He watched TV after dinner yesterday.
   The verb ‘watches’ is changed to its past tense ‘watched’ to indicate that the action took place in the past. The past tense of regular verbs is usually formed by adding “-ed” to the base form of the verb.

5. We read books in the library yesterday.
   The verb ‘read’ is changed to its past tense ‘read’ to show that the action took place in the past. Some verbs have the same present and past forms, and ‘read’ is one such verb.

6. She danced at the party last weekend.
   The verb ‘dances’ is changed to its past tense ‘danced’ to indicate that the action took place in the past. In simple past tense, regular verbs end with “-ed” to indicate the past form.

7. He drew a picture of a house last night.
   The verb ‘draws’ is changed to its past tense ‘drew’ to show that the action took place in the past. In simple past tense, regular verbs end with “-ed” to indicate the past form.

8. They visited their grandparents last holiday.
   The verb ‘visit’ is changed to its past tense ‘visited’ to indicate that the action took place in the past. In simple past tense, regular verbs end with “-ed” to indicate the past form.

9. I bought groceries at the supermarket yesterday.
   The verb ‘buy’ is changed to its past tense ‘bought’ to show that the action took place in the past. In simple past tense, regular verbs end with “-ed” to indicate the past form.

3. Question 3: Choose the correct form of the verb in the simple past tense:

1. She ran to catch the bus.

2. They swam in the pool yesterday.

3. He wrote a letter to his friend.

4. We drove to the beach last weekend.

5. I took my dog for a walk.

6. She gave me a gift for my birthday.

7. He played the guitar at the concert.

8. They flew to New York last summer.

9. I saw a movie at the cinema.

Explanation:

1. The verb “run” has been changed to its past tense form “ran” to indicate that the action took place in the past.

2. The verb “swim” has been changed to its past tense form “swam” to indicate that the action took place in the past.

3. The verb “write” has been changed to its past tense form “wrote” to indicate that the action took place in the past.

4. The verb “drive” has been changed to its past tense form “drove” to indicate that the action took place in the past.

5. The verb “take” has been changed to its past tense form “took” to indicate that the action took place in the past.

6. The verb “give” has been changed to its past tense form “gave” to indicate that the action took place in the past.

7. The verb “play” has been changed to its past tense form “played” to indicate that the action took place in the past.

8. The verb “fly” has been changed to its past tense form “flew” to indicate that the action took place in the past.

9. The verb “see” has been changed to its past tense form “saw” to indicate that the action took place in the past.

4. Question 4: Write sentences in the simple past tense based on the given prompts:

1. (He / eat breakfast) –>
   He ate breakfast an hour ago.

2. (We / study at the library) –>
   We studied at the library yesterday.

3. (She / play the guitar) –>
   She played the guitar at the concert last week.

4. (They / swim at the pool) –>
   They swam at the pool yesterday.

5. (He / brush his teeth) –>
   He brushed his teeth before going to bed.

6. (She / listen to music) –>
   She listened to music on the train this morning.

7. (We / cook dinner) –>
   We cooked dinner together last night.

8. (He / ride his bike) –>
   He rode his bike to work yesterday.

9. (They / read books) –>
   They read books on the beach last weekend.

5. Question 5: Rewrite the following paragraph in the simple past tense.

Paragraph 1: Yesterday, I went to the beach with my family. We arrived at the beach early in the morning and spent the day swimming and sunbathing. We had a picnic lunch on the beach and played beach volleyball in the afternoon. Later in the evening, we watched the sunset over the ocean and then went back to our hotel. It was a great day at the beach and I had a lot of fun with my family.

Paragraph 2: Last weekend, I visited my grandparents who live in the countryside. I arrived on Friday evening and we had a delicious dinner together. On Saturday morning, we woke up early and went for a walk around the fields. We saw lots of wildflowers and birds along the way. In the afternoon, we visited a nearby town and went shopping at the local market. We bought fresh fruits and vegetables to make dinner. On Sunday, we had a lazy morning and then cooked a big brunch together. I left in the afternoon feeling grateful for the time I got to spend with my grandparents.

Simple Past Tense Worksheet PDF
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References

• “Simple Past Tense: Definition, Rules and Examples”
  Source: Grammarly
  Blog URL: https://www.grammarly.com/blog/simple-past/

It covers how to form regular and irregular verbs when to use the tense, and common mistakes to avoid. The article is a helpful resource for improving one’s understanding of the simple past tense.

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