2015-08-21
594
final consonants In AmE labeled, quarreled signaled and traveled follow the rule In BrE labelled quarrelled, signalled and travelled are exceptions to the rule [compare > 9.10]
cry/cried [compare > 2.20]
When there is a consonant before -y, the y changes to / before we add ed eg carry earned deny denied fry fried try tried Compare delay delayed obey obeyed play played, etc which have a vowel before -y and therefore simply add -ed in the past
Form of the simple past tense with irregular verbs
The form is the same for all persons [> App 40] /
You
He
She shut the suitcase
It sat on
We
You
They
Notes on the past form of irregular verbs
Unlike regular verbs, irregular verbs (about 150 in all) do not have past forms which can be predicted
Shut/shut
A small number of verbs have the same form in the present as in the past e g cut/cut hit hit put put It is important to remember, particularly with such verbs, that the third person singular does not change in the past eg he shut (past), he shuts (present)
Sit/sat
The past form of most irregular verbs is different from the present bring brought catch caught keep/kept leave/left lose/lost
Uses of the simple past tense
Completed actions
We normally use the simple past tense to talk about events, actions or situations which occurred in the past and are now finished They may have happened recently
Sam phoned a moment ago or in the distant past
The Goths invaded Rome in A.D. 410 A time reference must be given
/ had a word with Julian this morning or must be understood from the context
/ saw Fred in town (i e when I was there this morning)
/ never met my grandfather (i e he is dead) When we use the simple past, we are usually concerned with when an action occurred, not with its duration (how long it lasted)
|
|
|
The simple past tense
Past habit
Like used to [> 11.60], the simple past can be used to describe past
habits [compare present habit > 9.8.3]:
/ smoked forty cigarettes a day till I gave up
The immediate past
We can sometimes use the simple past without a time reference to describe something that happened a very short time ago- Jimmy punched me in the stomach Did the telephone ring? Who left the door open? (Who's left the door open? [> 9.26.1])
Polite inquiries, etc.
The simple past does not always refer to past time It can also be used for polite inquiries (particularly asking for favours), often with verbs like hope think or wonder Compare:
/ wonder if you could give me a lift
I wondered if you could give me a lift (more tentative/polite) For the use of 'the unreal past' in conditional sentences [> 14.12]
