2017-11-30
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- Did you go to work yesterday?
- Did they arrive on time?
- Did she like the surprise?
- Where did she go?
- What did you do yesterday?
- What did you say? - I didn't say anything.
- Why did we have to come?
Irregular Verbs in the Past Tense
Irregular verbs are ONLY irregular in affirmative/positive sentences.
(An exception to this is with the verb TO BE in the Past Tense).
For example: The past tense of GO is WENT.
It does not end in –ED so it is considered irregular.
The word went is used for all subjects – I, you, we, they, he, she, it.
- I went to the beach
- He went to the park.
- She went to the zoo.
- They went to the library.
BUT, as we mentioned before, it is only in its irregular form (went) in sentences that are affirmative/positive.
Compare the following using GO in the past tense.
- They went to the beach
- They didn't go to the beach --- Didn't shows that we are talking in the past tense.
- Did they go to the beach? --- Did shows that we are talking in the past tense.
Another example with an irregular verb.
The past of EAT is ATE.
- You ate my cake.
- You didn't eat my cake.
- Did you eat my cake?
· As is the case with any verb tense in English, it is generally possible to give short answers to a question. This is certainly the case for questions in the past tense.
· If the question commences with one of the traditional question words such as WHO, WHERE, WHEN, WHY, WHAT, WHICH or HOW, it requires a more detailed answer and it is not possible to give a short answer.
· Examples of long answers
· What did you do on the weekend?
- I went to a party with my friends.
(It is not possible to give a short answer to this question like 'Yes, I did').
· Why did you call him?
- Because I needed to borrow his computer.
· HOWEVER, if the question is more direct, and commences with a verb or Did, then it is generally possible to give a short or a long answer to the question.
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· Examples
· Was Chris at the party last night?
- Yes, he was. (short answer)
- Yes, Chris was at the party last night. (long answer)
· Did you see Julie on the weekend?
- No, I didn't. (short answer)
- No, I didn't see Julie on the weekend. (long answer)
· Could they speak Japanese?
- Yes, they could. (short answer)
- Yes, they could speak Japanese. (long answer)
· As you can see, long answers usually sound repetitive and are not commonly used.
Exercise
Write the sentences in Past Indefinite.
Example: I (to do) morning exercises.
+ I did morning exercises.
? Did I do morning exercises?
— I didn’t do morning exercises.
He (to work) at a factory.
+ ________________________
— ________________________
? ________________________
She (to sleep) after dinner.
+ ________________________
— ________________________
? ________________________
We (to work) part-time.
+ ________________________
— ________________________
? ________________________
They (to drink) tea every day.
+ ________________________
— ________________________
? ________________________
Mike (to be) a student.
+ ________________________
— ________________________
? ________________________
Helen (to have) a car.
+ ________________________
— ________________________
? ________________________
You (to be) a good friend.
+ ________________________
— ________________________
? ________________________
It (to be) difficult to remember everything.
+ ________________________
— ________________________
? ________________________
Exercise
Regular (R) or irregular (I) verbs? Write the past simple of the verbs.
1. fly __
2. use __
3. study__
4. eat __
5. make __
6. travel__
7. see __
Complete the sentences with the past simple
be – get up – meet – have – go – run – drink – sleep – swim – eat
1. I __ a shower and some fruit for breakfast.
2. Then I __ to the sports centre.
3. I __ 500 meters in the swimming pool and then
4. I __ 5 kilometers.
5. At lunchtime I __ my friends in a café.
6. We __ some pasta and __ some juice.
7. After lunch I __ for a few hours, I __ tired!
