GRAMMAR

Past Simple (for Regular Verbs)

Form:

Affirmative:
S + VERB – ed

Negative:
S + DID NOT/DIDN’T + VERB

Interrogative:
DID + S + VERB

Affirmative Negative Interrogative

Long form Short form
I worked I did not work I didn’t work Did I work?
You worked You did not work You didn’t work Did you work?
He worked He did not work He didn’t work Did he work?
She worked She did not work She didn’t work Did she work?
It worked It did not work It didn’t work Did it work?
We worked We did not work We didn’t work Did we work?
You worked You did not work You didn’t work Did you work?
They worked They did not work They didn’t work Did they work?

Spelling rules:
• Verbs ending in –e take only –d.
close → closed type → typed
live → lived arrange → arranged
• Verbs ending in a vowel + y, simply take –ed.

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 stay → stayed play → played
enjoy → enjoyed pray → prayed
• Verbs ending in a consonant + y, drop the y and take –ied.
try → tried carry → carried
study → studied hurry → hurried
• Verbs ending in one stressed vowel between two consonants, double the last consonant and
then take –ed.
drop → dropped plan → planned
stop → stopped refer → referred
• Verbs ending in –l, double the l and take –ed.
travel → travelled quarrel → quarrelled
cancel → cancelled

Note: The Past Simple of Irregular verbs, in the affirmative, is not formed by adding –ed. It is
formed by choosing the 2nd form from the list of irregular verbs.
eat → ate buy → bought
write → wrote find → found
The negative is formed with the subject + didn’t + the bare infinitive of the main verb.
The interrogative is formed with did + subject + the bare infinitive of the main verb.

Uses:

 completed actions which happened at a definite time in the past.

Audi launched a new concept car last year.
 past habits or repeated actions in the past. (used with often, always, usually, etc.)
He always verified the other engineers’ work.
 actions occurring in the past which happened immediately one after the other.
First, they finalised the engine design, they built a prototype, and then they tested it in the
laboratory.
 to talk about individuals who are no longer alive.
Henry Ford established the Ford Motor Company.

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Time Expressions:
o yesterday o then
o last night/week/month/year/Sunday etc. o when
o five seconds/minutes/hours/days/weeks/months/years ago o in 2010

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Grammar Practice

I. Fill in the gaps with the correct form of the past simple.

1. The bailiff _____________ (finish) work at 9 o’clock yesterday night.

2. The CEO ______________ (deliver) a comprehensive presentation on the future of the
legal system.
3. The Law firm ______________ (hire) fifty employees at its headquarters in Morocco.
4. Volkswagen ______________ (break) the law when it falsified test results regarding
engine emissions.
5. __________ the two legal companies _________ (reach) an agreement on a future merger?
6. Iveco _____________ (sell) over 1 million trucks last year.
7. Our boss hates flying, so he ______________ (go) to London by car.
8. They __________________ (not/send) a limo to pick him up as they _________________
(not/have) a valid address on record.
9. He ___________________ (not/buy) new computers for the clerks because they
___________ (be) too expensive.
10. ___________ she _____________ (consult) her lawyer before talking to the police.

II. Put the following sentences into the interrogative form of the past simple.

1. The main office ran out of paper last week.

__________________________________________________
2. He bought forty judicial books.
______________________________________________________________
3. He met his lawyer after he was arrested.
______________________________________________________________________
4. The President decided to pardon fifty individuals.
___________________________________________________________________

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5. His legal bills cost ten thousand euros.
___________________________________________________________________

6. The insurance representative refused to approve compensation payment.

___________________________________________________________________
7. The Frenchman drove his truck for 56 consecutive hours in order to reach his Court
appointment.
___________________________________________________________________
8. My lawyer earned almost £35,000 last year.
___________________________________________________________________
9. The district attorney delivered a very strong opening statement.
_______________________________________________________________________
10. The governor commuted his death sentence to a life sentence.
_______________________________________________________________________

IV. Put the following sentences into the negative form of the past simple.

1. The police fined him for speeding near a public school.

____________________________________________________________________
2. The fuel line ruptured because of wear and tear.
____________________________________________________________________
3. The company provided him with an armoured vehicle for his trip to South America.
____________________________________________________________________
4. She paid an arm and a leg to cover her legal expenses.
____________________________________________________________________
5. The judge’s verdict made his family very happy.
____________________________________________________________________

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6. My legal firm posted record profits in 2015.
____________________________________________________________________
7. He was accused of a capital crime.
____________________________________________________________________
8. His legal team worked really well to defend him.
____________________________________________________________________
9. Did the bad roads in Romania cause the malfunction of the car suspension?
____________________________________________________________________
10. Did she try to bribe the doctor?
____________________________________________________________________

V. Match the following sentences with their corresponding use in the past simple.
A - completed action in the past C - consecutive action in the past
B - past habit D - talking about people who no longer live

0. They had a minor car incident last summer. A

1. He always checked the documents himself before a major trip.
2. John F. Kennedy was a big fan of the U.S Constitution.
3. He bought a car for his son in 2008.
4. The company purchased six pickup trucks for its legal division last month.
5. They used to wash their car three times a week.

6. The judge ordered punitive damages.

7. The Napoleonic Code was an important stage in the evolution of legal systems.
8. First, he refused money from his client and then he decided to also represent
his brother.
9. The lawyers often consulted one another regarding safety protocols.
10. They went to Disneyland after they won the trial.

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