Most Verbs
Most verbs conjugate by adding -ed like the verb "wait" below.| Positive | Negative | Question |
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Examples:
| The infinitive | The simple past |
|---|---|
| live | lived |
| start | started |
| die | died |
| visit | visited |
| play | played |
| watch | watched |
| phone | phoned |
| marry | married |
Pronunciation of the ending -ed in the Simple Past
In the Simple Past we add -ed to regular verbs. Be careful pronuncing the verbs:1) verbs ending in -ed preceded by a voiceless consonant [p, k, f, ʃ, ʧ, s, θ]
-> speak [t].
The -e is silent. Example: I stop - I stopped [stɒpt]
2) verbs ending in -ed preceded by a voiced consonant [b, g, v, ʒ, ʤ, z, ð, l, m, n] or a vowel
-> speak [d].
The -e is silent. Example: I clean - I cleaned [kli:nd]
3) verbs ending in -ed preceded by [t] or [d]
-> speak [ɪd].
The -e changes to [ɪ]. Example: I visit - I visited [vɪzɪtɪd]
Irregular Verbs
Many verbs, such as "have," take irregular forms in the Simple Past. Notice that you only use the irregular verbs in statements. In negative forms and questions, "did" indicates Simple Past.| Positive | Negative | Question |
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http://www.agendaweb.org/verbs/past_simple-exercises.html
To Be
The verb "be" is also irregular in the Simple Past. Unlike other irregular verbs, there are two Simple Past forms: "was" and "were." It also has different question forms and negative forms. Always remember that you DO NOT use "did" with the verb "be" in the Simple Past.| Positive | Negative | Question |
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