1. Inter American University of Puerto Rico Guayama Campus
Title V Cooperative Project
Past Tense Module
Prof. Marisol Piazza Aguirre

2. Instructions Use the following buttons to navigate through
this module:
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Use this button to view the answer to the exercise.

3. Purpose
This module proposes to expand the basic teaching-learning activities of English included in the Title V Cooperative Project: “Improving Academic Outcomes Through a Technology-Based Consortium Program for the Core Curriculum”. The project is integrated by the Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico in Ponce from where it is directed, the Arecibo, Mayagüez and Guayama Campuses, the School of Plastic Arts of Puerto Rico and Inter American University of Puerto Rico, Guayama Campus.

4. Introduction
One of the most important verb tenses an ESL student should master to communicate effectively in English orally as well as in written form is the Simple Past Tense.
This module has been designed for all college students but specially for you students who are registered in the basic English as a Second Language I, GEEN 1101 course. In this module, you will study the rules of how to use the Simple Past.

5. Objectives General Objective:
By the end of this module, the student will develop confidence and demonstrate knowledge using the Simple Past Tense correctly to express completed actions and to state past facts.
Specific Objective:
At the end of this module, the student will use affirmative and negative sentences, direct questions, short yes/no answers, wh-questions (information questions) and answers giving pertinent information in the Simple Past Tense.

6. Pre-Test Select the best answer.
__ 1. The past tense of the regular verb “work” is ____.
(A) worked (B) work (C) works
__ 2. The past tense of the irregular verb “go” is _____.
(A) gone (B) went (C) goes
__ 3. Mayra and Miguel _____ a lot at their wedding
last Saturday.
(A) danced (B) dance (C) dancing
__ 4. We ____ at the movies last night.
(A) are (B) was (C) were
__ 5. The tree _____ during the storm last month.
(A) fall (B) fell (C) felt

7. Pre-Test __ 6. Bob ____ alcohol at the party last weekend.
(A) didn’t drank (B) didn’t drinked (C) didn’t drink
__ 7. Jeffrey ____ for his final exams last week.
(A) didn’t studyed (B) didn’t studied
(C) didn’t study
__ 8. We ____ fast foods last month.
(A) didn’t ate (B) didn’t eat (C) didn’t eated
__ 9. Mrs. González _____ me the message yesterday.
(A) didn’t give (B) didn’t gived (C) didn’t gave
__10. The house ____ on sale last year.
(A) wasn’t (B) weren’t (C) isn’t

8. Pre-Test __ 11. __ you ___ reservations for the hotel last month?
(A) Did, make (B) Did, made (C) Did, maked
__ 12. ___ your dog the winner of the most obedient dog contest
last year?
(A) Were (B) Was (C) Is
__ 13. __ the students __ the new book for the English
course?
(A) Did, bought (B) Did, buyed (C) Did, buy
__ 14. __ Mr. and Mrs. Soto __ their trip to Egypt last summer?
(A) Did, enjoyed (B) Did, enjoy (C) Did, enjoied
__ 15. ___ Ana and Robert honor students last semester ?
(A) Are (B) Were (C) Was

9. Pre-Test __ 16. What __ you __ this past weekend?
(A) did, does (B) did, did (C) did, do
__ 17. When ___ Alice ___ ?
(A) was, born (B) were, born (C) is, born
__ 18. Why __ the airplane ___ late last night?
(A) did, arrived (B) does, arrive (C) did, arrive
__ 19. Where __ Albert __ his car?
(A) did, fixed (B) did, fix (C) does, fixed
__ 20. Who __ you __ at the convention?
(A) did, saw (B) did, seed (C) did, see

10. Pre-Test Answer Key 1. A 11. A 2. B 12. B 3. A 13. C 4. C 14. B
7. C A
8. B C
9. A B
10.A C

11. Pre-Test Evaluation Total Correct Answers
20 Excellent: Go to the Post-Test.
19 Very Good: Review the incorrect answer and
go to the Post-Test.
Good: Review the incorrect answers, study
the rules presented in this module, do the
practice exercises and then go to the Post-
Test.
11 or You Need More Practice: Study the module,
less review the rules carefully and do the practice
exercises. When you improve your score, you
may go to the Post-Test.

12. Past Tense Spelling Rules
Regular Verbs
-ed Spelling Rules
___________________________________________________________
1. Add -ed to most verbs walk-walked
2. Add -d to verbs that end in e dance-danced
3. When a verb has one syllable and stop-stopped
ends in CVC, double the consonant
and add -ed.
But: When a one syllable verb ends in fax-faxed
w, x, or y don’t double the last
consonant, just add -ed.

13. Past Tense Spelling Rules
4. When a verb ends in a consonant study-studied
y change the y to i and add -ed..
But: When a verb ends in a vowel play-played
y keep the y and add -ed.
Remember: C= Consonant
V= Vowel
CVC= Consonant + Vowel + Consonant

14. Simple Past Tense Rules
Irregular Verbs
Irregular Verbs are different from regular verbs, there are no rules for learning them. You must study the irregular verbs and learn or memorize them. There is an Irregular Verb List in the Appendix of your English course textbook. If you do not have a textbook, you may ask your English professors for a copy of the list or download one from the Internet at:

15. Examples of Irregular Verbs
Present Past
be (am, is, are) was, were
buy bought
do/does did
drink drank
eat ate
fall fell
give gave
go went
make made
see saw
understand understood
wear wore
write wrote
etc…

16. Simple Past Tense Time Expressions
Past Tense Time Expressions are words or phrases in sentences that indicate when the action occurred.
Examples:
yesterday minutes ago
yesterday morning days ago
yesterday afternoon weeks ago
yesterday evening Saturdays ago
last night months ago
last Friday years ago
last week semesters ago

17. Simple Past Tense Time Expressions
Examples Continuation:
last weekend winters ago
last month in 1912
last semester in the 70’s
last year in the 90’s
last summer in the year 1994
last Christmas on December 25th, 2005
etc…

18. Simple Past Tense Rules
Affirmative Sentences
In affirmative sentences you use the verb and the time expression in the past tense.
Examples using Regular Verbs:
(study) Sandra studied French last year.
(enjoy) We enjoyed our vacation on a cruise last summer.
(wash) Felipe washed the windows and screens yesterday.
(watch) I watched TV until late last night.
(smile) The children smiled when they saw the candy.

19. Simple Past Tense Rules
Affirmative Sentences Continuation
Examples using Irregular Verbs:
(make) 1. My mother made lasagña last Saturday.
(take) 2. The children took a nap after lunch.
(is) Danny was in Iraq five years ago.
(are) The teenagers were tired after their hiking trip.
(give) Prof. Torres gave his students a bonus for their
great work on their research projects last week.

20. Simple Past Tense Rules
Negative Sentences
There are two patterns you should consider for Negative sentences:
Pattern #1: For Regular and Irregular Verbs use:
Subject + didn’t Verb (basic form)…
Examples of Regular Verbs:
(study) Sandra didn’t study French last year.
(wash) Felipe didn’t wash the windows and screens yesterday.
Examples of Irregular Verbs:
(make) My mother didn’t make lasagna last Saturday.
(take) The children didn’t take a nap after lunch.

21. Simple Past Tense Rules
Negative Sentences Continuation
Pattern #2: For Verb “ Be” use:
Subject wasn’t or weren’t…
Examples:
(was) * 1. Danny wasn’t in Iraq five years ago.
(were) *2. The teenagers weren’t tired after their hiking trip.
*Note: Observe how Verb “Be” changes to the negative form.

22. Simple Past Tense Rules
Direct Questions and Yes/No Answers
Study the following patterns and rules to learn how to make direct questions and give short answers in the past tense.
Pattern #1:
Direct Questions (Regular & Irregular Verbs):
Did Subject Verb (basic form) … ?
Short Answers:
Yes, ___ did.
No, ___ didn’t.

23. Simple Past Tense Rules
Examples:
(study) (Q) Did Sandra study French last year?
(A) Yes, she did.
No, she didn’t.
(take) (Q) Did the children take a nap after lunch?
(A) Yes, they did.
No, they didn’t.
Q= Question/A=Answer

24. Simple Past Tense Rules
Direct Questions and Yes/No Answers Continuation
Pattern #2:
Direct Questions and short answers with “Verb Be”:
1. (Q) Was Subject … ?
(A) Yes, __ was.
No, __ wasn’t.
2. (Q) Were Subject … ?
(A) Yes, __ were.
No, __ weren’t.

25. Simple Past Tense Rules
Examples:
(was) 1. (Q) Was Danny in Iraq five years ago?
(A) Yes, he was.
No, he wasn’t.
(were) 2. (Q) Were the teenagers tired after
their hiking trip?
(A) Yes, they were.
No, they weren’t.

26. Simple Past Tense Rules
Wh-Questions and Answers
Study the following patterns and rules to learn how to
make wh-questions to ask for information. Observe that
when you answer, you give information, you do not
answer yes or no as in direct questions.
Pattern #1:
Wh-Questions: Regular and Irregular Verbs:
What
When
Where did Subject Verb (Basic form)… ?
Who
Which
Why
How…

27. Simple Past Tense Rules
Examples:
(study) 1. (Q) What did Sandra study last year?
(A) She studied French.
(take) 2. (Q) When did the children take a nap?
(A) They took a nap after lunch.
Observe: When you ask questions in the past tense, the
verb must be used in the basic form, but when
you answer, the verb must be used in the past
tense form.

28. Simple Past Tense Rules
Pattern #2:
Wh-Questions: “Verb Be”:
What
When
Where was Subject … ?
Who were
Which
Why
How

29. Past Tense Rules Examples: 1. (Q) Where was Danny five years ago?
(A) He was in Iraq.
2. (Q) How were the teenagers after their
hiking trip?
(A) They were tired.

30. Simple Past Tense Practice Exercise
Select the best answer.
__ 1. Teresa ___ absent from work last week.
(A) is (B) was (C) were
__ 2. I ___ violin at the school concert last Wednesday.
(A) plaied (B) played (C) play
__ 3. The students ____ a lot of oral presentations
last semester.
(A) gived (B) give (C) gave
__ 4. It ___ all day yesterday.
(A) rained (B) rain (C) raind
__ 5. Miguel and Helen ___ in high school in 1998.
(A) are (B) was (C) were

31. Simple Past Tense Practice Exercise
__ 6. The cat ___ all its milk, I think it was not hungry.
(A) didn’t drank (B) didn’t drinked (C) didn’t drink
__ 7. The students ___ their uniforms yesterday because it was
Casual Day.
(A) didn’t weared (B) didn’t wear (C) didn’t wore
__ 8. Carlos ____ at the meeting yesterday morning.
(A) isn’t (B) wasn’t (C) weren’t
__ 9. I ___ Peter at the basketball game last weekend.
(A) didn’t see (B) didn’t saw (C) didn’t seed
__ 10. We ___ our trip to Canada because of the cold weather.
(A) didn’t enjoyed (B) didn’t enjoied (C) didn’t enjoy

32. Simple Past Tense Practice Exercise
__ 11. ___ you at the gym yesterday?
(A) Were (B) Was (C) Are
__ 12. ___ the tourists __ souvenirs?
(A) Did, buy (B) Did, buyed (C) Did, bought
__ 13. ___ the food ready when the guests arrived?
(A) Were (B) Are (C) Was
__ 14. ___ Bob and Betty ___ at the supermarket last night?
(A) Did, stop (B) Did, stoped (C) Did, stopped
__ 15. ___ Mr. Wilson ___ the recommendation letter yesterday?
(A) Did, faxed (B) Did, fax (C) Did, faxxed

33. Simple Past Tense Practice Exercise
__ 16. When ___ José ___ the car?
(A) did, washed (B) did, washet (C) did, wash
__ 17. Who ___ the salmon? It’s delicious!
(A) made (B) make (C) maked
__ 18. How ___ your job interview last Monday?
(A) were (B) is (C) was
__ 19. When ___ your father ___ you permission to drive his car?
(A) did, gave (B) did, gived (C) did, give
__ 20. Why ___ the people late to the activity last night?
(A) were (B) are (C) be

34. Simple Past Tense Practice Exercises Answer Key
1. B A
2. B A
3. C C
4. A A
5. C B
6. C C
7. B A
8. B C
9. A C
10.C A

35. Practice Exercise Evaluation
Total Correct Answers
Excellent: Go to the Post-Test.
Very Good: Review the incorrect answer and
go to the Post-Test.
Good: Review the incorrect answers, consult
the module again and then go to the Post-
Test.
11 or You Need More Practice: Study the module,
less review the rules carefully and do the practice
exercises again. When you improve your
score, you may go to the Post-Test.

36. Post-Test Select the best answer.
__ 1. The past tense of the regular verb “work” is ____.
(A) worked (B) work (C) works
__ 2. The past tense of the irregular verb “go” is _____.
(A) gone (B) went (C) goes
__ 3. Mayra and Miguel _____ a lot at their wedding
last Saturday.
(A) danced (B) dance (C) dancing
__ 4. We ____ at the movies last night.
(A) are (B) was (C) were
__ 5. The tree _____ during the storm last month.
(A) fall (B) fell (C) felt

37. Post-Test __ 6. Bob ____ alcohol at the party last weekend.
(A) didn’t drank (B) didn’t drinked (C) didn’t drink
__ 7. Jeffrey ____ for his final exams last week.
(A) didn’t studyed (B) didn’t studied
(C) didn’t study
__ 8. We ____ fast foods last month.
(A) didn’t ate (B) didn’t eat (C) didn’t eated
__ 9. Mrs. González _____ me the message yesterday.
(A) didn’t give (B) didn’t gived (C) didn’t gave
__10. The house ____ on sale last year.
(A) wasn’t (B) weren’t (C) isn’t

38. Post-Test __ 11. __ you ___ reservations for the hotel last month?
(A) Did, make (B) Did, made (C) Did, maked
__ 12. ___ your dog the winner of the most obedient dog contest
last year?
(A) Were (B) Was (C) Is
__ 13. __ the students __ the new book for the English
course?
(A) Did, bought (B) Did, buyed (C) Did, buy
__ 14. __ Mr. and Mrs. Soto __ their trip to Egypt last summer?
(A) Did, enjoyed (B) Did, enjoy (C) Did, enjoied
__ 15. ___ Ana and Robert honor students last semester ?
(A) Are (B) Were (C) Was

39. Post-Test __ 16. What __ you __ this past weekend?
(A) did, does (B) did, did (C) did, do
__ 17. When ___ Alice ___ ?
(A) was, born (B) were, born (C) is, born
__ 18. Why __ the airplane ___ late last night?
(A) did, arrived (B) does, arrive (C) did, arrive
__ 19. Where __ Albert __ his car?
(A) did, fixed (B) did, fix (C) does, fixed
__ 20. Who __ you __ at the convention?
(A) did, saw (B) did, seed (C) did, see

40. Post-Test Answer Key 1. A 11. A 2. B 12. B 3. A 13. C 4. C 14. B
7. C A
8. B C
9. A B
10.A C

41. Post-Test Evaluation Total Correct Answers
20 Excellent: Congratulations! You have
successfully completed this module. You may
work on a different module if necessary.
19 Very Good: Review the incorrect answer. You
may work on a different module if necessary.
Good: Review the incorrect answers, review the
areas of difficulty and take the Post-Test
again.
11 or You Need More Practice: I recommend that you
less review the complete module and when you
are ready, take the Post-Test again.

42. Letter to the Student
Congratulations ! You have completed the Simple Past module. If you still have questions concerning the rules, I advise you to review this module again. If you understand all of the rules and examples presented, you can work with a different module. Remember you learn by practicing, therefore use the Simple Past in your daily conversations and written work.